IDEAL UNFILTERED MODEL

Half-wave rectifier calculator

Calculate the complete-cycle average of an ideal unfiltered half-wave rectifier.

THE CALCULATOR Runs locally

IDEAL WAVEFORM AVERAGE

5.4018979 V DC

12 V RMS → 5.4018979 V average

Peak 16.970563 VValley 0 VRipple p-p 16.970563 VRipple frequency 50 Hz

Model-specific resultsExplicit assumptionsNo data sent

The calculation

Vdc = √2 × Vrms ÷ π

Only one half-cycle contributes output. Averaging over the full cycle, including the blocked half-cycle, gives half the ideal full-wave average. This is not a capacitor-filtered supply.

Worked example

12 V RMS gives approximately 5.4019 V average and 16.9706 V peak. At 50 Hz AC, ripple frequency is 50 Hz.

Scope

Assumes sinusoidal single-phase AC, a resistive load, and ideal zero-loss diodes. No capacitor, transformer regulation, diode drop, or regulator is modeled. Inputs: 0–1,000 V RMS and 1–1,000 Hz.

The average comes from integrating the rectified sine over a full cycle. Compare rounded factors in Hammond's rectifier guide.

Try the filtered bridge estimate and read all assumptions →