KHWOPA HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
DEKOCHA-06, BHAKTAPUR

TO CONSTRUCT HALF AND FULL WAVE RECTIFIER USING

DIODES AND TO STUDY INPUT AND OUTPUT VOLTAGE
CHARACTERISTICS USING OSCILLOSCOPE (A) WITHOUT
FILTER (B) WITH FILTER (L OR C)

Submitted by:
Bijaya Maka
Roll No: 159
Reg.No: 793260040291
Sec: Bio-II

Submitted to
Khwopa Higher Secondary School
Department of Physics

March 05, 2023

Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 4
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 6
1.1 Background 6
1.2 Types of Rectifier 6
1.3 Objectives of the study 6
CHAPTER 2: TO STUDY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT RECTIFIERS 7
2.1 Half wave rectifier 7
2.2 Center-tapped full wave rectifier 8
2.3 Bridge rectifier 9
 Declaration
I hereby declare that this project report titled “TO CONSTRUCT HALF AND FULL WAVE
RECTIFIER USING DIODES AND TO STUDY INPUT AND OUTPUT VOLTAGE
CHARACTERISTICS USING OSCILLOSCOPE (A) WITHOUT FILTER (B) WITH
FILTER (L OR C)” has been done by myself and is a record of original work carried out by
me under the supervision of Mr.
This content of the report, in full or in parts, has not been submitted elsewhere for any
examination.

Signature:
Bijaya Maka
Roll No: 159
Reg.No: 793260040291
Date:2079-11-21
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Foremost I would like to express my deep gratitude to Mr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha for the
continuous enthusiastic support and motivation as my supervisor. I would like to present
heartfelt thanks to Mr. Badri Nath Nakarmi, without whom this project could not be
accomplished.

I take this opportunity to thank my friends Abhinash Yadav, Barsha Khatri, Bisti Suwal, Rabi
Kumar Sah, Reena Prajapati, Rohan Kuchumani, who helped to finish this project. I am also
thankful to my parents and family for financial support.

It’s really a pleasure to thank the wonderful folks at Khwopa Higher Secondary School for
their unconditional support from the start of our initiative. I would like to express our
gratitude to Khwopa higher secondary school, Department of Physics for providing us with
technical assistance in the completion of my project. I am sincerely thanking the physics
department for reviewing the project. I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the
many readers of my project report, who are the most significant critics and commentators. I
welcome constructive criticism and recommendations that will assist us in improving our
performance in the future.
 Letter of Approval

This is to certify that the project work entitled “TO CONSTRUCT HALF AND FULL

WAVE RECTIFIER USING DIODES AND TO STUDY INPUT AND OUTPUT VOLTAGE

CHARACTERISTICS USING OSCILLOSCOPE (A) WITHOUT FILTER (B) WITH

FILTER (L OR C)” submitted to Physics Department, Khwopa Secondary School, by Bijaya

Maka, has been approved as the partial fulfillment of the internal evaluation of Grade XII in

Physics.

This project was an authentic work done by her under my supervision and guidance.

Date: 2079-11-21

Signature:
Mr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha
Department of Physics
Khwopa Secondary School
 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC) into direct current
(DC). This process of converting AC to DC using a rectifier is known as rectification.
Rectifiers have many uses but are often found serving as components of DC power supplies
and high voltage direct current power transmission systems. Rectifiers can serve as detectors
of radio signals. In gas heating systems flame rectification is used to detect the presence of a
flame.

A rectifier works on the principle of forward biased and the reversed biased of a PN diode.
PN diode are diodes formed by the combination of a P- type and an N- type semiconductor. A
P type semiconductor are the semiconductors having holes as the majority charge carriers and
the N type semiconductors are the semi-conductors having electrons as the major charge
carriers.

The first diode used in a rectifier circuit was created in 1883 A.D. by C.T. fritts. But the first
ever rectifier was a mercury arc rectifier which was invented by US electrical engineer Peter
Cooper Hewitt at the turn of the 20th century. Rectifiers have many uses, but are often found
serving as components of DC power supplies and high-voltage direct current power
transmission systems. Rectification may serve in roles other than to generate direct current
for use as a source of power. As noted, rectifiers can serve as detectors of radio signals. In gas
heating systems flame rectification is used to detect presence of a flame.
Diode:
A diode is a two-terminal electronic component that conducts current primarily in one
direction (asymmetric conductance); it has low (ideally zero) resistance in one direction, and
high (ideally infinite) resistance in the other.

P-N Junction Diode: It is a device in which P-type semiconductor has a junction with
N-type semiconductor. It has two terminals namely anode and cathode. The anode refers to
the P-type region and the cathode refers to the N-type region.

Biasing of P-N Junction Diode: Connecting an external battery (i.e. potential

difference) across the P-N junction diode is called the biasing of the diode. There are two
types of biasing. They are:
1. Forward Biasing
 2. Reverse Biasing

Forward Biasing: When the p-side of a PN

junction diode is connected to the positive terminal
of the battery and the N-side is connected to the
negative terminal of the battery a diode is said to
be forward biased. As soon as forward biasing is
made, the positive terminal of the battery repels
holes in P side and negative terminal of the battery
repels free electrons from N side. Electrons and
holes recombine at the junction and reduce the width of the depletion layer. When the applied
voltage becomes greater than the barrier potential the depletion layer disappears. Hence the
current starts to flow through the diode.

Reverse Biasing: If p side of PN junction diode

is connected to negative terminal and N side to
positive terminal of external source cathode then a
diode is said to be reverse biased. As soon as the
reverse biasing is made the positive terminal of the
battery attracts electrons and the negative terminal
of the battery attracts holes from the P region. Due
to this, the thickness of the depletion layer
increases. Hence, no current flows through the diode.

1.2 Types of Rectifier

⮚ Single phase and three phase rectifiers
⮚ Half wave and full wave rectifier
⮚ Bridge rectifier
⮚ Uncontrolled and controlled rectifier

1.3 Objectives of the study

❖ To study the half wave and full wave rectifier.
❖ To study the graph obtained after rectification of AC input in half wave and full wave
rectifier with and without the filter.
 ❖ To study the characteristics of the graph obtained.

❖ To build a half-wave and full-wave rectifier using diodes.

❖ To construct a rectifier with a half-wave and a full-wave using diodes.

❖ To use half-wave and full-wave rectifiers, both with and without filter circuits, to
convert AC input into DC output.
❖ To examine the properties of the input and output voltages in order to analyze their
features.

CHAPTER 2: TO STUDY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF

DIFFERENT RECTIFIERS
2.1 Half wave rectifier
It is a rectifier which rectifies only half of each a.c. supply into a d.c. Here the output is
obtained only during alternating half cycles of the input a.c. The filter circuit is used to
reduce the magnitude of this ripple and to provide a regulated and constant voltage.
Principle: Its working is based on the fact that the resistance of p-n junction becomes low
when forward biased and becomes high when reverse biased.

Circuit diagram: The circuit diagram of the half wave rectifier is shown in figure. It consists
of a transformer, a p-n junction diode (D) and a load resistor (R). The primary coil of the
transformer is connected to the A.C. mains, and the secondary coil is connected to a load
resistance (R) through a diode (D). The D.C. output is drawn from across the load resistance.

Working: During the positive half-cycle of secondary voltage, the diode (D) is forward
biased. Therefore, the current flows through the diode and load resistor (R) and hence the
diode conducts. During the negative half cycle of secondary voltage, the diode is reversed
biased. Therefore, no current passes through the diode and load resistor and hence the diode
does not conduct. Hence, in a half wave rectifier, only half of the input a.c. is rectified. The
input and rectified output voltage is shown in figure (b).

2.2 Center-tapped full wave rectifier

It is a kind of full wave rectifier that rectifies the full a.c. input into d.c. by using two diodes
connected to the center-tapped secondary coil of the transformer and a load.

Principle: It is based on the fact that the resistance of the p-n junction becomes low when
forward-biased and becomes high when reversed biased
Circuit diagram: The circuit diagram of a full wave rectifier with a shunt capacitor filter
circuit is shown in the figure. The diodes D1, and D2, are connected to the center-tapped
secondary coil of the transformer and a load resistor (R) in such a way that the diodes
conduct during alternate half cycles of the input a.c. Supply. A filter circuit is used to free it
from ripple. Here, a shunt capacitor filter circuit is connected parallel to the load resistor (R).

Working: During the positive half cycle of secondary voltage,

upper diode D1, is forward biased and the lower diode D2 is
reverse biased. Thus, the current flows through the diode D1, and
load resistor R. During the negative half cycle of secondary
voltage, upper diode D1, is reversed biased and the lower diode D2 is forward biased. Thus,
the current flows through the diode D2, and load resistor R. Here, the half wave of input a.c.

supply (Vin) is rectified by one diode (D1) and the next half wave is rectified by another diode
(D2). Fig (b) shows the rectified output voltage (Vo) obtained across the load resistor R for the
supply input a.c voltage. Thus, Direct current is referred to as the output current passing
through the load. This rectifier's output voltage contains a small amount of a.c. voltage. This
type of voltage is known as pulsing voltage. The ripple is the percentage of ac voltage that is
present in the pulsating d.c voltage coming from the rectifier.

Working of filter circuit

When the rectifier voltage (Vo) increases, it charges the capacitor. During the quarter cycle at
point X, the capacitor (C) is charged up to the maximum peak value (Vp1) of the rectifier
output voltage (Vo). Beyond the X, the rectifier voltage (Vo) is decreased. During this time,
the capacitor discharges through the load (RL), so the voltage across it decreases only slightly.
Immediately, another peak voltage (Vp2) comes, and that recharges the capacitor. This
charging-discharging takes place continuously so the resulting output voltage (Vof) is
obtained as shown in the figure.

2.3 Bridge rectifier

It is a kind of full wave rectifier which rectifies full of the a.c. input into d.c. by using four
diodes connected to form a bridge.

Principle: Its working is based on the fact that the resistance of p-n junction becomes low
when forward biased and becomes high when reverse biased.

Circuit diagram: The circuit diagram of bridge rectifier is shown in figure. It consists of
four diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4, connected to form a bridge. The input of a.c. is applied across
the primary (P) of the transformer. The ends of the secondary coils (X and Y) are connected
to the two opposite ends (A and C) and the ends B and D of the bridge are connected to the
load resistor of resistance (R). The voltage drop across the load gives output.

Working: When an a.c. input is applied to the primary coil of the transformer; a voltage is
induced in the secondary coil. During the positive half cycle of secondary voltage, suppose
one end (X) of the secondary coil (S), is positive and its other end (Y) is at negative, then the
diodes D₂ and D4 is forward biased and it conducts the current through the load (R) flows
from XABMNDCYXA while the diodes D3 and D4 are in reverse biased so, it does not
conduct.
Again, during the negative half cycle of secondary voltage, suppose one end (X) of the
secondary coil (S), is negative and its other end (Y) is at positive, then the diodes D, and D, is
forward bias and it conducts the current through the load (R) flows from YCBMNDAXYC
while the diodes D4, and D2 are in reverse bias so, it does not conduct. In the both cycles, the
current through the load (R) is in the same direction. i.e. from M to N. In both cycles, the a.c.
input supply is rectified full
into d.c. Thus, in this way bridge rectifier works.
MATERIALS

The voltage characteristics using an oscilloscope are listed below. tools needed to build a
half-wave and full-wave rectifier using diodes and analyze input and output

P-N Junction Diode: It is a device in which P-type semiconductor has a junction with
N-type semiconductor. It has two terminals
namely anode and cathode. The anode refers to
the P-type region and the cathode refers to the
N-type region.

Oscilloscope: Electrical signals can be seen and

examined using an oscilloscope, an electronic test tool.
Users can see the shape, amplitude, and frequency of
signals by looking at the voltage versus time graph that is
used to represent signals. They are frequently used in physics and other scientific fields to
view sound, vibration, and other signals as well as to test and debug circuits in electronics.

Capacitor: An electrical circuit uses a capacitor as a passive part to store electrical

energy. It comprises of two conducting plates separated by a dielectric, an insulating
substance. An electric field is produced when a voltage is placed across the plates,
and this field stores electrical energy in the dielectric. Applications for capacitors
include filtering, energy storage, coupling of signals, and power conditioning.

Transformer: A transformer is an electrical device that uses the principle of

electromagnetic induction to transfer energy from one electric circuit to another. It is
designed to either increase or decrease AC voltage between the circuits while maintaining the
frequency of the current

METHOD AND METHODOLOGY

To build a half-wave and full-wave rectifier using diodes and to analyze the input and output
voltage characteristics using an oscilloscope, both primary and secondary methods were used:
1. Books: Information was gathered through studying a number of physics books.
2. Laboratory visit: To conduct the experiment, the team members went to the physics
lab at Khwopa Higher Secondary School.
3. Website: A number of websites were checked out to acquire data about Joule's law
of heating.
4. YouTube: To have a clearer understanding of the subject, YouTube videos were
carefully watched and examined.

5. Website: Various websites were visited to gather the informations.

RESULT
By connecting various circuits, the characteristics of diode-based half-wave and full-wave
rectifiers were investigated. We discovered the kinds of waveforms that are produced by
various rectifier circuits, with full wave rectifier comprising both positive and negative half
cycles, which maximizes output, and half wave rectifier consisting of half cycles. To get a
steady signal or DC current wave, a capacitor was utilized as a filter. In this manner,
diode-based half and full wave rectifiers were built, and oscilloscope measurements of the
input and output voltage characteristics were made.
\

Conclusion
In conclusion, the characteristics of both half wave and full wave rectifier using diodes and
the type of waveforms that were obtained with or without filter from the different rectifier
circuit where half wave rectifier consists of half cycle and full wave rectifier consists of both
positive and negative half cycle which maximizes the output with and without filter were
studied. The Half Wave Rectifier and the IV characteristic was studied using the oscilloscope
with and without filter. Doing such helped us regarding rectification AC into DC and
current-voltage i.e IV characteristic using oscilloscope while using filter and without using
filter.
 Precautions
During doing the experiment, the following safety measures should be considered:
1. Connected wire should be uniform, low resistivity like copper, etc.
2. Electric circuits should be connected properly.

3. The current in the circuit should not be suddenly increased.

4. Experiments should be performed at constant physical conditions like temperature,
pressure, etc.
5. Capacitor filter should be taken well.
 Source of Errors
The following factors could make the outcome less accurate:
1. The supplied diode might not work properly.
2. The resistance of the connecting cable could be the cause of the error.
3. The connection could be loose.
4. The instrument's negligence could be the cause of the error.