CHAPTER - 03

ELECTRONICS 101 - AC Vs DC

Created by Tum Kurtzman

Introduction:

AC stands for “Alternating Current” which describes voltage or current that

changes polarity or direction respectively over time whereas DC stands for “Direct
Current” that maintains constant polarity or direction respectively over time.
AC is the form in which electric power is delivered to households and businesses
and it’s what consumers typically use when they plug their home electric appliances
for-example television sets, electric lamps/bulbs, chargers into a wall socket. A
common source of DC power is a battery cell.
Waveforms:
The most common type of AC is the sine wave. The AC we use has an oscillating
voltage that produces a sine wave. AC also comes in a number of other forms for as
long as the voltage and current are alternating for-example if we hookup an
oscilloscope to a circuit with AC and plot the voltage against time, we get to see a
number of different waveforms and these include:

1. The Sine Wave:

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Other common forms of AC include the Square wave and the Triangular wave.
2. The Square wave:
This is often used in digital and switching electronics to test their operation.

3. The triangular wave:

This is applied in sound synthesis for testing linear electronics like Amplifiers

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Describing a Sine Wave:

1 – Amplitude (Peak)
2 – Peak-to-Peak
3 – Period

Upon describing an AC waveform in a mathematical term, we use the common sine

wave. There are three parts to a sine wave i.e. Amplitude, Phase & Frequency.
So looking at voltage only, we can describe a sine wave as the mathematical
function.
𝑉(𝑡) = 𝑉𝑝𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑒(2𝜋𝑓𝑡 + ∅) ……………… (i)
↑ ↑
Part 1 Part 2

Where 2𝜋𝑓 = 𝜔 ………………….. (ii)

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Part 1,
{V(t)} – represents the voltage as a function of time, which means that our voltage
changes over time.
Part 2,
{𝑉𝑝𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑒(2𝜋𝑓𝑡 + ∅) } – describes how voltage changes over time.
Vp – is the Amplitude and it describes the maximum voltage that our sine wave can
reach in either direction i.e. voltage can be +Vp (volts) or –Vp (volts) or somewhere
in between.
Sine() – This function indicates that our voltage will be in the form of a periodic sine
wave which is a smooth oscillation around 0v.
𝜔 – This is the angular frequency (rad/sec). This is related to the physical frequency
f (Hz) by the equation, 𝜔 = 2𝜋𝑓.
t – This represents the time and it is the dependent variable measured in seconds. As
time varies, the waveform also varies.
∅ − This is the phase of the sine wave and it is the measure of how shifted the
waveform is with-respect-to time. It is often given as a number between 0º and 360º.
For this tutorial, we’ll assume that our phase is zero and therefore we’ll have our
voltage equation as
𝑉(𝑡) = 𝑉𝑝𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑒(2𝜋𝑓𝑡)…………………………… (iii)
For-example, the power provided in Uganda to our homes is AC with about 230V,
zero to peak (Amplitude) and 60Hz frequency. So upon plugging these figures in
our equation, we get
𝑉(𝑡) = 230𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑒(2𝜋60𝑡) ……………………. (iv)

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How to generate AC:
AC can be produced using a special type of electrical generator called an alternator
that is designed to produce an alternating current.
Consider a simple alternator with a rotating magnetic core (rotor) and a stationery
wire (stator) with current induced in the stator by the rotating magnetic field of the
rotor as shown in the figure below:

A conductor moving relative to a magnetic field develops an electromotive force

(EMF) in it. This EMF reverses its polarity when it moves under magnetic poles of
opposite polarity.
The rotating magnet (rotor) turns within a stationery set of conductors wound in coils
on an iron core (stator), the field cuts across the conductors, generating an induced
EMF as the mechanical input causes the rotor to turn. The rotating magnetic field
induces an AC voltage in the Stator windings.
Applications of AC:
 Home and office outlets are always AC.
 Powering electric motors.

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Direct Current (DC):
This is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. DC may flow in a conductor such
as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators or even through a
vacuum.
How to generate DC
Direct current can be generated in a number of ways:
A battery is a good example of DC power supply which is generated from a chemical
reaction inside of a battery.
Use of a device called a Rectifier that converts AC to DC. This device contains
electronic elements or electromechanical elements that allow current to flow only in
one direction.
DC can be converted into an AC and vice versa with an inverter.
An AC generator equipped with a device called a commutator can produce DC.

Describing DC
Consider the water analogy below, DC is similar to a tank of water with a horse pipe
at the end.

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Here the tank can only push the water one way out the horse pipe and once the tank
is empty, water will no longer flow through the pipe.
Similarly, a battery producing DC current, produces voltage and current in one
direction. Here, voltage and current can vary over time so long as the direction of
flow does not change.
For-example:
Consider a Duracell battery providing 85v, this can be described in mathematical
terms as 𝑉(𝑡) = 85𝑣, assuming that voltage is constant.
If we plot this over time, we see a constant voltage.

What the graph above means is that, most DC sources provide a constant voltage
over time, but in reality a battery will slowly lose its charge that is the voltage will
drop as the battery is used. For the most part of this tutorial, we’ll assume that the
voltage is constant.
Applications of DC:
At most all electronic projects and parts we sale on https://sonalabs.org run on DC.
That is everything powered by a USB cable, an AC adapter or a battery relies on
DC. Examples of DC electronics include:
 Cell phones
 Hybrid & Electric vehicles
 Laptop computer (Use an AC adapter that coverts AC to DC)
 Flat screen Television (AC goes into TV which is converted to DC).

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Conclusion:
At this point, you should have a good understanding of the differences between AC
& DC. AC is easier to transform between voltage levels, which makes high voltage
transmissions more feasible. DC on the other hand is found in almost all electronics.
One should also note that the two do not mix well and you’ll need to transform AC
to DC if you wish to power your electronics off a wall outlet. With this
understanding, you should be ready to tackle some more complex circuitry concepts.
In the next chapter we are going to learn about Voltage, Resistance, Current and
Ohm’s Law.

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