Re: (ET) charging circuit

[Steve Gaarder <gaarder ecovillage ithaca ny us>]

It *is* full-wave rectified.  It works by combining the output of two
half-wave rectifiers.  Call the diodes A and B.  On one half-cycle of the
AC, diode A conducts.  Current flows to the battery through diode A and
the half of the transformer secondary connected to diode A.  On the other
half-cycle, diode B conducts; it and its half of the transformer winding
supply the current.  Thus you have current flowing in both halves of the
AC cycle, making a full-wave rectifier.  Each *half* of the transformer
winding puts out something around 36 volts, so the voltage across the
whole winding is more like 72 volts.  If you put in a 4-diode bridge
circuit, you'd have far too much voltage and not enough current.

This circuit was preferred over the bridge circuit when diodes were more
expensive than they are now.

On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 gmbauman alltel net wrote:

> My electric tractor has 2 diodes in the charging circuit filtered by a
> capacitor. Anybody know why GE made the charging circuit half wave
> rectified instead of full wave rectified? Do you know of any reason
> why I should not change the system to full wave rectified?
> 
> Thanks,
> Gery Bauman
> 
> one New Idea 150
> 
> 
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