EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University

Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

Name

Experiment number: 5 Title: Half-Wave Rectifier

Experiment date: 2/18/20 Report submission date: 3/3/20

Total number of pages: 9 Lab Section: 1

Introduction
In this experiment we will build three separate circuits that are designed to
operate as half-wave rectifiers, as well as filter circuits. We will then analyze the
input vs the output of all three circuits with the use of the oscilloscope to learn how
they operate.
Theory and Expectation
A rectifier circuit is one of the many applications of the diode. It can be
used to restrict AC voltage to operate in only one direction and can also convert
AC voltage to DC voltage. The reason that this is possible is because of the PN
junction diode. The diode only allows current to flow when it is in the forward
bias, when it is in the reversed bias it restricts all current flow, turning into a short
circuit. Since an AC source is always changing its voltage from positive to
negative, the diode will only allow the circuit to operate when the voltage across it
is in the forward bias position. In this particular experiment we will be using the
properties of the capacitor to minimize the sudden drop in voltage when the diode
is in the reversed bias position. When the diode enters the reversed biased, the
diode will act as a short circuit. Since the capacitor had time to charge it will act as
voltage source for a short period of time until it is completely discharged or begins
to charge again. By the looks of the way we are positioning the diode, capacitor,
and resistors, our voltage output should remain positive at all times. I expect to
enjoy this particular experiment because it is taking many of the concepts, I have
become familiar with and combing them.
Procedure
To begin we will connect the circuit in figure 1, a diode in series with a
resistor. We will apply a 20-V p-p square wave at 60Hz with the function
generator. It should oscillate between -10V and 10V. Then we will use the
oscilloscope to compare the input vs the output of the circuit. What we should see
is an output voltage that remains positive throughout. Then we will add a 1 μF
capacitor in parallel with the resistor. What we should see is a similar output to
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 EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

part 1, but now since the voltage is charging the capacitor, when the diode enters
the reversed bias the capacitor should discharge keeping the output voltage from
dropping to zero immediately. We will take a picture of the wave form displayed.
We will then replace the 1 μ F capacitor with a 100 μF capacitor then repeat the
steps above. We then go in reverse to the beginning and replace the 20-V p-p
square wave with a 20-V p-p sine wave, and repeat steps 1 through 3. Once
completed, we will connect the complex circuit in figure 3. This circuit uses an
additional filter stage to reduce the ripple. We will switch the scope to AC for this
circuit only to measure the ripple easily.

1)
Measured Results

This picture displays

the input (blue line)
vs the output (yellow
line). The function
generator was set to
60Hz and the volts
per division was set
to 5V.

Expected Results

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EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

I expected the output voltage to equal the input voltage minus Vf until the input
went negative. This is because the diode goes into reverse bias and no longer
allows current to flow in the circuit.
Discussion
From the oscilloscope it is clear that when the voltage is positive, the voltage at
the output is around 9.3V. This is because when the voltage from the generator is
positive the diode is activated and has a .7V drop across it. Once the voltage goes
negative the diode goes into reverse bias and prevents current from flowing.
Once this happens the output will equal zero until the diode turns back on again.
2)
Measured Results

This picture displays the

input (blue line) vs the
output (yellow line). The
function generator was
set to 60Hz and the volts
per division was set to 5V.
The capacitor connected
was 1 μF .

Expected results

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EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

While the voltage is positive the output will equal the input minus Vf whenever
the capacitor becomes fully charged. Once the input goes negative the diode will
act as open circuit and the capacitor will act as the voltage source until it is fully
discharged, or the voltage charges it once again.
Discussion
The oscilloscope shows that when the input is positive, the capacitor is able to
charge to a max value of 9.3V because the diode has .7V across it in the forwards
bias. Once the input switches to negative the diode goes into reverse bias. Once
this happens the capacitor begins to act as a discharging voltage source. When
the capacitor is only 1 μF it is able to completely discharge before charging once
again.

3)
Measured Results

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 EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

This picture displays the

input (blue line) vs the
output (yellow line).
The function generator
was set to 60Hz and the
volts per division was
set to 5V. The capacitor
connected was 100
μF .

Expected Results
While the voltage is positive the output will equal the input – Vf when the
capacitor becomes fully charged. Once the input goes negative the diode will act
as open circuit and the capacitor will act as the voltage source until it is fully
discharged, or the voltage charges it once again.
How does the voltage decrease during the negative cycle?
When the voltage from the input voltage is positive the capacitor is able to
charge, but once the input voltage goes negative the capacitor begins to act as a
discharging voltage source. But since the capacitor is much larger than the one
used in question 2, the capacitor is not able to fully discharge before recharging
once again. We measured that the voltage would decrease a total of .96 V during
−τ
the negative cycle. Using the formula for a discharging capacitor ( V ( t )=9.3 e RC ).
T
Where τ = 2 . We found that our measurement should have been closer to

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EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

around .74 V. We attribute our poor measurement to the fact that we did not use
the oscilloscope to its best abilities. We could have zoomed in much close on the
ripple to get a better measurement.

Based on your observations with this capacitor, how big a capacitor would be
required to reduce the ripple to .1V?
In order to calculate how big a capacitor would be required to reduce the ripple to
.1V, we simply used the formula for a discharging capacitor.
−τ
9.2=9.3 e RC
T
τ = ∧R=100 Ω
2

By using this formula, we estimated that if the capacitor was a value of 770 μF ,
the ripple would be .1V.
Discussion and Used Formulas
−τ
Capacitor Decay Formula[V ( t )= ( Intial Voltage ) e RC ]

This circuit is a great example of how an AC square wave voltage source can be
converted to DC, with the use of a capacitor with enough capacitance and a diode.
The diode simply acts as a device that only allows half the AC wave to get to the
output, while the capacitor becomes the voltage source when the voltage source
becomes negative. A very simple but effective design.

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EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

4)
Measured Results
Step 1)

This picture displays the

input (blue line) vs the
output (yellow line). The
function generator was
set to 60Hz and the volts
per division was set to 5V.

Step 2)

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EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

This picture displays the

input (blue line) vs the
output (yellow line).
The function generator
was set to 60Hz and the
volts per division was set
to 5V. The capacitor
connected was 1 μF .

Step 3)

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EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

This picture displays the

input (blue line) vs the
output (yellow line).
The function generator
was set to 60Hz and the
volts per division was set
to 5V. The capacitor
connected was 100
μF .

Expected Results
Step 1)
I expected the output voltage to equal the input voltage minus Vf until the input
went negative. This is because the diode goes into reverse bias and is no longer
allows current to flow in the circuit.
Step 2)
While the input voltage is increasing the capacitor will be to be charging. Once
the input peaks and begins to descend the capacitor will being to act as the
voltage source.
Step 3)
While the input voltage is increasing the capacitor will be to be charging. Once
the input peaks and begins to descend the capacitor will being to act as the
voltage source.

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EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

Identify the region in which the output in Fig. 2 undergoes exponential decay.
From the oscilloscope, we estimated with the use of the graph that the output
undergoes exponential decay as soon as the output hits its peak voltage. The
output then exponential decays until the input meets it again approximately 12ms
later.
How large is the ripple with the 100 μF capacitor?

We estimated that the ripple from step 3 was

around 1.04V. The ripple is larger here than
when we had the square wave because the
capacitor has more time to discharge with a
sine wave. This is because with a square
T
wave the capacitor will always have to
2
discharge. While with a sine wave, the
T
capacitor will always have more than to
2

Discussion
These three circuits are exactly the same as the ones analyzed in part 1, 2, and 3.
But instead of a square wave input wave, they were given a sine wave. This sine
wave caused a few differences that made things such as the ripple slightly more
T
difficult to find because the discharge time is not simply 2
anymore. It is a
period of time that is more difficult to calculate.

5)

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EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

What is the ripple observed with this filter stage in place?

The ripple was approximated to be around .2V

in particular circuit. The input consisted of a
20-V p-p sine wave with a frequency of 60Hz.

How much does the 100Ω resistor reduce the output voltage across the 1kΩ
load?
The dc output voltage across the load with the 100-Ω was around 6.45 volts. The
dc output voltage increased to around 7.2 volts when the 100-Ω resistor was
shorted. So, the 100-Ω resistor reduced the dc output by approximately .75V.
How much does the ripple increase when the 100-Ω resistor is sorted out?

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EE2231 Lab report Spring 2020, Louisiana State University
Instructor: Kidong Park, Ph.D.

The ripple measured in at .52V when the

100-Ω resistor was shorted out. So, the
ripple increased by approximately .32 volts
when the 100-Ω resistor was sorted out.

Discussion
This circuit allows for endless customization to find the type of output desired.
The ability to decrease the ripple with the use of another resistor can nearly
create an output that is perfectly DC. By varying the resistors and capacitors, one
can create an AC to DC converter that aligns to there needs.

Conclusion
In conclusion, these circuit were a great example of how AC can be
converted to DC with the use of diodes and capacitors. Of course, these designs
are not flawless and come with their own set of problems. Such as voltage loss
through the conversion and the inability to maintain a complete DC signal through
the full period of the AC signal. But these designs can definitely prove useful
when in need of simple AC to DC converter.

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