Re: "polarity protection" diodes - more useful than you might think

Posted by Travis on Nov 26, 2018; 7:57pm
URL: http://guitar-fx-layouts.238.s1.nabble.com/polarity-protection-diodes-more-useful-than-you-might-think-tp44848p44869.html

AC swings both positive and negative (hence the name alternating current)

A diode can be used to conduct current in one direction only. IE it can allow a positive voltage to pass through while blocking a negative voltage.

Or flip the diode around and it can conduct negative voltage and reject positive voltage

So if you take AC, connect two diodes in opposite directions, one diode can give you positive DC and the other can give you negative DC

The diode basically isolates the positive or negative swing of the AC wave depending on the direction the diode is connected

For more specific info and applications you can search “full wave rectifier” or “half wave rectifier” and check out those circuits

This isn’t a great explanation but I’m at work right now. I think it’s easier to look at an AC wave and see how the diode takes only the positive or negative swing