We have all had difficulty testing diodes in-circuit. Most DMM’s have a diode Vf function that measures forward drop, but what is the normal voltage drop? Analog VOM’s attempt to measure resistance of ...

A diode is a device that allows current to flow in one direction but not in the other. This ability makes diodes useful in many applications, including converting AC to DC, regulating voltages, and ...

A major cause of losses in a conventional power supply using a 50/60-Hz transformer is the bridge rectifier. This article shows how to build a “greener” rectifier, substantially reducing losses by ...

With Linear Technology’s LT4320 ideal-diode bridge controller, power supply designers can replace each of the four diodes in a conventional full-wave bridge rectifier with a low-loss N-channel MOSFET.

Everyone loves a full-wave bridge rectifier, but there’s no denying that they aren’t 100% efficient due to the diode voltage drop. Which isn’t to say that with some effort we cannot create an ideal ...

The most demanding component in terms of high-frequency operation on an RF-ID tag is the rectifying device: this device needs to be able to charge a storage capacitor providing quasi-d.c. power supply ...

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor has announced a family of active diodes which can reduce the 1.2V forward drop of 600V bridge rectifiers. “Both products are self-powered from the AC line and do not ...