EE301 : Electronic 

               Circuits
Unit 1 : Linear DC Power
Supply

Styled by Pn. Julaiha Binti omar

Modified by: Sabariah Bohanudin
 Student Learning Outcomes
(CLO 1)

• Explain correctly the basic principles of linear DC

power using appropriate block diagram.

Styled by Pn. Julaiha Binti omar

 General Objectives (GO)
Upon completion of viewing this presentation,
you should be able to:
• Explain the operation of a DC power supply. circuit.
• Understand the application of diode as half-wave rectifier.
• Understand the operation of diode as full-wave rectifier.
• Understand the operation of bridge rectifier.
• Understand the operation of RC filter diagram.
• Draw diagrams of LC and pi filter. 
• Know voltage divider circuit.
• Draw schematic diagrams of a simple power supply unit

Styled by Pn. Julaiha Binti omar

Power Supply Unit
 1.1 Explain the operation of a DC
power supply circuit.
• State the importance of DC power supply units in
electronic appliances.
• Draw block diagram of DC power supply which
comprises these stages: transformer, rectifier,
voltage regulator and voltage divider.
• Explain the function of each block.
The importance of DC power supply units in
electronic appliances.
• All electronic circuits need a power source to
work.
• For electronic circuits made up of transistors
and/or ICs, this power source must be a DC
voltage of a specific value.
• A battery is a common DC voltage source for
some types of electronic equipment especially
portables like cell phones and iPods.
• Most non-portable equipment uses power
supplies that operate from the AC power line
but produce one or more DC outputs.
The importance of DC power supply units in
electronic appliances.
•The electronic gadgets that surround us
all need a source of DC electricity to work.
•To provide that, you can run them from
batteries or connect a DC power supply to
the household AC outlet.
•Modern power supplies are small,
efficient, reliable and well-regulated.
 Power Supply

PORTABLE NON-
BATTERY PORTABLE
AC powered
•primary batteries unregulated
AC
•disposable batteries power supply
•designed to be used once usually uses a
•and discarded transformer to
convert the
DC voltage from the
•secondary batteries
•rechargeable batteries wall outlet
•designed to be recharged and (mains) to a
•used multiple times different lower,
voltage
 Power Supply Characteristics
• The input is the 120 volt 60 Hz
AC power line. Alternately, the
input may be 240 volt AC.
• The power supply converts the
AC into DC and provides one or
more DC output voltages.
• Some modern electronic circuits
need two or more different
voltages.
• Common voltages are 48, 24,
15, 12, 9, 5, 3.3, 2.5, 1.8, 1.5,
1.2 and 1 volts.
• A good example of a modern
power supply is the one inside a
PC that furnishes 12, 5, 3.3 and
1.2 volts.

Styled by Pn. Julaiha Binti omar

 Block diagram of DC power supply
Regulated DC power supply consists of ;
– transformer,
– rectifier,
– filter,
– voltage regulator and
– voltage divider.
Block diagram of DC power supply
 Components of a Power Supply
• Main circuits in most power supplies.
 Power Supply

• The AC line is first passed

through a low pass filter of
the form shown in figure.
• This eliminates noise on the
AC line from bothering the
power supply circuits and
prevents unwanted signals
from the power supply from
being transferred back into
the AC line where they
might interfere with other
equipment.

Styled by Pn. Julaiha Binti omar

TRANSFORMER
 Transformer

• A transformer is commonly used to step the input AC

voltage level down or up.
 Transformer

• Most electronic circuits operate from voltages lower than

the AC line voltage so the transformer normally steps
the voltage down by its turns ratio to a desired lower
level.
• For example, a transformer with a turns ratio of 10 to 1
would convert the 120 volt 60 Hz input sine wave into a
12 volt sine wave.
 Transformer only

The low voltage AC output is suitable for lamps,

heaters and special AC motors. It is not suitable
for electronic circuits unless they include a
rectifier and a smoothing capacitor.
RECTIFIER
 1.2 Understand the application of
diode as half-wave rectifier
Construct half-wave rectifier circuit if the diode is:
a. Forward biased b. Reverse biased
Explain the operation of half-wave rectifier circuit.
Plot the input and output waveforms of half-wave
rectifier circuit
Explain the input and output waveforms
Relate the output waveforms to the operation of
diode as a rectifier.
 Rectifier – Half Wave Rectifier

• Rectifier - converts the AC sine wave into a

pulsating DC wave.
• There are several forms of rectifiers used
but all are made up of diodes.
 Half-wave Rectifier
a) Forward biased
During +cycle of AC input, current can flow through D
since D is forward biased, D is ON and IAK flows.
During –cycle of AC input, D is OFF, current I AK = 0A.

+
 Half-wave Rectifier
a) Reverse biased
During +ve cycle of AC input, current cannot flow through D
since D is reverse biased, D is OFF and IAK = 0 A. During –ve
cycle of AC input, D is forward biased (ON), current IAK flows.
+
-
 1.3 Understand the application of
diode as full-wave rectifier
Construct full-wave rectifier circuit with center tap
transformer.
Explain the operation of the circuits.
Sketch the input and output waveforms of the circuits.
Explain the input and output waveforms.
Relate the positive and negative cycles of the output
waveforms to the operation of the diodes in the circuit.
 Rectifier – Full-wave rectifier

• Rectifier - converts the AC sine wave into a

pulsating DC wave.
• There are several forms of rectifiers used
but all are made up of diodes.
 Full Wave Rectifier
circuit with center tap
transformer

Bridge Rectifier – 4 diodes

Bridge Rectifier – IC
 full-wave rectifier
• circuit with center tap transformer
+
-
D1

+ + + + +

D2
 1.4 Understand the operation of
bridge rectifier.
• Construct the full-wave bridge rectifier circuit.
• Explain the operation of the circuit and the function of the diode
pairs in the bridge rectifier.
• Draw the input and output waveforms of the circuits.
• Explain the input and output waveforms.
• Relate the positive and negative cycles of the output waveforms
to the operation of the diode pairs in the circuit.
• Clarify the application of bridge rectifier in a power supply unit.
• Discuss the operation of IC bridge rectifier
– a. Data sheet of a bridge rectifier IC
– b. Pin configuration and assignments
– c. Application of bridge rectifier IC
 Bridge rectifier – 4 diodes

D1 D2

D2 D1 D2 D1
D4 D3 D4 D3 D4 D3

• During +ve cycle of AC input, the D2 &D4 will

ON and at the same time D1&D3 OFF.
• During –ve cycle of AC input, the D1&D3 will
ON and at the same time D2 &D4 will on.
Bridge Rectifier – DIODES
 Transformer + Full Wave
Rectifier(IC)

The varying DC output is suitable for lamps, heaters

and standard motors. It is not suitable for electronic
circuits unless they include a smoothing capacitor.
FILTER
 1.5 Understand the operation RC
Filter diagrams
• Explain the operations and filtering process of
RC filter circuits using rectifier output wave
(half-wave).
• Define and explain the meaning of ripple
voltage.
 Filter

• The rectifier produces a DC output but it is

pulsating rather than a constant steady
value over time like that from a battery.
• A filter is used to remove the pulsations and
create a constant output.
• The most common filter is a large capacitor.
 DC Power Supply Filter Design
2 factor why every DC power supply
must reduce noise with a filter;
• electrical noise interferes with
sensitive electronics,
• turning (AC) to (DC) produces noise,
Usually, filter circuits are simple,
consisting of one or more capacitors
at strategic locations in the power
supply. Since other components in
the supply also control noise, the
filter removes a majority of it, but not
all.
Transformer + Half wave Rectifier + Filter

V
V
FILTER
t
t
 TYPES OF FILTER

C PI

C
RC LC

R L
C C C C
 Transformer + Half wave
Rectifier + C Filter
+

FILTER
 Transformer + Half wave
Rectifier + C Filter
+
- Discharging
charging

FILTER
REGULATOR
 Regulator

• The regulator is a circuit that helps maintain a

fixed or constant output voltage.
• Changes in the load or the AC line voltage will
cause the output voltage to vary.
 Transformer + Rectifier +
Smoothing + Regulator

The regulated DC output is very smooth with no

ripple.
It is suitable for all electronic circuits
Linear Power Supplies
 Regulator
• Most electronic circuits cannot withstand
the variations since they are designed to
work properly with a fixed voltage.
• The regulator function;
• fixes the output voltage to the desired level
• maintains that value despite any output or
input variations.
 DC-DC Converter
• Most modern power supplies also contain
one or more DC-DC converters
• Modern electronics often demand different
voltages to function.
• A DC-DC converter changes one DC
voltage to another, higher or lower DC
voltage.
• A DC-DC converter is used with a power
supply to prevent the need for a second
AC-DC supply.
 How Rectifiers Work
• The simplest form of rectifier is
the half wave rectifier shown.
• Only the transformer, rectifier
diode, and load (RL) are shown
without the filter and other
components.
• The half wave rectifier produces
one sine pulse for each cycle of
the input sine wave.
• When the sine wave goes
positive, the anode of the diode
goes positive causing the diode
to be forward biased. The diode
conducts and acts like a closed
switch letting the positive pulse
of the sine wave to appear
across the load resistor.

Styled by Pn. Julaiha Binti omar

 How Rectifiers Work (continued)
• When the sine wave goes
negative, the diode anode will be
negative so the diode will be
reverse biased and no current
will flow.
• No negative voltage will appear
across the load. The load
voltage will be zero during the
time of the negative half cycle.
• See the waveforms that show
the positive pulses across the
load. These pulses need to be
converted to a constant DC.
 Bridge Rectifier
• Another widely used rectifier is
the bridge rectifier. It uses four
diodes.
• This is called a full wave rectifier
as it produces an output pulse
for each half cycle of the input
sine wave.
• On the positive half cycle of the
input sine wave, diodes D1 and
D2 are forward biased so act as
closed switches appearing in
series with the load.
• On the negative half cycle, diode
D1 and D2 are reverse biased
and diodes D3 and D4 are
forward biased so current flows
through the load in the same
direction.
 How the Filter Works
• A large capacitor is connected
across the load resistor. This
capacitor filters the pulses into a
more constant DC.
• When the diode conducts, the
capacitor charges up to the peak
of the sine wave.
• Then when the sine voltage
drops, the charge on the
capacitor remains. Since the
capacitor is large it forms a long
time constant with the load
resistor. The capacitor slowly
discharges into the load
maintaining a more constant
output.
• The next positive pulse comes
along recharging the capacitor
and the process continues.
 Ripple
• The capacitor does a good job of smoothing the
pulses from the rectifier into a more constant DC.

• Ripple voltage - is a small variation occurs in the

DC because of the discharging and charging of a
capacitor with a small amount between the positive
and negative pulses.

• The ripple can be reduced – if capacitor larger.

• The ripple appears to be a sawtooth shaped AC

variation riding on the DC output.

• A small amount of ripple can be tolerated in some

circuits but the lower the better overall.
 The Regulator
• Most regulators are ICs .
• These are feedback control circuits that actually
monitor the output voltage to detect variations.
• If the output varies, for whatever reason, the
regulator circuit automatically adjusts the output
back to the set value.
• Regulators hold the output to the desired value.
• Since ripple represents changes in the output,
the regulator also compensates for these
variations producing a near constant DC output.
 In Summary
• All electronic circuits and equipment need a power supply,
usually one that supplies are very specific DC voltage.
• A battery is a near perfect DC supply but it is used mainly
in portable applications.
• Most equipment uses an AC to DC power supply.
• In most AC to DC supplies, the 120 volt AC line is first
filtered then stepped up or down to the desired voltage
level then rectified into pulsating DC, then filtered to a
constant DC. A regulator holds the output to a desired
level. A DC-DC converter may also be used to generate
another DC voltage.
• The two most common rectifiers are the single diode half
wave rectifier and the four diode full wave bridge rectifier.
 ASSIGNMENT #1
1. Find a practical power supply circuit that using
rectifier and regulator. Draw the circuit and
explain the function of each block.
2. List types of bridge rectifier (IC) with their code.
Draw the configuration and schematic diagram.
Explain the input and output voltage.
3. List types of IC regulator with their code. Draw
the configuration. Explain the input and output
voltage.

This assignment should be submitted on Friday 5/8/11

 How to do the ASSIGNMENT #1?
FULL
BIL ITEM DISCUSSED MARK
Title, front page, group detail, Content of the
1 9
assignment, format A4+1.5 line spacing+font12Aerial.
Find a practical power supply circuit that using rectifier
2 and regulator. Draw the circuit and explain the 20
function of each block.
List types of bridge rectifier (IC) with their code. Draw
3 the configuration and schematic diagram. Explain 40
the input and output voltage.
List types of IC regulator with their code. Draw the
4 20
configuration. Explain the input and output voltage.
References (use APA standard, internet, book, journal
5 11
etc)
TOTAL 100