Half Bridge Rectifier

 

A half bridge rectifier is an electronic circuit that converts AC voltage into a pulsating DC voltage. It is a type of rectifier circuit that uses two diodes and a center-tapped transformer to convert the AC input voltage into a DC output voltage.

In a half bridge rectifier circuit, the transformer secondary is center-tapped and connected to the two diodes. One diode conducts when the transformer secondary voltage is positive, and the other diode conducts when the transformer secondary voltage is negative. As a result, the output voltage of the half bridge rectifier circuit is a pulsating DC voltage that alternates between positive and negative values.

The advantage of a half bridge rectifier circuit is that it requires only two diodes, which are cheaper and easier to find than the four diodes required in a full bridge rectifier circuit. However, the output voltage of a half bridge rectifier circuit is not as smooth as that of a full bridge rectifier circuit, and it has a higher ripple voltage.

Half bridge rectifier circuits are commonly used in low-power applications, such as battery chargers, power supplies, and small motor controllers.