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Diode Half-Wave Rectifier

A single diode clips negative half-cycles — the simplest AC-to-DC conversion.

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diode-rectifier.circuit transient analysis

How it works

A half-wave rectifier passes only the positive half of an alternating input signal. The diode conducts when the input exceeds its forward voltage (≈ 0.7 V) and blocks when the input goes negative.

Run the transient analysis and the voltage probe shows only the positive half-cycles appearing across the load resistor. The negative halves are blocked by the diode, with a small forward-voltage drop on the positive peaks.