How To Make A Rectifier / Configuration Of A Bridge Rectifier

Most of the portable electronic devices require DC power source to operate. The circuit in the device starts to function when the direct current flows through it.This DC circuit is unable to hold the AC current and so it uses a bridge rectifier to convert AC to DC. Bridge rectifier allows a current to flow through it in one direction only. Bridge rectifier consists of four normal diodes that are connected one after another to form a single circuit.

This is the schematics of how the diodes are connected for rectifying the input. The D1, D2, D3, D4 are diodes that are connected to form an uncontrolled rectifier. This type of rectifier is used only in a fixed power supply. The following are the 1N4007 diodes.

                 

The following is the configuration of how the 1N4007 diodes should connect to form the bridge rectifier. 

The bridge rectifier converts AC to DC at any given voltage between 1volt to 230 volts. The step- down transformer is in need to reduce the voltage as per the device requirements. After reducing voltage by the transformer the rectifier starts working to convert the flow of electrons to direct current.

This is a 6 Volt 6-0-6 500mA step-down transformer. The number of turns in the primary winding of the transformer is more than the number of turns of the secondary winding. Its work is to change the amplitude of the input voltage. If you want to give a supply to a DC circuit from an AC supply then you need this type of step-down transformer. The two blue wire indicates the potential difference at the end. This two-wire will go to the AC terminal to the rectifier as an input.

If you want to run a 6 Volt DC motor with 6 Volt power supply then you need 4 AAA batteries 1.5 Volt each to get the approx. 6 Volt.

But if you want to run a 6 Volt DC motor with 230 Volt alternating current then you need a step-down transformer in the first step to reduce the voltage from 230 volts to 6 volts. Once the voltage is dropped, the rectifier will start working to convert AC to DC.

Finally, with the combination of transformer and the rectifier, we are getting a pure 6 Volt DC for the motor to run smoothly.

Unless you put rectifier at the end of the transformer, the motor won't rotate. The motor will vibrate with the frequency of alternating current. The rectifier is not only needed to run motors but also needed in all electronic components and appliances. LED light is also made up of rectifiers and some resistors and capacitors. Without rectifier, the LED will not get the pure current and the light in the LED will shiver, the lifetime of the LED will also reduce.