The Half wave Rectifier

A half-wave rectifier produces in an output waveform containing either the positive

or negative portion of the input waveform.

During the first half of the cycle, D1 is forward biased and conducts current.
D2 is reverse biased and does not conduct current.

During the second half of the cycle,D2 is forward biased and conducts
current. D1 is reversed biased and does not conduct current.

Output waveform

The full wave Rectifier

A circuit in which diodes connected to the ends of a center-tap transformer are

connected to ground through a single resistor. The output voltage waveforms from
both diodes are therefore applied across one load resistor.

Full wave rectification of AC allows a much smoother conversion of AC to DC

than does half-wave rectification.

Full wave Bridge Rectifier

A bridge circuit uses simple winding and four diodes. It is very difficult to remember
how the diodes are tied together. Here is an easy way to remember the connections.
The two cathodes D1 and D2 are put together to positive DC output. The anodes of
the two other diodes D3 and D4 are tied to the negative DC output. Connect the
anode of D1 to the cathode of D4 to AC. On the other side connect the anode of D2
to the cathode of D3 to AC.

Bridge diodes are symbolized by a single diode. It represents bridge diodes

contained in one package.
DC FILTER CIRCUIT
The output of a rectifier diode is a pulsating DC. Electronic equipment doesnt like
the pulsating dc that comes straight from a rectifier. The ripple in the waveform
must be smoothed out, so that pure, battery-like dc is supplied.
Methods of filtering:

Capacitance Filter
Capacitance resistance Filter
Capacitance inductance Filter
Electronic Filter (Capacitance Multiplier)

Filter capacitors work by trying to keep the dc voltage at its peak level. This is
easier to do with the output of a full-wave rectifier as compared with a half-wave
circuit. The remaining waveform bumps are the ripple. With a half-wave rectifier,
this ripple has the same frequency as the ac, or 60 Hz. With a full-wave supply, the
ripple is 120 Hz. The capacitor gets recharged twice as often with a full-wave
rectifier, as compared with a half-wave rectifier. This is why the ripple is less severe,
for a given capacitance, with full-wave circuits.

Capacitors and chokes

Another way to smooth out the dc from a rectifier is to use an extremely large
inductance in series with the output. This is always done in conjunction with parallel
capacitance. The inductance, called a filter choke, is on the order of several henrys.
If the coil must carry a lot of current, it will be physically bulky.
Engineers might use capacitor-input filtering when the load is not expected to be
very great. The output voltage is higher with a capacitor-input circuit than with a
choke-input circuit. If the supply needs to deliver large or variable amounts of
current, a choke-input filter is a better choice, because the output voltage is more
stable.
If a supply must have a minimum of ripple, two or three capacitor/choke pairs might
be cascaded, or connected one after the other (Fig. 21-11). Each pair is called a
section. Multisection filters can consist of either capacitor-input or choke-input
sections, but the two types are never mixed.

Level DC (Smoothing Pulsating DC)

The function of the smoothing section of a power supply circuit is to take the
pulsating DC (PDC) and convert it to a pure DC with as little AC ripple as
possible. The smoothed DC voltage, shown in the illustration, is then applied to the
load.

The load (which is driven by the power supply) can be a simple lamp or a
complex electronic circuit. Whatever load you use, it will require a certain voltage
across its terminals and will draw a current. Therefore the load will have a
resistance. Usually the voltage and current required by the load (and, hence, its
resistance) are known, and you must design the power supply to provide that
voltage and current. To simplify the circuit diagrams, you can treat the load as a
simple resistor.