ELC 3114

Lab 5

ELC 3114 Electronic Design Lab

Lab 5: Half-wave Rectifiers Part 2

Pre-lab
None.

Introduction
This lab builds on the previous one. In that lab, you explored two different circuits, one passive,
one active. You had to determine what measurements to take, how to describe the
performance characteristics of those circuits, and how to present all of that information to your
boss.
In this lab, you will take those ideas one step further by investigating two more circuits. This
time we are looking at the tradeoff between circuit complexity and component performance.
Again, you will have to setup the experiment and decide what data is relevant and what it
means. (At least now youve done it once before, so it should be a little easier.) You will also be
comparing simulation and experimental results, looking for where they agree and where they
differ.

Background
Your company recently acquired a small start-up electronics firm who was developing a new
half-wave rectifier technology. Your boss (an electrical engineer) previously asked you to
compare the new design with your companys current design. After seeing the results of your
comparison and looking at some new products your company is trying to develop, she has
realized that neither of the previous designs will suffice. Therefore, she has tasked you with
developing a new design with improved performance. Cost is not a significant factor, as the new
products will be in the upper-end of the market. She is also interested in whether these designs
can be accurately modeled in ECAD software.

Procedure
What are some of the possible solutions to this problem? We could change the specifications
(operating ranges), but thats not a good solution assuming that we need a circuit to operate
over those ranges! A new circuit? Perhaps. This adds to the complexity and cost, but could
potentially improve performance. New components? This is a good possibility because the
limitations of our previous designs were inherent to the diode. Perhaps we can find a better
diode to improve our performance?

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Lets assume the same operating conditions apply as before:

Frequency Range:
Input Voltage Range:
Load Resistor Values:

100 Hz to 10 KHz
100 mV to 10 V (peak to peak)
100, 1000, and 10k

Below are two design ideas that you should explore. The first is a modified circuit. The second
is simply replacing the diode with a (hopefully) better one (for this situation! Every component
has its purpose.). Construct both circuits and measure their performance. Compare this to the
previous two designs. Finally, model both designs in PSpice and compare the simulations to the
actual data.
(Design 1 and 2 are the simple and precision rectifier, respectively, from last lab.)

Design 3
This circuit adds a second diode into the feedback loop of the op amp. Both diodes are the
same 1N4004 and the op amp is an LM741.

R2 = 10k
D2
Out
In

D1
R1 = 10k

RL

Figure 1. New half-wave circuit: Design 1.

Design 4
For this design, simply replace the diode in the previous precision rectifier circuit with a 1N914.

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Lab 5

Deliverables
Prepare a formal report for your boss to submit to the Vice President of Engineering at your
company. This report should clearly explain the purpose of your experiments, the limitations of
the old designs that you were trying to overcome, and the details of your new design (including
any limitations).
(Hint: Keep in mind your audience. The VP is an engineer with a strong technical understanding,
but he/she doesnt necessarily understand the exact problem you are trying to solve. Hence,
you need to explain the problem and solution fully without giving more details than necessary.)

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