Been thinking about a solid state pre + line amp design that I'd like to stripboard out and have started on PSU design, wanting to put some old transformers to use. Im unfamiliar with the drawbacks are to designing around doubler vs standard vs bridge (I only need positive rail). Looking over schematics / bench experiences haven't noticed much in the way of doublers outside of some tube amps, unsure I've ever seen one in my SS world. Beyond a CT existing / not existing and the secondary voltage, lower secondary voltage seems more cost efficient favoring towards doubler but I image performance is what makes non-doubling more common. Thanks.
SS PSU Design - Full Wave / Bridge Rectifiers vs Doublers
- Thread starter heatwalk
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ruffrecords
Well-known member
In basic terms, a doubler is a pair of half wave rectifiers whereas a bridge is a full wave rectifier. This means that for the same peak to peak dc ripple your doubler reservoir capacitors need to be twice the value of the reservoir capacitor in the bridge version (and you need two of them). The ripple frequency is also half that of the bridge so if you use any further RC circuits for ripple reduction they will be half as effective but if you are going straight into a regulator it does not matter.
Cheers
ian
Cheers
ian
Thanks Ian!
Two half wave rectifiers =/= a variant of full wave rectification? Isn't it rectifying the full AC cycle when all is said and done? Capacitor increase makes sense to me. I would have figured ripple would be same when a full wave rectifiers is used vs bridge. I figured half wave yields 60Hz and full wave doubler is back to 120Hz.
Two half wave rectifiers =/= a variant of full wave rectification? Isn't it rectifying the full AC cycle when all is said and done? Capacitor increase makes sense to me. I would have figured ripple would be same when a full wave rectifiers is used vs bridge. I figured half wave yields 60Hz and full wave doubler is back to 120Hz.
