ESET 350

Analog Electronics

Laboratory Report

Lab # 2

Diode Applications
Sam Le, Ethan Roberts, & Saul Gracia

Lab Due Date: 2/17/2025

Lab Submitted Date: 2/17/2025

IS THIS LAB LATE? ______

All of the information contained in this report is my own

work that I completed as part of this lab assignment. I
have not used results or content from any other
sources or students.

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Introduction & Background

In this lab we would work with diodes again but apply them to several applications. We would be
working with a clipper circuit, clamper circuit, demodulating it, and full wave rectification
applications. The purpose of this lab is to learn all these applications and apply them in our
future projects to further push us as engineers. The difference between the three is that the
clipper circuit limits an input voltage to certain maximum or minimum values to allow voltage to
pass through. A clamper circuit uses a capacitor in its circuit to charge and function as a battery.
By doing this the voltage across the capacitor subtracts from the input signal causing a DC shift
or offset in the output signal. By demodulating it allows the process of extracting the original
information-bearing signal from a carrier wave. The full wave rectification application happens
when we use a diode bridge and when done correctly it will allow both the positive and negative
voltage part of a time-varying waveform to be transmitted to the output. Like every lab we
encountered a problem mainly being how to measure our I/O waveform properly as well as how
to recreate the circuits. The solution to this problem was to first go back to our prelab for this lab
to see if there were any answers there, if not then we moved onto the internet. After looking for
some reference circuits on the internet, we eventually got the right layout but the measurements
were not adding up, so we asked our professor for help and he showed us the right way to
measure and capture the waveforms.

Methods & Procedure

In this lab on diode applications, several key procedures will be carried out to study
clipping, clamping, and rectification. For the diode clipper circuits, you'll connect a circuit
with a 100 kΩ resistor and a 1N4001 diode, using a 10 Vp-p, 1 kHz sine wave as the
input signal, capturing the input/output waveforms, and then constructing the
prelab-designed clipper with a 100 kΩ resistor. Next, in the clamper circuits section,
you'll design a clamper using a 5.1 kΩ resistor and a 1N914 diode, with a 3 Vp-p, 1 kHz
square wave input signal, and capture the input/output waveforms. You'll also test this
circuit with increased frequency and a lower load resistance. Moving on to the half-wave
rectifier properties, you'll modify the existing circuit with a 5.1 kΩ resistor and a 1N4001
diode, using an 8 Vp-p, 1 kHz sine wave input, and capture the I/O waveforms and the
diode voltage, sketching the resistor current for a full period. Finally, for the full-wave
bridge rectifier, you'll build the circuit with 1N4001 diodes and a 1 kΩ resistor, capturing
the input/output waveforms to observe the rectification process. This structured
approach will help you analyze and understand the practical applications and behavior
of diodes in various configurations.
Results & Discussions

Diode Clipper Circuits

a)

b)

Clamper Circuits
a)

b)
c)

Half-Wave Rectifier Properties

Full Wave Bridge Rectifier

a)

Conclusion

In this lab, we explored several diode applications, including clipping, clamping, and
full-wave rectification. Through practical experiments, we observed how clipper circuits
limit input signals to specific voltage levels, while clamper circuits shift voltage levels to
create a DC offset. We also studied the half-wave and full-wave rectifiers, noting the
differences between ideal and real rectifiers, such as diode forward voltage drops and
transformer losses. Overall, this lab provided valuable insights into the behavior and
practical applications of diodes in various electronic circuits, highlighting the importance
of component characteristics and circuit design in achieving the desired performance.

Questions

1)​ As the resistor decreases in value, the performance of the clipper degrades.
Explain why.

As the resistor value decreases in a clipper circuit, the current flow increases, which
reduces the voltage drop across the resistor. This results in the diode not reaching its
forward voltage as effectively, leading to improper clipping and signal distortion.
Additionally, the increased current can cause more power dissipation as heat,
potentially damaging the resistor and further degrading the circuit's performance.

2)​ Explain how the clamper performance varies with the following parameters Also
explain why it varies the way it does.

The performance of a clamper circuit varies with the capacitor value, load resistance,
input signal amplitude, and diode characteristics. A larger capacitor results in smoother
voltage shifts but slower response time, while a smaller capacitor provides a faster
response but less stability. Higher load resistance maintains the clamped voltage longer,
while lower resistance causes faster discharge rates. Higher input signal amplitude
requires greater voltage shifts, potentially affecting performance. Diodes with lower
forward voltage drops and faster switching speeds result in more accurate and efficient
clamping. These variations occur because each parameter influences the voltage shift,
discharge rate, and overall stability of the clamped signal.

3)​ In both the clipper and the clamper, the diode drop affects the result. Can you
suggest a method to reduce the problem associated with the diode drop even if it
is not completely eliminated?

To reduce the problem associated with diode drop in both clipper and clamper circuits,
you can use Schottky diodes instead of regular silicon diodes. Schottky diodes have a
lower forward voltage drop, typically around 0.2 to 0.3 volts, compared to the 0.7 volts of
silicon diodes. This lower voltage drop minimizes the impact on the circuit's
performance, improving accuracy and efficiency, although it doesn't completely
eliminate the issue.

4)​ Mention at least two ways in which the real full wave rectifier you designed in the
lab differs from the ideal? What is the reason for these differences.

In a real full-wave rectifier, the presence of diode forward voltage drops and transformer
losses leads to differences from the ideal rectifier. Each diode's forward voltage drop
reduces the output voltage, while transformer losses due to winding resistance and core
hysteresis decrease the overall efficiency and output voltage. These differences arise
from the inherent characteristics and physical limitations of real components.