Full Wave Rectifier-Diode Applications

Like the half wave circuit, a Full Wave Rectifier Circuit produces an output voltage or current which is purely DC or has some specified DC component. Full wave rectifiers have some fundamental advantages over their half wave rectifier counterparts. The average (DC) output voltage is higher than for half wave, the output of the full wave rectifier has much less ripple than that of the half wave rectifier producing a smoother output waveform.

In a Full Wave Rectifier circuit two diodes are now used, one for each half of the cycle. A multiple winding transformer is used whose secondary winding is split equally into two halves with a common centre tapped connection, (C). This configuration results in each diode conducting in turn when its anode terminal is positive with respect to the transformer centre point C producing an output during both half-cycles, twice that for the half wave rectifier so it is 100% efficient as shown below.

Full Wave Rectifier Circuit

 

The full wave rectifier circuit consists of two power diodes connected to a single load resistance (R_L) with each diode taking it in turn to supply current to the load. When point A of the transformer is positive with respect to point C, diode D₁ conducts in the forward direction as indicated by the arrows.
When point B is positive (in the negative half of the cycle) with respect to point C, diode D₂ conducts in the forward direction and the current flowing through resistor R is in the same direction for both half-cycles. As the output voltage across the resistor R is the phasor sum of the two waveforms combined, this type of full wave rectifier circuit is also known as a “bi-phase” circuit.
As the spaces between each half-wave developed by each diode is now being filled in by the other diode the average DC output voltage across the load resistor is now double that of the single half-wave rectifier circuit and is about  0.637V_max  of the peak voltage, assuming no losses.

Where: V_MAX is the maximum peak value in one half of the secondary winding and V_RMS is the rms value.
The peak voltage of the output waveform is the same as before for the half-wave rectifier provided each half of the transformer windings have the same rms voltage value. To obtain a different DC voltage output different transformer ratios can be used. The main disadvantage of this type of full wave rectifier circuit is that a larger transformer for a given power output is required with two separate but identical secondary windings making this type of full wave rectifying circuit costly compared to the “Full Wave Bridge Rectifier” circuit equivalent.
                                                  Summary

A full-wave rectifier does not block negative swings in the i/p voltage, rather it

transforms them into positive swings at the o/p.

To gain an understanding of device operation, follow current flow through pairs of

diodes in the bridge circuit.

It is easily seen that one pair (D3-R_out-D2) allows current flow during the +ve half

cycle of Vin while the other pair (D4-R_out-D1) allows current flow during the -ve half

cycle of ^Vin^.

– o o/p voltage peak is 1 .2V below the i/p voltage peak. – The o/p frequency is twice the i/p frequency.