02 September,2020

Page 1

Experiment No: 03

Name of the experiment:

The study of half wave rectification using OrCad simulation software.

Objectives:
1.To see the rectifier characteristics of a diode.
2.To find out the output curve of rectifier circuit.
3.To understand the difference between input and output curve.

Theory:
In half-wave rectification of a single-phase supply, either the positive or negative half of the
AC wave is passed, while the other half is blocked. Mathematically, it is a step function (for
positive pass, negative block): passing positive corresponds to the ramp function being the
identity on positive inputs, blocking negative corresponds to being zero on negative inputs.
Because only one half of the input waveform reaches the output, mean voltage is lower. Half-
wave rectification requires a single diode in a single-phase supply, or three in a three-phase
supply. Rectifiers yield a unidirectional but pulsating direct current; half-wave rectifiers
produce far more ripple than full-wave rectifiers, and much more filtering is needed to
eliminate harmonics of the AC frequency from the output.The circuit diagram is shown in
below fig.3.1.

Fig.3.1.Operation of a half wave rectifier

Software:
OrCad simulation cs lite and PSpice.

Working Procedures:
1.First we open the software OrCad.
2.Now we have to find the important elements for the rectifier circuit like Vsin,diode and a load
resistor from the search option,shown in fig.3.2 .
 02 September,2020
Page 2

Fig.3.2.Searching the elements of circuit

3.Now we complete the circuit using wire and ground node from the library section.
4.The complete circuit will look like fig.3.3 .

Fig.3.3.Complete Circuit Diagram

5.We now take necessary values to run the circuit.

6.Now we save the simulation and take the time period as our wish.
 02 September,2020
Page 3

7.We can use voltage probe at the source to draw the input curve and at the load to draw the
output curve in PSpice software(fig.3.4).
8.Then we run the circuit.

Fig.3.4.Taking of probes for input and output

Result:
Input waveform of the circuit:

Fig.3.5.Input signal
 02 September,2020
Page 4

Output waveform of the circuit:

Fig.3.6.Output signal

Caution:
1.We must make sure that the ground node is connected in the circuit.
2.Source must be in form of ac sinusoidal voltage.
3.We must make sure the diode is in forward bias initially.
4.We must take the Voltage probes accurately.

Discussion:
The principle of half wave rectifier is to make the AC input to DC output.In the circuit,diode
carries current only in positive half cycle and thus we can have a output only in the positive
half cycle.Because of reverse bias,negative half cycle can not be shown in the output.If we
see properly in the output and input graph,there is a peak difference between input and output
graph.This is because our diode is not an ideal diode.It has a barrier voltage and that is
0.7V.Thus out output peak is 0.7 less than the input 10V.