Objective
Trace the diode's one-way I-V curve and use it to turn alternating current into a one-directional (rectified) signal - the first step inside every power supply.
The idea
A diode is a one-way street for current. It ignores reverse voltage until a limit, then lets a tiny leakage through - and it lets forward current flow once a small threshold is crossed.
Try this
- 1Push the voltage forward and see the current kick in past the threshold.
- 2Push it reverse and watch almost nothing flow.
- 3Feed the diode an AC wave and watch only half get through.
- 4Change the load and watch the rectified shape sag or sharpen.
Watch for
- The knee at roughly 0.7 V for silicon.
- Reverse bias: effectively blocked until breakdown.
- Half-wave rectification keeps only one polarity of the AC cycle.
- This one device is the gatekeeper of every power supply.