Experiment No.

4
SILICON-CONTROLLED RECTIFIER

OBJECTIVES:

1. To be familiar with the characteristics of a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR).

2. To observe and evaluate the operation of an SCR.

MATERIALS:

1 – Resistor, 500 Ω, 5 W
1 – Resistor, 1K Ω, 0.5W
1 – Potentiometer, 10KΩ
1 – Silicon-Controlled Rectifier, 2N5060
1 – Breadboard
1 – VOM
1 – Regulated DC Power Supply

PROCEDURES:

1. Construct the experimental circuit as shown.

2. Switches SW1 and SW2 are off. Set VAA down to 0 volt.
3. Close SW1 applying power to the anode-to-cathode circuit. Adjust VAA until V1 measures 3 Volts VCB.
Measure and record anode current, IF, in Table 1.
4. Repeat Step 3 for every values of anode-to-cathode voltage (VCB) in Table 1 and compute also the value of
anode-to-cathode resistance, RCB, by substituting your measured values of VCB and IF in the formula
V CB
RCB =
IF
5. Switches SW1 and SW2 are both open. Set VAA to 5 Volts as measured across the power supply.
6. Close SW2. Gradually increase the gate current, IG, by rotating the potentiometer until milliammeter M2
measures a gate current of 0.25 mA.
7. Close SW1. M1 will measure anode current (IF) and V1 will measure anode-to-cathode voltages (VCB) as
well as the voltage across the load (VAC). V2 will measure gate voltages (VG).
8. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 for five more times, increasing gate current by 0.10 mA each time and recording the
results in Table 2.
Note: Switch SW1 must be open every time gate current is increased.
9. Based from the results in Table 2, determine if the SCR has fired. The voltage across the SCR will be very
low and the anode current, IF, will be determined by VAA and RL , thus
V AA
I F=
RL
10. After the SCR fires, open SW1 and reduce gate current to 0.25 mA. Close SW1 and check the SCR if it is no
longer conducting.
11. Open SW1 and bring gate current to the value at which point the SCR fires. Close SW1. The SCR should
not conduct again. You have now determined the value of the gate current turning the SCR on.
12. Open SW2. Observe and record the result, the effect on anode current as gate current falls to 0. Close again
SW2.
13. Determine the holding current, IH, as measure on M1 by gradually reducing VAA until the SCR turns off. IH
is the value of IF just as the SCR turns off.
14. Repeat Steps 5 to 13 but this time doubling the level of VAA, to determine the value of gate current required
to turn the SCR on with a 10 Volts supply.
DATA AND RESULT:

Table 1.
Non-conducting anode-to-cathode resistance of an SCR.

VCB 3V 5V 7V

IF

RCB

Table 2.
Characteristics of the SCR.
VAA = 5 Volts IG VAA = 10 Volts
IG VCB VAC VG IF VCB VAC VG IF
(V) (V) (V) (mA) (V) (V) (V) (mA)

0.25 0.25

0.35 0.35

0.45 0.45

0.55 0.55

0.65 0.65
 0.75 0.75

IF (computed) = IF (computed) =
mA mA

IF (IG=0) = IF (IG=0) =
mA mA

IH = IH =
mA mA

QUESTIONS:

1. What is an SCR?
The SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER, usually referred to as an SCR, is one of the family of
semiconductors that includes transistors and diodes. A silicon-controlled rectifier is a four-layer solid
state device that controls current.
2. In general terms, how much voltage appears across the anode-to-cathode of an SCR after it has been fire
into conduction?

3. Describe the difference between conduction and non-conduction with the measured current and voltage
values.

4. Give some specific applications of an SCR.

Applications for SCR's include:  1) power switching; 2) phase control; 3) battery charging; 4) power
inverters; 5) motor switching and control; 6) high-voltage DC conversion; etc.

OBSERVATIONS:

CONCLUSION: