Electronics and Communications Engineering

College of Engineering, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology

Tibanga, 9200 Iligan City, P.O. Box No.5644 Tel. Nos. (063) 221-4050 Loc.130
Direct line (063) 2351E-mail:fbalagao@yahoo.com
Homepage:http://www.msuiit.edu.ph/coe

48V 600W Power Supply using SCR (SCR POWER

CONTROLLER
Abstract Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) Power
Controllers provide a relatively economical means of power
control. SCR power controllers cost less and are more efficient
than saturable core reactors and variable transformers.
Compared to contactors, SCR power controllers offer a much
finer degree of control and do not suffer from the maintenance
problems of mechanical devices.
This project aims to design a power supply with a fixed output of
48V 600W, The power delivered to a load is regulated or
proportioned by SCR power controllers using the zero-cross
voltage switching. This operation of SCR's is derived from the
fact that the SCR's are turned on only when the instantaneous
value of the AC sinusoidal waveform is zero. The output from
this circuit is used as the triggering control that will 'turn-on' the
angle/time of a SCR. Through this, the portion of the controlled
rectified output is made available to contribute DC output.
Since the development of SCR power controllers in the late
1950s, The power handling capabilities of SCR (silicon controlled
rectifiers) have advanced from a few hundred watts to many
megawatts. It also provides virtually limitless, trouble free

operation

with

minimum

of

A power supply is an electronic device that supplies electric

energy to an electrical load. The primary function of a power
supply is to convert one form of electrical energy to another
and, as a result, power supplies are sometimes referred to as
electric power converters. A DC power supply is one that
supplies a voltage of fixed polarity (either positive or negative)
to its load. Depending on its design, a DC power supply may
be powered from a DC source or from an AC source such as
the power mains.
The best method used is in the form of an unregulated
power supply a combination of a transformer, rectifier and a
filter.
II. BASIC CONCEPT
An SCR is an acronym for Silicon Controlled Rectifier. It
works similar to a typical diode, but is controlled similar to a
bipolar transistor as far as connections go.

maintenance.

As a result, the use of SCR power controllers in industrial

applications has increased dramatically and they are now used in
almost every major industry.
Index TermsSilicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR), Comparator,
bridge rectifier, optocoupler.

I. INTRODUCTION
Almost all basic household electronic circuits need an
unregulated AC to be converted to constant DC, in order to
operate the electronic device. All devices will have a certain
power supply limit and the electronic circuits inside these
devices must be able to supply a constant DC voltage within
this limit. That is, all the active and passive electronic devices
will have a certain DC operating point, and this point must be
achieved by the source of DC power. The DC power supply is
practically converted to each and every stage in an electronic
system. Thus a common requirement for all this phases will be
the DC power supply.

Fig. 1. (a) Physical Diagram (b) Equivalent Schematic (c) Schematic Symbol

The SCR is made up of two "P-N" junctions with a "Gate"

attachment between them (a normal diode [power type
semiconductor diode] has one P-N junction). The gate is
connected between the two P-N junctions with a current
waiting in the forward bias direction [+ to -] and the voltage is
above 1-volt. A momentary pulse to the gate will cause the
SCR to conduct and current will flow across the device until
the value changes. If this happens, the gate needs to be pulsed
again to cause conduction to resume; otherwise no current will
flow across the device. If used on AC, the device needs to be

Electronics and Communications Engineering

College of Engineering, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology
Tibanga, 9200 Iligan City, P.O. Box No.5644 Tel. Nos. (063) 221-4050 Loc.130
Direct line (063) 2351E-mail:fbalagao@yahoo.com
Homepage:http://www.msuiit.edu.ph/coe

triggered in relationship to the points on the sine wave that

conduction is requested.
Most applications of the SCR are for AC power control,
despite the fact that SCRs are inherently DC (unidirectional)
devices. The primary reason SCRs are used at all for AC power
control applications is the unique response of a optocoupler to
an alternating current. Just prior to the zero-crossover point of
the current waveform, the optocoupler will turn off due to
insufficient current and must be fired again during the next
cycle. The result is a circuit current equivalent to a chopped
up sine wave.
The main advantage of this circuit over ordinary full-wave
rectifier circuit is that the output voltage can be controlled by
adjusting the gate current.
III. METHODOLOGY

Fig. 3. Schematic Diagram of a Bridge Rectifier Circuit

C. Zero Crossing Circuit

A Comparator is use as a zero cross circuit. The purpose of
the circuit is to start the SCR conducting very near the time
point when the load voltage is crossing zero volts (at the
beginning of each AC cycle represented by a sine wave), so
that the output voltage begins as a complete sine-wave halfcycle. In other words, if the controlling input signal is applied
at any point during the AC output wave other than very close to
the zero voltage point of that wave, the output of the switching
device will "wait" to switch on until the output AC wave
reaches its next zero point. This is useful when sudden turn-on
in the middle of a sine-wave half cycle could cause undesirable
effects like high frequency spikes for which the circuit is not
expected to handle. A 10k Potentiometer is connected to one of
the terminals of the comparator to counter the offset produce
by the preceding circuit.

Fig. 2. Block Diagram of Digital Part

A. Transformer
This device is use to step down a relatively higher AC input
Voltage (220Vrms) into a lower AC output voltage (12Vrms).
Basically, there are two sides in a transformer where the coil
winding inside the transformer ends. Both ends have two wires
each .On the transformer, one side will have three terminals
and the other will have two. The one with the three terminals is
the stepped down output of the transformer, and the one with
the two terminals is where the input voltage is to be provided.

Fig. 4. Schematic Diagram of a Comparator using LM324N

Fig. 5.

B. Bridge Rectifier
This part is used as a Sampling Circuit. It consists of an
assembly of four ordinary 1N4001G diodes to produce a full
wave rectified signal.

D. Inverter
The output square wave from the comparator is inverted to
produce a pulse signal with a higher percentage duty cycle; this
will be the input to generate a Sawtooth signal.
E. Sawtooth Generator

Electronics and Communications Engineering

College of Engineering, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology
Tibanga, 9200 Iligan City, P.O. Box No.5644 Tel. Nos. (063) 221-4050 Loc.130
Direct line (063) 2351E-mail:fbalagao@yahoo.com
Homepage:http://www.msuiit.edu.ph/coe

This part of the circuit consisting of the capacitor C, diode

and the resistors form a constant current source to charge the
capacitor. Initially assume the capacitor is fully discharged.
The voltage across it is zero and hence the comparators output
goes high and the capacitor C is shorted, thus the ground opens
and the capacitor starts charging to the supply voltage. As it
charges, when its voltage increases above 2/3rd the supply
voltage, the comparators output goes low, and shorts the C to
ground, thus discharging it. Again the comparators output goes
high when the voltage across C decreases below 1/3rd supply.
Hence the capacitor charges and discharges between 2/3rd and
1/3rd supply. Thus, the output is taken across the capacitor. The
1N4148 diode makes the voltage across the capacitor go to
ground level.

Fig. 8. Block Diagram of Analog Part

A. Transformer
This device produces a relatively high AC input Voltage
(220Vrms).
B. SCR Bridge Rectifier
The output of the SCR firing circuit is used to trigger the
optocoupler. By controlling the 'turn-on' angle/time of SCR.
SCR firing controls the portion of rectified output that is made
available to contribute for DC output, it allows us to achieve
the desired output voltage.

Fig. 6. Schematic Diagram of an Inverter and Sawtooth Generator

F. SCR Firing Circuit

A Comparator is used to produce a waveform that fires the
SCR. One input of the comparator is the output of the sawtooth
generator and the other terminal is connected to a 100k
Potentiometer.

Fig. 9. Schematic Diagram of SCR Bridge Rectifier

Fig. 7. Schematic Diagram of a SCR Firing Circuit

C. Output circuit
A 10,000F Capacitor is used to filter the output waveform
of the SCR Bridge Rectifier to produce a finite output voltage.
The 100k resistor is used as the discharging component of the
capacitor the instant the circuit turned off.

Electronics and Communications Engineering

College of Engineering, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology
Tibanga, 9200 Iligan City, P.O. Box No.5644 Tel. Nos. (063) 221-4050 Loc.130
Direct line (063) 2351E-mail:fbalagao@yahoo.com
Homepage:http://www.msuiit.edu.ph/coe

Fig. 10. Schematic Diagram of a SCR Firing Circuit

IV. CONCLUSION
Building DC power supplies is a great way to discover the
joy of building your own electronics. This 48-volt 600-watt
regulated power supply provides steady, well-regulated, pure
DC for any small load requiring 48 volts to operate.
Some DC power supplies use AC mains electricity as an
energy source. Such power supplies will employ a transformer
to convert the input voltage to a lower AC voltage. A rectifier is
used to convert the transformer output voltage to a varying DC
voltage, which in turn is passed through a series of comparators
namely Zero Crossing Circuit, Pulse Inverter, Sawtooth
Generator and SCR Firing Circuit, respectively. The output
waveform is used to trigger the optocoupler, thus allowing the
current to flow through the SCR bridge rectifier. This will

produce the expected rectified full wave output. The capacitor

will filter the output waveform, the filter removes most, but not
all of the DC voltage variation. A regulator could be connected
at the output to produce a more definite waveform. However, it
will require expensive components.
SCR power controllers provide a relatively economical
means of power control. SCR power controllers cost less and
are more efficient than variable transformers. With the given
performance of this power supply, we can conclude that by
using a SCR bridge rectifier we can efficiently regulate a high
fixed DC voltage.
REFERENCES
[1] Ward, Jack. "The Early History of the Silicon Controlled
Rectifier". p. 6. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
[2] Silicon
Controlled
Rectifier

SCR.
http://www.daenotes.com/electronics/industrialelectronics/silicon-controlled-rectifiers-scr
[3] SCRs: What are They and How Do They Work?
http://www.mikeholt.com/mojonewsarchive/AllHTML/HTML/SCR-what-are-they-and-how-do-theywork~20000126.php
[4] The
Silicon-Controlled
Rectifier
(SCR).
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/semiconductors/chpt7/silicon-controlled-rectifier-scr/