Full-wave Rectifier

The half-wave rectifier chopped off half our signal. A full-wave rectifier does more
clever trick: it flips the - half of the signal up into the + range. When used in a power
supply, the full-wave rectifier allows us to convert almost all the incoming AC power
to DC. The full-wave rectifier is also the heart of the circuitry that allows sensors to
attach to the RCX in either polarity.
A full-wave rectifier uses a diode bridge, made of four diodes, like this:

At first, this may look just as confusing as the one-way streets of Boston. The thing to
realize is that the diodes work in pairs. As the voltage of the signal flips back and
forth, the diodes shepard the current to always flow in the same direction for the
output.
Here's what the circuit looks like to the signal as it alternates:

So, if we feed our AC signal into a full wave rectifier, we'll see both halves of the
wave above 0 Volts. Since the signal passes through two diodes, the voltage out will
be lower by two diode drops, or 1.2 Volts.

AC Wave In:

AC Wave Out (Full-Wave Rectified):

If we're interested in using the full-wave rectifier as a DC power supply, we'll add a
smoothing capacitor to the output of the diode bridge.

Rectifiers Challenge
First, create an AC signal source. You can do by using a function generator with no
DC bias. Or, you can take the output of an RCX pulsing a square wave, and run that
through a blocking cap to remove the DC bias. View your signal to confirm that it
crosses the 0V line symmetrically.
Then rectify your signal, first with a half-wave rectifier, and then with a full-wave
rectifer. Use 1N914 diodes, or something similar.

DC Power Supply
Before, the output of the full-wave rectifier was bumpy. This will cause problems with our
circuits if we try to use it as a power supply.

So, to use the full-wave rectifier as a DC power supply, we'll add a smoothing capacitor to
the output of the diode bridge.

Now, the output of the power supply will be much smoother. We can reduce the size of the
ripples by choosing a larger smoothing cap.

The shape of the ripples is determined by the AC frequency and the RC time constant of the
smoothing cap and circuit impedance.

Zener Diodes
Normal diodes let current flow with the arrow. But the Zener diode wants to be
different.

Zeners are designed to let current flow against the arrow. In the process, there is a
consistent and very useful voltage drop across the Zener diode.

We can use the Zener to give us a specific voltage whenever we need one. This is
especially useful when a circuit requires an exact voltage in, but we're using a power
supply that may be inconsistent, like batteries that drain over time.
Zener's come in a range of values, including the handy 5.1 V Zener.

Zener Challenge
To get a feel for how the Zener diode works, set up this circuit on your breadboard:

You can make a 12V supply by wiring two 6V's in series. Any 10k pot will do. You
can use a 1N4733A diode, which is a 5.1V Zener.
When you've built the circuit, turn the pot slowly and watch the volt-meter values.
Meter A will show the voltage across the Zener, or Vout. Meter B will show the
voltage across the pot, or Vin.

LED's
One final kind of diode is the Light Emitting Diode, or LED. They consume less
power than bulbs, don't tend to burn out, and come in a variety of colors. The symbol
for an LED looks like this:

We need to be careful about two things with LED's. First, they can burn out if
excessive current runs through them. We can limit this with a small resistor in series,
like this:
We can use V=IR to make sure that the resistor value is adequate.
The second thing we need to do with LEDs is make sure we put them into our circuit
in the correct orientation -- they can get destroyed if we put them in backwards.
There will be a flat side on your LED case, and the wire coming from that side will be
shorter than the other. This is the 'cathode' end, and connects towards - voltages or
ground. The long wire is the 'anode' end, and connects to + voltages.
LED's also come in 7-segment displays for making numbers. If they have a common
cathode, put a 1k limiting resistor off the cathode pin and set the other pins to V+ to
turn them on. If you're working with a common anode display, put the 1k limiting
resistor off the anode, and set the pins to ground to turn them on, and to V+ to turn
them off.