2010 International Conference on Signal Acquisition and Processing

Microcontroller Based Low Cost Controlled Rectifiers Training Module for Power
Electronics Laboratory
Umar Farooq1, K. M. Hasan2, Mahmood ul Hasan3, Muhammad Usman Asad4, Asim Iqbal5, M. Khalil Akhtar6
1,3,4,5,6

Department of Electrical Engineering, University of The Punjab Lahore-54590 Pakistan

Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology Lahore-54890 Pakistan
1
engr.umarfarooq@yahoo.com, 2kmhasan@uet.edu.pk, 3mahmood_uet@hotmail.com, 4usmanasad01@hotmail.com,
5
its.asimiqbal@gmail.com,6khalilcheema@hotmail.com
2

control tasks are undertaken by ultra high speed processor.

This makes the system implementation costly [8, 9].
In this paper, design of low cost training module to study
the various types of single-phase controlled rectifiers and ac
voltage controllers is presented. The heart of the module is
AT89C51 microcontroller, which is processing all the
information entered through the keypad. An LCD interfaced
to AT89C51 displays the information, which is entered
through the keypad. The basic use of the module involves in
selecting the converter type to be studied. The selection is
made according to the numbers assigned to the converters
through keypad. After selecting the converter type, any
desired firing angle can be entered from the keypad.
Microcontroller then manipulates the entered data and
generates the firing pulses accordingly. These pulses after
shaping can be applied to the gate terminals of SCRs, which
are connected in some particular configuration. The
converter operation under any type of load can be studied by
selecting the load from load unit. Voltage sensing and
current sensing units on the module respectively can measure
voltage across the load and current through the load. If dc
motor is connected as a load, then its rpm can be measured
with on module rpm meter.

AbstractThe junior level Power Electronics Lab is an

important component of Electrical Engineering curriculum at
University of The Punjab, Lahore. It serves to familiarize the
students with the design simulation and analysis of power
electronic converters. In this paper, design and implementation
of a low cost microcontroller based controlled rectifier training
module for single-phase system to be utilized in Power
Electronics Lab is presented. The module comprises of various
units. The first unit is zero crossing detector followed by the
pulse shifting unit, pulse shaping unit, pulse isolation unit,
thyristor unit, diode unit, load unit, current sense unit, voltage
sense unit and finally rpm sense unit. Various experiments are
designed to study the different configurations of the controlled
rectifiers. These configurations include half converter, semi
converter, full converter, dual converter, series semi converter
and series full converter. Some types of AC voltage controllers
can also be studied. This system may readily be extended to
study three phase-controlled rectifiers.
Keywords-power electronics laboratory;controlled rectifiers
training module;microcontroller implementation

I.

INTRODUCTION

Controlled Rectifiers are extensively used in industrial

applications, especially in variable speed drives ranging from
fractional horsepower to megawatt power level, so it is very
necessary to train the students to have sound understanding
of their operation.
Controlled Rectifiers or phase control converters can be
classified into two types depending upon the input supply:
(1) single phase and (2) three phase converters. Each type
can be subdivided into (a) half converter (b) semi converter
(c) full converter and (d) dual converter. A half converter is
one quadrant converter and it has one polarity of output
voltage and current. A semi converter exhibits the same
characteristics as that of half converter. A full converter is a
two-quadrant converter and polarity of its output voltage can
be either positive or negative. However the output current of
full converter has one polarity only. A dual converter
operates in four quadrants and both the output voltage and
current can be either positive or negative. These converters
can also be connected in series to operate at higher voltages
and to improve the power factor [1-5]. Although the
operation of controlled rectifiers is simple, the realization of
converter control circuit is complex in nature. Various
control techniques have been proposed where different
978-0-7695-3960-7/10 $26.00 2010 IEEE
DOI 10.1109/ICSAP.2010.86

II.

SYSTEM HARDWARE

Designed around AT89C51 microcontroller, this training

module can be utilized for teaching in Power Electronics
Laboratory at undergraduate level. AT89C51 is selected
because it is a low priced controller and is readily available.
The module can be divided into various units. These units
include: zero crossing detecting unit, pulse generating and
shifting unit, pulse amplification and isolating unit, SCRs
and diode unit, load unit, voltage and current sensing unit,
and rpm sensing unit. The block diagram of basic system
operation is shown in Fig. 1 while complete module diagram
is shown in Fig. 2.
A. Zero Crossing Detecting Unit
Zero crossing detection is achieved by employing
operational amplifier, LM741 as a comparator. The output
waveform is a rectangular version of the input sine wave.
Negative cycle of this waveform is clipped with the help of
transistor 2N3904 which is used as a switch. The output of
the unit is thus a positive cycle waveform such that on every
falling edge of the waveform, the next cycle is the positive
cycle of input sine wave.
220

angles; and + in case of half, semi, full converters and ac

controllers, , -, + and 2- in case of dual converter, 1
and 2 in case of series converters. In all these cases, is the
angle, which is entered through the keypad. This angle can
be changed during the course of experiment by pressing #
key on keypad.
C. Pulse Amplification and Isolation Unit
The pulses generated by the pulse-generating unit are
required to be amplified and isolated before applying to the
gate terminal of thyristor. The isolation of pulses is necessary
because the power circuit is subjected to a voltage higher
than the gate circuit voltage. So this unit comprises of an
assembly of pulse amplification and isolating circuits. Pulse
amplification is achieved by using 2N3904 while isolation is
achieved by employing either pulse transformer or
optocoupler. Various isolation arrangements are designed
with pulse transformer. In one of the arrangements, UJT
2N4871 is combined with pulse transformer to provide the
required isolation. Other pulse transformer arrangements are
designed around 2N3904. The unit also contains isolating
circuit designed around optocoupler, 4N25. The isolation
circuit using an optocoupler is not generally used because
this circuit requires a separate power supply and increases
the weight and cost of firing circuit.

Figure 1. Block Diagram of Training Module

D. Thyristor and Diode Unit

This unit consists of eight SCRs (BT151) and six diodes
(1N4007). These thyristors and diodes can be connected in
any configuration to be studied. The pulses after the pulse
isolation unit are connected between the gate and cathode
terminal of thyristors to be fired. In order to prevent
thyristors from being damaged by high di/dt and dv/dt,
snubber circuits are provided for all thyristors on the module
(not shown on the module) [6, 7].
E. Load Unit
This unit consists of various resistive and inductive loads.
DC Motor is also present on the module, which can also be
connected as a load.

Figure 2. Training Module Layout

F. Voltage and Current Sense Unit

This unit consists of voltage and current sense circuits,
which can be utilized to measure the load voltage and load
current respectively. These circuits are also designed around
AT89C51. ADC0808 is utilized for A/D conversion. One
channel is utilized for load voltage conversion while other is
utilized for load current monitoring. Finally the voltage and
current are displayed on 4 digit seven-segment display.

B. Pulse Generating and Shifting Unit

Pulse generation and shifting is achieved through
AT89C51 microcontroller. A 4x3 keypad and 16x2 LCD are
interfaced to AT89C51. The keypad is interfaced to Port 0 of
AT89C51 while data bus of LCD is connected to Port 1 of
AT89C51. The control lines of LCD, rs & en, are connected
to P3.4 and P3.5 respectively. Keypad is used to enter the
information required for carrying out a particular experiment.
For example, press 1 to study the operation of half, semi or
full converter, press 2 to study the operation of dual
converter, press 3 to study the operation of series converters,
press 4 to study the operation of ac voltage controllers, press
5 to study the operation of cycloconverters. After entering
the type of experiment, any desired firing angle can be
entered. The firing angle must be entered in three-digit form.
After all the information has been entered, the timing pulses
are generated at P2 of AT89C51. These pulses occur at

G. RPM Sense Unit

This unit consists of an RPM Meter and is enabled only
when the motor is connected as a load. The unit is designed
around AT89C51. A slotted disc is mounted on motor shaft
which rotates inside U sensor. This sensor converts the
rotation of motor into sequence of pulses. AT89C51 counts
these pulses for one minute and display the result on 4 digit
seven segment multiplexed display. A circuit description of a
half converter configuration is shown in Fig. 3.

221

+12V

KEYPAD

ANGLE

045

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

19
18
31
9

LCD

P0.0/AD0
P0.1/AD1
P0.2/AD2
P0.3/AD3
P0.4/AD4
P0.5/AD5
P0.6/AD6
P0.7/AD7

P1.0
P1.1
P1.2
P1.3
P1.4
P1.5
P1.6
P1.7

P2.0/A8
P2.1/A9
P2.2/A10
P2.3/A11
P2.4/A12
P2.5/A13
P2.6/A14
P2.7/A15
P3.0/RXD
P3.1/TXD
P3.2/INT0
P3.3/INT1
P3.4/T0
P3.5/T1
P3.6/WR
P3.7/RD

XTAL1
XTAL2

ALE/PROG
PSEN

EA/VPP
RST

AT89C51

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

30
29

2N3904

1k

2N3904

1
2

50

100mH

100

+5V

10k
1

1
2

1
6

220k

24Vrms

0.01u
1

Transformer

4.7k

2N3904

BT151
2

P.T.

1N4004

1N4148
1
2

1
1

OS2

+5V

V+

21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28

100k

2
1

OUT
OS1

24Vrms
10k

V-

39
38
37
36
35
34
33
32

ENTER FIRING

LM741

Transformer

-5V
0

Figure 3. Circuit Description of Half Converter

III.

P2.1, P2.2, P2.3. Keep the status of pins same for about
75sec. After this time, again invert the status of pins P2.0
through P2.4. Thus pulses are generated at angle, .
15) Stop timer 0 by setting TR0 = 0 and start timer 1 by
setting TR1 = 1.
16) Wait for 10msec in the timer 1 interrupt service
routine. After 10msec has been elapsed, invert the status of
pins P2.4 through P2.7. Keep the status of the pins same for
about 75sec. After this time, again invert the status of pins
P2.4 through P2.7. Thus pulses are generated at angle, +.
17) Stop timer 1 by setting TR1 = 0 and goto step 21.
18) Repeat steps 12 through 17 except that in this case,
pulses are generated at angles , +, - and 2- through
the introduction of additional variables in software. These
pulses are available on P2.0 through P2.7. Pulses on the
same angle are available on consecutive pins starting from
. This step corresponds to the operation of dual converter.
19) Repeat steps 12 through 17 except that in this case,
pulses are generated at angles 1, +1, 2, and +2 through
the introduction of additional variables in software. These
pulses are available on P2.0 through P2.7. This step
corresponds to the operation of series converters.
20) Generate the pulses at angles , +, 2+ and 3+
on P2.0 through P2.7, following the steps 12 through
17.This step corresponds to the operation of cycloconverter.
The pulses on P2.0 through P2.7 will be used to drive P
converter while the pulses on P2.4 through P2.7 are used to
drive N converter of cycloconverter.
21) Wait for # key to be pressed.
22) If # key is pressed goto step 5, otherwise goto step 8.
23) Wait for 0 key to be pressed.
24) If 0 key is pressed goto step 4, else goto step 8.

SYSTEM SOFTWARE

A C program running inside AT89C51 generates the

firing pulses at the desired angles and according to the
selected converter type. The AT89C51 for pulse generating
unit is programmed according to the following algorithm and
its flow chart is shown in Fig. 4.
1) Initialize output port P2 to be zero, P2 = 0x00.
2) Configure external interrupt 0, EX0 to acknowledge
the interrupt on falling edge of the source waveform by
setting IT0 = 1.
3) Configure timer interrupts ET0 and ET1 to produce
the interrupt after every 6s by setting TH0 = TH1 = 250.
Both timers are operated in 8-bit auto reload mode (mode
2). Timers are not started at this moment (TR0 = TR1 = 0).
4) Select the converter to be studied through keypad and
assign this number to a variable, select .
5) Enter the desired firing angle, through the keypad
in three-digit form (xxx).
6) Convert the angle into time according to the
following relation:
7) Divide the above time (s) by 250 and assign this
value to a variable, counter.
8) Wait for the external interrupt, EX0.
9) When the interrupt received, wait for the * key to be
pressed in the interrupt service routine. External interrupt
signals the start of an AC cycle on source waveform.
10) If * key is pressed, check the value of variable, select.
11) If select is equal to 1 goto step 12, else if select is
equal to 2 goto step 18, else if select is equal to 3 goto step
19, otherwise goto step 20.
12) Start timer 0 by setting control bit, TR0 = 1.
13) After timer 0 is started, an interrupt is generated
every 6sec. Increment the variable, count in timer 0
interrupt service routine.
14) Compare the variable, count with counter for
equality. If count = counter, invert the status of pins P2.0,

IV.

EXPERIMENTS

The following experiments can be performed on the

module:
1) Single phase half converter with RL load

222

2) Single phase semi converter with RL load

3) Single phase full converter with RL load
4) Single phase dual converter with RL load
5) Single phase series semi converter with RL load
6) Single phase series full converter with RL load
7) Single phase ac volatge controllers with RL load
8) Single phase cyclo converter with RL load
With some less modification, more experiments can be
designed on the module.
V.

MATLAB SIMULATION

The algorithm is tested in MATLAB Simulink

environment. The simulation results for semi converter with
RL load are shown in Fig. 5.
VI.

(a)

CONCLUSIONS

In this paper, design of a low cost microcontroller based

controlled rectifier training module for power electronics
laboratory is presented. The present system is single phase
but idea may readily be extended for three-phase system.
Other blocks like triangular waveform generator and
comparator can also be added to the module to demonstrate
the effect of applying PWM signal to the thyristors.

Reference Sine Wave & Gate Signals

1
0
-1

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

0.09

0.1

0.07

0.08

0.09

0.1

0.07

0.08

0.09

0.1

Load Voltage
100
0
-100

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

Load Current
0.5
0
-0.5

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04 0.05 0.06

Time [seconds]

(b)
Figure 5. (a) Simulink Model of Semi Converter (b) Load Voltage and
Current Waveforms

REFERENCES
[1]
[2]

[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]

[9]

Figure 4. Flow Chart of Training Module Software

223

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