Rectifiers
Rectifier is an electronic circuit that converts an alternating current/voltage (AC) into a direct current/voltage (DC).
There are two types of rectifiers a) Half Wave rectifier b) Full Wave Rectifier
Half Wave rectifier
The above circuit diagram represents a half wave rectifier. It consists of a step down transformer, a diode and a load resistor.
Working
During the positive half cycle of the input AC, the secondary of the step down transformer A becomes +ve and B becomes -ve. This will make the diode forward biased and will allow the current flow. The current flows from A to X to Y to B. If the diode is an ideal diode the maximum output voltage will be Vm. If the diode is a silicon make, the maximum output voltage will be Vm - 0.7; where 0.7 is the cut-in voltage of silicon diode.
During the negative half cycle of the input AC, A becomes -ve, B becomes +ve and the diode becomes reverse biased. No current flows through the diode and hence output voltage will be zero.
