[sdiy] Harmonic effect of rectification

[Tom Wiltshire]

Thanks Richie, that's an excellent way to think about it - as ring modulation/4 quadrant AM.

The square wave signal at the input frequency explains why you get even-order harmonics in the same way that looking at it as a mirror-image symmetric waveshaping function does.

Tom

On 20 Apr 2012, at 13:03, Richie Burnett wrote:

> There are two common types of rectification.  Half-wave and full-wave
> rectification.  Both introduce DC and even order distortion components.
> 
> You can think of both types of rectification either as a wave-shaping function
> or alternatively as a modulation process.
> 
> Thinking of rectification as an amplitude modulation process might not seem so
> intuitive, but it might give you a better insight into what is going on in the
> frequency domain.
> 
> For example if you put a sinewave through a half-wave rectifier the positive
> half-cycle is multiplied by +1 and the negative half-cycle is multiplied by 0. 
> This is equivalent to multiplying a sinewave with a squarewave that exists
> between 0 and +1.  This is amplitude modulation (or ring-modulation where the
> square-wave input has a DC bias.)
> 
> For the example of a full-wave rectifier the positive half-cycle is multiplied
> by +1, and the negative half-cycle is multiplied by -1 in order to flip it about
> the x-axis and make it become positive.  This is equivalent to multiplying a
> sinewave by a squarewave that exists between -1 and +1.  It's the same ring-mod
> process as above but this time there's no DC bias applied to the squarewave.
> 
> Thinking of sinewave rectification as amplitude modulation by a squarewave might
> help you to figure out where all those harmonics come from.
> 
> I hope this helps,
> 
> -Richie,
> 
>> On 20 Apr 2012, at 11:56, Neil Johnson wrote:
>> 
>>> Hi Tom,
>>> 
>>> (to list this time!)
>>> 
>>>> What's the harmonic effect of rectification? Has this been studied anywhere?
>>> 
>>> http://www.rfcafe.com/references/electrical/periodic-series.htm
>>> 
>>> Just apply the Fourier transform and some undergrad maths.
>>> 
>>> Neil
>> 
>> I can apply the fourier transform to the output for a particular case and find
>> out what it did to X or Y wave, but that doesn't help me know what will happen
>> when I feed in Z wave. Given that sometimes it just changes the overall
>> frequency and leaves the harmonic structure alone, sometimes leaves the
>> frequency alone and changes the harmonic structure, and sometimes changes both,
>> it doesn't seem straightforward to predict what will happen.
>> 
>> But hang on a minute...I think I've got it...Rectification is an example of a
>> waveshaping function, and the required theory is all worked out for waveshaping.
>> Ok, sorry to have bothered you.
>> 
>> Tom
>> 
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