Basic AC Voltmeters

Joshua A. Javier
Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics CAS, UP Los Baos
joshua.javier.alpha@gmail.com

Abstract
An AC voltmeter was constructed using half-wave and full-wave rectifications.
Rectifiers such as diodes were used due to their ability to bypass the current in only
one direction. The different voltage waveforms for different rectifier circuits are halfwave and full-wave. The experiment produced an inaccurate ac voltmeter with errors
higher than 5% of the calculated values. However, this can be attributed to the
temperature and circuit design made during the experiment.
Keywords: Rectifiers, AC voltmeter, half-wave rectification, full-wave rectification
1.

Introduction
Most household items are connected to power supply lines which produce alternating current. In electronics
measuring the voltage, resistance and current is essential. Thus, it is necessary to convert the voltage input from the
supply lines to the consumer. An AC voltmeter uses the principle of rectification or converting alternating current to
direct current and utilizing the same principle in a dc voltmeter. Diodes are devices used in converting alternating
current to direct current and to perform a wide variety of logic functions in circuitry. Diodes have a definite
characteristic of allowing current to pass through in only one direction. This makes diodes ideal devices in a rectifier
circuit. In the experiment, an AC voltmeter is built using a half-wave and full-wave rectification circuit.

2. Methodology
The internal resistance Rm of the test meter (galvanometer) was determined using the shunt method used in the
previous experiment. The alternating current (AC) sensitivity of the test meter was calculated using Equation 4.1.

S ac =0.45 S dc

Equation 4.1

Where:

S dc =

1
I fs

Ifs = full-scale deflection of the galvanometer

Rs =S ac x RangeRm=

0.45 Erms
Rm Equation 4.2
I dc

The actual AC voltage of the AC source (0-9, 9-9) was determined using the digital multimeter. The multiplier
resistances Rs for the two AC Vrms ranges was calculated by half-wave rectification using Equation 4.2
(insert Fig 4.1)
The half-wave AC voltmeter circuit(Figure 4.1) was constructed and the computed Vrms values was applied in the
constructed AC voltmeter circuit. The potentiometers were then adjusted accordingly to have a full-scale deflection.

The oscilloscope was connected across Rs and the waveform output was taken. Rs was then removed their actual
resistance was measured using the digital multimeter. The procedure was repeated using the full-wave AC voltmeter
circuit (Figure 4.2). The AC sensitivity and the multiplier resistance was calculated using Equations 4.3 and 4.4
respectively.

S ac =0.90 S dc

Rs =S ac x RangeRm=

Equation 4.3

0.90 Erms
Rm Equation 4.4
I dc

Lastly, the percent error between the actual and computed values of Rs for each range of the half-wave and fullwave AC voltmeter was calculated.

3. Results and Discussion

Half-wave Rectifier
AC sensitivity
9000
Multiplier Resistor Rs
V
Computed
Measured
range k
k
%E
17.3
0-9
79.288
65.5
9
9-9

159.755

162.6

Waveform

1.78

Full-wave Rectifier
AC sensitivity
18000
Multiplier Resistor Rs
V
Measured
range
Computed k k
%E
37.4
0-9
156.605
215.2
2
14.4
9-9
321.485
275.1
3
Waveform

The main difference of an alternating circuit voltmeter from a dc voltmeter is the process of rectifying the
incoming alternating current before it is supplied into the dc meter. Rectification is simply defined as the
conversion of alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). In terms of voltage, it converts an AC input
voltage to a pulsating DC voltage as shown in Figure 3.5. A rectifier involves a device necessary which only
allows a one-way flow of current. A typical diode has a low resistance in one direction and a high resistance in
the opposite direction thus it is said to conduct a current in only one direction. In this case, a semiconductor
diode perfectly meets the requirement. The process of negating the wave during the negative half cylce., is
called the half rectification. For a half-wave rectification, a complete cycle of a wave is represented by a half of
a sine wave and a flat line and is done within 3.8ms at 10 Vpp. For the full-wave rectification the two pairs of
diodes produces a pulsing dc voltage alternately since a pair is forward biased and reversed biased alternately in
one complete cylce. From the results a complete cylce is done within 8 ms at 10 Vpp. Combining the two
alternating pulses produces a full-wave form as seen in the results.

Figure 3.5 Voltage waveform outputs through a typical power supply line.
From the results for both the half-wave and full-wave ac voltmeters, the multiplier resistance doubles as the
magnitude of the peak voltage is also doubled ( From 79.288 k to 159.755 k and 156.605
321.485 k). However, despite the significant difference between the actual values and the calculated
values, an increasing relationship between the multiplier resistance and the voltage range can be observed. This
can be simply explained using ohms law, since the voltage is increased, there will be a proportional increase to
the current and to limit this change, the resistance must also be increased.

To utilize the Darsonval movement, the alternating current must be rectified into DC. The diodes easily
accomplish this task. The diodes steers the alternating current into one direction in a full ac cycle. The halfwave and full-wave rectification is done to accomplish a steady dc voltage. After rectification the input is then
measured using the principle in a dc analog meter. However, In a more refined power supply line, a filter is used
to decrease the ripples in the waveform to have an ideal regulated dc voltage.
(Insert equations derived from equation 4.2 and 4.4)
The percent error calculated in the experiement is significantly high at 37.42% for the 0-9V full-wave
rectifier circuit. The errors made in the experiment can be attributed to temperature, and circuit construction
errors.

4. Conclusion and Recommendation

A basic AC voltmeter was constructed using a half-wave and full-wave rectification circuits. The main
principle of an AC voltmeter is first rectifying the alternating current to a direct current. This is mainly done
with diodes which bypass the current flow into only one direction. Majority of the results produced a significant
high error of more than 5%. Only the 9-9V for the half-wave rectification produced an error less than five
percent (1.78%). The multiplier resistance was also observed to increase as the voltage range is increased. This
was concluded to limit proportionally the increasing current produced by a higher voltage source. Sources of
errors were temperature and circuit building errors.
It is highly recommended that studies should be conducted investigating other waveforms such as nonsinusoidal types such as triangular, square and saw-tooth waves. This would lead to further clarifying the
principles of the AC voltmeter.

5. References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Hugh D. Young, Roger A. Freedman, A. Lewis Ford, Sears and Zemanskys - University Physics: with
Modern Physics 13th Ed., Pearson Education Inc., USA, 2012
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