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What does the model show?

Demonstrates a practical use for the one-way route for current offered by diodes. LEDs are used to make the illustration clearer.


Figure 1

Demonstration Instructions

  1. Start by using the top model. Explore current direction through the motor and LEDs using the potentiometer slider. The current through the resistor changes direction, but the current through the motor is always in the same direction. LEDs will light up when they are forward biased.
  2. Next close the switch on the lower model to show the effect of full-wave rectification on a sine wave input. Note from the graph that the trace pauses as it reaches 0 mA on each cycle. The signal generator needs a little time to reach Vd and allow the LEDs to start conducting.
  3. To restart the simulation and graphs simply press F5 on the keyboard.

Note: an introduction to diodes is given in the activity Current in Diodes. Half-wave rectification can be seen in this activity and an extension of this material is found in Full-Wave Rectification with Smoothing Unit.