Industrial electronics
This or that
4 converter terms students swap in exams
Do you know the difference, or do you just think you do?
Quick check · tap an answer to continue
Lesson notes
Key points
- Half-controlled / Fully controlled: Fully controlled uses only SCRs and can invert; half-controlled mixes diodes and cannot go negative.
- Line / Forced commutation: Line commutation uses the AC supply reversal; forced commutation needs an extra circuit, as in DC choppers.
- Step-down / Step-up chopper: Step-down gives Vo equals D times Vs; step-up gives Vs divided by one minus D.
- Rectifying / Inverting mode: Rectifying mode has firing angle below 90 degrees; inverting mode is above 90 degrees, power flows back.
Takeaway: Only fully controlled bridges with α above 90° can invert.
Quick check: Above what firing angle does a fully controlled converter invert?
- 90 degrees
- 45 degrees
- 180 degrees
Vdc is proportional to cos α, which becomes negative once α exceeds 90 degrees.
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