I.

INTRODUCTION
A rectifier is an electrical device composed of one or more diodes that converts
alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). A diode is like a one-way valve that allows an
electrical current to flow in only one direction. This process is called rectification.
A rectifier can take the shape of several different physical forms such as solid-state
diodes, vacuum tube diodes, mercury arc valves, silicon-controlled rectifiers and various other
silicon-based
semiconductor
switches.
Rectifiers are used in various devices, including:

DC power supplies

Radio signals or detectors

A source of power instead of generating current

As flame rectification to detect the presence of flame

High-voltage direct current power transmission systems

Several household appliances use power rectifiers to create power, like notebooks or
laptops, video game systems and televisions.

Rectification produces a type of DC that encompasses active voltages and currents, which
are then adjusted into a type of constant voltage DC, although this varies depending on the
current's end-use. The current is allowed to flow uninterrupted in one direction, and no current is
allowed to flow in the opposite direction.
Almost all rectifiers contain more than one diode in particular arrangements. A rectifier also has
different waveforms, such as:

Half Wave: Either the positive or negative wave is passed through and the other wave is
blocked. It is not efficient because only half of the input wave form reaches the output.

Full Wave: Reverses the negative part of the AC wave form and combines it with the
positive

Single-Phase AC: Two diodes can form a full-wave rectifier if the transformer is centertapped. Four diodes arranged in a bridge are needed if there is no center-tap.

Three-Phase AC: Generally uses three pairs of diodes

One of the key problems with rectifiers is that AC power has peaks and lows, which may not
produce a constant DC voltage. Usually, a smoothing circuit or filter needs to be coupled with the
power rectifier to receive a smooth DC current. One type of rectifiers is Bridge Type Rectifier.
A bridge rectifier is an arrangement of four or more diodes in a bridge circuit configuration
which provides the same output polarity for either input polarity. It is used for converting an
alternating current (AC) input into a direct current (DC) output. A bridge rectifier provides fullwave rectification from a two-wire AC input, therefore resulting in lower weight and cost when
compared to a rectifier with a 3-wire input from a transformer with a center-tapped secondary
winding.
There are many different kinds of bridge rectifiers and at Future Electronics we stock many
of the most common types categorized by maximum average rectified current, maximum reverse
voltage, maximum peak current, forward voltage, packaging type and maximum reverse current.
The parametric filters on our website can help refine your search results depending on the
required specifications.
The most common sizes for maximum average rectified current are 1A, 1.5 A, 4 A, 25 A
and 35 A. We also carry bridge rectifiers with maximum average rectified current as high as 1000
A. Forward voltage can range from 450 mV to 1.1 kV, with the most common bridge rectifier
semiconductor chips having a forward voltage of 1.1 V or 1 V.
The primary application of bridge rectifiers is to transform an AC supply into DC power. All
electronic devices require direct current, so bridge rectifiers are used inside the power supplies of
almost all electronic equipment. Bridge rectifiers are also used for detecting the amplitude of
modulated radio signals. The signal may be amplified before it is detected. If it is not, then a very
low voltage drop diode or a diode biased with a fixed voltage must be used. Rectifiers are also
used to supply polarized voltage for welding applications. Control of the output current is required
in such circuits, and this may be achieved by replacing some of the diodes in a bridge rectifier
with thyristors, which are diodes whose voltage output can be regulated by switching on and off
with phase fired controllers.

Figure 1. Bridge Type Rectifier

II.SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM
Z

COMPONENT

VALUE

RATING

Multitap Transformer

0-12 V

1 Ampere

Diode
Resistor
2.5X2.5 PCB

50V
1k

1 Ampere
w

Bolt And Knot

III. PCB DESIGN

IV. PCB COMPONENT

V.DATA
Transformer Secondary Voltage

Load Voltage(VL)

V sec

V sec
(rms)

Measure
d
Peak
(Input)

DC Voltage

Computed
Peak
(Measure
d

Frequenc
y

Measure
d
Peak

Measured
by scope

(Output)

(Measure
d peak +
pi)

Peak x 2

Measure
d by DC
Voltmete
r

Compute
d

Frequenc
y

(V
sec(rms) *
2 ) + pi

3V

4V

4.24V

73.53Hz

2.7V

1.717V

6.6V

1.35V

156.25Hz

4.5V

5.8V

6.36V

73.53Hz

4.6V

2.925V

2.8V

2.03V

156.25H
z

6V

8V

8.49V

75.76Hz

6.8V

4.325V

4.1

2.70V

156.25H
z

9V

11.5V

12.73V

78.125H
z

10.4V

6.614V

6.5V

4.05V

156.25H
z

12V

15.5

16.97V

78.125H
Z

14.4V

9.158V

9.1V

5.40V

156.25H
Z

VI.CIRCUIT ANALYSIS
By the help of the DC multitester and oscilloscope, the frequency, output and input voltage
of the bridge type rectifier circuit were measured.
First step is connecting the input which is the transformer to Channel 1 and checking on
the output sinusoidal wave of the input based on the rms voltages from 3 to 12 volts. The
negative probe must connect to 0 and positive probe from 3V to 12V to measure the Vpeak-peak
of each Vrms.
First,test the circuit if there is a close connection in it by the use of multitester.
Second, we start at the 3 volts, by connecting oscilloscope to input terminal and output
terminal, we are able to get the input and output voltages of the circuit by the sinusoidal
waveform at the oscilloscope. We get the voltages input and output by counting the squares at
the sinusoidal form. After that get the output voltage by using the DC multitester. We do all this in
all voltages in able to gather our data.
One thing that surprised us is the frequency which all of them are equal or close to
each other.
We also discovered that the input voltages are greater than the output voltages.
In our experiment there in no doubt that our circuit is a bridge rectifier because the
output voltages in the oscilloscope will prove it. In this experiment we were able to know now how
the bridge rectifier works and what its characteristic at the oscilloscope. And AC voltage were
converted to DC voltage.

VII. APPENDIX A

EXPENSES
ITEM

QUANTITY

PRICE

BRIDGE-TYPE RECTIFIER
GROUP 5

Ancheta,Ian Carlos
Barcarse, Regin Teody
Nicolas,Arby
Quiboyen, Kristian
Villon,Richard