AC/DC Calc
power supply concepts
How to Choose an AC to DC Power Supply for a Defined Load
Match DC voltage, continuous and peak current, input range, derating, isolation, and protection to the actual requirements of your equipment.
Make sense of the numbers.
Practical guides to the models behind a rectifier calculation.
power supply concepts
Linear vs Switching AC to DC Power Supplies: Compare the Whole System
Compare conventional linear and switching supplies by conversion stages, regulation, heat, ripple, efficiency, and the needs of the actual load.
power supply concepts
AC to DC Power Supply Stages: From Input to Regulated Output
Follow the signal through a conventional transformer supply and an isolated switching supply, and see why rectification alone is not regulation.
power supply concepts
Power Supply vs Battery Charger vs LED Driver
Understand why a DC voltage supply, chemistry-specific battery charger, and constant-current LED driver need different control and protection.
rectifier basics
Single-Phase vs Three-Phase Rectifiers: Voltage and Ripple
Compare bridge topology, line-to-line input voltage, six-pulse timing, capacitor charging, and the assumptions behind three-phase output estimates.
measurement guides
AC RMS to peak voltage: derive the sine-wave conversion
Understand the square-root-of-two factor, its waveform assumption, and how peak voltage enters a rectifier model.
worked examples
AC to DC calculator worked examples: average, peak, and ripple
Follow complete numerical examples for filtered and ideal rectifier models, including a rejected high-ripple case.
rectifier basics
AC to DC Formulas: Choose the Circuit Before the Multiplier
Compare ideal rectifier averages and capacitor-filtered bridge estimates using clear assumptions and worked examples.
rectifier basics
Why AC voltage alone cannot tell you the available DC current
Separate output voltage estimates from load current, transformer capacity, power, and component stress.
worked examples
Bridge rectifiers at 50 Hz and 60 Hz: what changes?
Compare charging intervals, ripple frequency, and simplified capacitor ripple while holding the other inputs constant.
rectifier basics
Bridge rectifier diode losses: what a two-drop estimate means
Understand the useful 2Vf voltage model and why it does not replace current-waveform or thermal analysis.
capacitor filtering
Capacitor ESR and ripple current: two different limits
Separate charge-storage ripple from resistive voltage changes and ripple-current heating.
rectifier basics
Capacitor Ripple Explained: What Happens Between Charging Peaks
Derive bridge ripple from charge balance, work through units, and understand where the small-ripple approximation stops being useful.
component models
Diode Forward Voltage Drop: Why the Calculator Needs an Assumption
Understand per-diode versus bridge drop, current and temperature dependence, and the limitations of a fixed-drop rectifier estimate.
rectifier basics
Full-Wave Bridge Rectifiers: Output Waveform, Average, and Filtering
Understand what a bridge changes, why two diode drops appear, and how its ideal average differs from a capacitor-filtered estimate.
rectifier basics
Half-Wave vs Full-Wave Rectifiers: Compare the Same Quantities
Compare complete-cycle averages, peaks, RMS values, pulse timing, and filtering assumptions without mixing different circuit models.
calculator guides
The limits of a simple AC to DC calculator
Learn which questions a rectifier estimate can answer, what its assumptions omit, and when the calculation needs a fuller model.
measurement guides
Measuring rectifier output: know which voltage you mean
Interpret DC average, ripple, peak, and RMS readings without confusing one measurement with another.
measurement guides
Rectifier average versus RMS output: calculate both correctly
Derive why a rectified waveform can have one average, another RMS value, and a separate ripple component.
rectifier basics
Rectifier Ripple Frequency: Why Full-Wave Output Repeats at 2f
Separate AC input frequency, rectified pulse repetition, ripple magnitude, and waveform harmonics using timing diagrams and worked examples.
voltage measurement
RMS, Peak, and Average Voltage: Keep the Measurement Convention
Distinguish sine-wave RMS, peak, signed average, rectified average, and filtered estimates before calculating AC to DC output.
capacitor filtering
Smoothing capacitor calculation: from load current to ripple
Derive a useful capacitance estimate without mistaking it for a complete component selection.
rectifier basics
Transformer RMS voltage and rectifiers: use the right input
Interpret secondary RMS voltage, waveform peaks, and regulation before estimating rectifier output.
power supply concepts
Unregulated vs regulated DC supplies: where the rectifier model ends
Understand why a rectifier estimate is not a prediction of an adapter or regulated output.
power supply concepts
Why AC to DC output voltage varies with line, load, and components
Use controlled comparisons to distinguish arithmetic changes from effects outside a simplified rectifier model.