Rectifier bridges

Bridge rectifier - what is it used for

A bridge rectifier is an electronic component, which is designed to "rectify" the current signal received at the input. In standard electrical sockets AC current is available, which is not suitable for powering many electronic devices. To adapt it to their needs, appropriate power supplies or chargers are often used, in which, among others, rectifier bridges are installed. Such elements are able to convert alternating current (from the socket) into direct current (such as from a battery or car battery).

What are rectifiers

Rectifiers are most often made from rectifying diodes that are properly connected together. To properly understand the topic, it is useful to know that the alternating current, which we use in wall sockets, has a sinusoidal characteristic - alternating positive and negative polarity. The simplest rectifier is a circuit with a single rectifying diode. However, this is an inefficient solution for larger devices, because the energy entering the circuit is used only for half a period - in the other half the voltage is simply stopped. This solution is used in low power systems. Nowadays, bipolar circuits that use the voltage for the entire period are often used. A good example is the so-called Graetz bridge - one of the most common circuits of this type. It consists of four rectifier diodes arranged in such a way that it becomes a full-period rectifier. Voltage during the first half of the period flows through two diodes, while two other diodes are negatively polarized, and in the second half of the period the situation is reversed (the diodes that conduct, act negatively, and the ones that conduct - conduct). As a result, the user receives at the output a current with voltage flowing in one direction, but with a significant ripple. To prevent such an effect, in this type of circuits so-called low-pass filters are used (for example, an appropriately matched capacitor), which smooth the signal. Currently, electronic engineers usually use ready-made circuits closed in small enclosures, so they do not have to build their own rectifier bridges from diodes.

What we offer in this section

In our offer you will find high-quality rectifier bridges mostly from MASTER INSTRUMENT CORPORATION. It is one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic parts. It exists since 1988 and specializes in manufacturing rectifiers and LED diodes. Among others, we offer various products made in THT (through-hole) technology, in which the flowing voltage cannot exceed 1000 V. Most of them are designed for single-phase current. Each of these products is sold in quantities of five pieces per purchase. We have rectifier bridges with current flow limits of 6 A, 10 A, 15 A, 25 A, 35 A or 50 A. The products come in different sizes and shapes to make it easier to fit them into your circuit. We also offer a small model of this type made in SMD technology with designation S125. It is designed for use with a voltage not exceeding 250 V and a current not exceeding 1 A. The bridge is designed for single-phase current and is intended for surface mounting, and is delivered in a quantity of 10 pieces (in a special package for SMD elements).

Where to use such elements

Such circuits are most often used in electronic projects with low power consumption. A good example can be a circuit providing power to prototypes of devices that in the final version will work on batteries. Rectifier bridges of this type can be used, for example, to power logic circuits, smart lights, to build telephone chargers or to power a weather station - the number of possibilities is practically endless.