AC to DC Converting Amplifier
Purpose
The overall function of the project is to build an AC to DC voltage converter that also has the ability to boost the voltage from 10V to 20V. The input voltage is an AC source with 20V peak to peak at 60Hz. The output voltage of the load should be able to adjust any voltage from 10V to 20V with a single use of a potentiometer. The circuits can be separated to three separate blocks: 1. Rectifier that converts AC input voltage source to DC output voltage with ripple voltage less than 1V. 2. Boost topology circuit that boosts the input voltage from 10V to 20V with the use of a 555 timer that produces a PWM square wave to control the MOSFET on and off. 3. A voltage regulator circuit that regulates the voltage under 20V while having a potentiometer that can adjust the output voltage from 10V to 20V with a ripple voltage less than 0.1V. The output load should work under three conditions: open circuit, 10k ohms load, and 20k ohms load. The design of this project is separated into two parts where the first part is simulation and second part is building the actual circuit.
Figure 1 First Block of Circuit Design
Figure 2 Second Block of Circuit Design
Figure 3 Third Block of Circuit Design
Conclusion
We learned how to build an AC to DC converter by utilizing a full-wave rectifier. We also learned how to use resistors and capacitors in parallel to smooth the output of the rectifier and achieve a more stable DC voltage by reducing the ripple voltage value. Then we also learn how to boost the DC to DC converter by using a MOSFET and an inductor to provide additional voltage and have the boosting effect on the output side. Finally we learn how to regulate voltage by using zener diodes to build a voltage regulator and using potentiometer to let the voltage regulator either regulate the voltage or drop off and become a simple voltage divider circuit. In addition to the things that we learned from building the circuit, we also learned how to debug circuits when there are several blocks connected together. Not only testing different parts individually, but also being able to identify which part or which component is causing the issue is important when designing a circuit.