Building the LVPS

G. Becatti [1]
[1]
The University of Dundee
20 October 19, 2017

Contents
1 The Circuit ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Transformer ............................................................................................................................................. 2
1.2 Bridge Rectifier ........................................................................................................................................ 2
1.3 Levelling Filter.......................................................................................................................................... 3
1.4 Voltage Regulator .................................................................................................................................... 3
1.5 Potentiometer ......................................................................................................................................... 3
1.6 Low Pass Filter ......................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Execution and Data ......................................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Execution ................................................................................................................................................. 4
2.2 Data ......................................................................................................................................................... 4
3 Graph .............................................................................................................................................................. 4
4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................... 5
Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................................... 6
ABSTRACT. The LSVP is a device used to convert an alternate current to a direct current. It is used
because most household devices work on DC current rather than on AC current. In this experiment
we built a LSVP, tested on a breadboard and assembled on a perf board. The aim of the experiment
is of observing the functionality of the circuit, that is, that the output signal is constant and the
functionality of the voltage regulator, which, if a load is applied, prevents the voltage from increasing
over a value, in the case of this specific circuit, of around 12-13 V

1 The Circuit
A basic LSVP is composed of a transformer, used to reduce the potential from 220V to a more usable
voltage usually of 12V; a bridge rectifier, used to cancel out the negative part of the sinusoidal current;
a capacitor, which by charging and discharging deform the rectified signal, obtaining an almost
constant signal and a low pass filter used to reduce the ripple (a residual variation of signal caused by
a non-perfect suppression of the alternate waveform). We will now see more in depth what the
function of each component is.

Figure 1 The LVPS circuit (Building the LVPS)

1.1 Transformer
A transformer is composed of two coupled coils, connected by a core of ferromagnetic
material. The electric energy is transferred from the so called primary circuit to the
secondary circuit. The core carries the magnetic flux produced by the primary toward
the secondary (Elettronica Industriale II, Conte, Tomassini).
Figure 1.1.1 Transformer
circuital symbol
1.2 Bridge Rectifier
The simplest rectifier possible is composed of a single diode. The diode is a semiconductor circuital
element which allow the current to flow only in a single direction. If we were to apply a single diode
after the transformer we would just keep the positive half-wave, cancelling out the negative, leaving
as a result a consistent gap between each positive half-wave, thus causing a significant ripple, which
is hard to reduce using filters. This simple type of rectifier is called Half-wave rectifier and its
simplicity does not justify its inefficiency (EEA Lecture notes, Biffi, Pennacchia).
What is instead widely used is the Full-wave rectifier. This type of rectifier is
composed of four diodes instead of one, connected along the sides of a square.
They are then connected by two
opposed corners to the input AC
signal, in such a way that, as the
signal pass from being positive to
being negative, only two conductor Figure 1.2.1 Circuital
allows the current to pass, while the symbol of the Bridge
Figure 1.2.2 Input (blue) vs output (orange) signal other two are interdicted, that is, rectifier
they do not let current flow through them. The result is that the positive half-wave is transmitted "as
is", while the negative is turned "upside down", so that as a result the output signal would be a
sequence of positive half-waves, which makes it easier for the filters to reduce the ripple and to obtain
a better DC signal. This is shown in the figure, where the blue line is the input sinusoidal signal while
the orange line is the output rectified signal (EEA Lecture notes, Biffi, Pennacchia).

1.3 Levelling Filter

A levelling filter is then used to level out the
half-waves leaving the rectifier. For this
purpose a 1000μF electrolytic capacitor has
been used. An electrolytic capacitor is a one-
way capacitor, which charge when the half-
wave is increasing and discharge as the half-
wave decreases. These two conditions alternate
so quickly that the capacitor cannot discharge Figure 1.3.1 Rectified wave (dotted line) vs levelled signal (red)
(Biffi, Pennacchia)
itself completely. The result is an almost
constant signal (EEA Lecture notes, Biffi,
Pennacchia).

1.4 Voltage Regulator

After the 1000μF capacitor it comes a voltage regulator, which has the function of keeping the output
voltage constant with respect to an internal reference voltage. This element also protects himself from
current overload and is compensated for changes in temperature. Because during the operations on
the LSVP this particular circuital element tends to heat up, a heat sink is applied to avoid any damage
to the internal circuit (the voltage regulator is itself a circuit, or better an integrated circuit ‘IC’,
containing 26 transistors and various resistors and capacitors) (Building the LVPS)

1.5 Potentiometer
A 5kΩ potentiometer along with a 390Ω resistor form a resistor network, which is used to adjust the
voltage output. The potentiometer is basically a circuital element composed of a variable resistance,
this variation can be executed by the user by rotating a screw placed on top of the potentiometer with
a screwdriver.

1.6 Low Pass Filter

Since the signal is still affected by a considerable high frequency ripple a
low pass filter is necessary in order to eliminate this residual which can
affect the functionality of some devices which may be connected to the
LSVP. A low pass filter is a quadripolar circuit, which means that it has two
wires entering as input and two wires leaving as output. The low pass filter
Figure 1.6.1 Schematic view of
has the characteristic of leaving almost intact signals with frequency less a low pass filter (Conte,
than the so called cut off frequency, while signals with higher frequencies Tomassini)
are attenuated. (EEA Lecture notes, Biffi, Pennacchia)
2 Execution and Data
2.1 Execution
We first assembled the circuit on a solderless board named breadboard to test its functionality. Once
we tested the circuit we reassembled it on a perf board, making it permanent by soldering the elements
and the wires to the board. We then carried out several
measurements using a multimeter. We measured the voltage at
the output terminals of the LSVP, first with a bulb connected,
then without any load, in order to observe not only the fact that
the output current was in fact direct but also, as it is possible to
see from the data and from the graph, the functionality of the
voltage regulator Figure 2.1.1 The circuit as assembled on the
perf board
2.2 Data

Potentiometer V with V with no

Setting load (V) load (V)
Min 3.046 3.072
… 5.06 5.20
… 7.06 7.10
… 9.00 9.10
… 10.0 10.10
… 11.01 11.12
… 12.00 12.36
Max 12.99 16.47
Table 2.2.1 Experimental data

3 Graph

Graphic represantation of data

18
16
14
12
Voltage (V)

10
8
6
4
2
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Potentiometer Settings (0: Min)

Figure 3.1 Graphic representation of the data in Table 2.2.1

---- V with no load

---- V with load
4 Conclusion
As it is possible to see from the graph, the two output signal, one with the bulb and the other without
any load, the two measurements, as expected within the limits of experimental errors, coincide up to
a voltage value of more or less 12V. By the next measurement the voltage value of the loaded circuit
climbed to 12.99V, while the no load value soared to a value of 16.47V, which, without the voltage
regulator, would have burned the bulb.
Bibliography
Biffi, Pennacchia. Corso di Elettronica, Eletrotecnica e Automazione (notes from high school lectures on
electronics). Milano: IIS JC Maxwell, 2016. Series of lectures on Electronics, Electrotecnics and
Automation issued during the final 3 years at the JC Maxwell High School, Milan, of the
Aeronautical section.

Building the LVPS. University of Dundee, 2017.

G. Conte, et al. Corso di elettrotecnica ed elettronica. Vol. II. Italia: Nuova Edizione Openschool, 2012.