Diode Clipper (Part 2)

4. It can be helpful to sketch the input signal above the output and determine the output at instantaneous values of the input.

It is then possible that the output voltage can be sketched from the resulting data points of as demonstrated in Fig. 2.71. Keep in mind that at an instantaneous value of vi the input can be treated as a dc supply of that value and the corresponding dc value (the instantaneous value) of the output determined. For instance, at V_{i =} V_m for the network of Fig. 2.68, the network to be analyzed appears in Fig. 2.72. For V_m > V ­the diode is in the short-circuit state and V_{o =} V_m - V as shown in Fig. 2.71.

Fig: 2.71 Determining levels of V_o.

Fig: 2.72 Determining V_o when V_{i =} V_m

At the V_{i =} V_m diodes change state; at V_{i = –} V_m, V_o =0 V; and the complete curve for V_o can be sketched as shown in Fig. 2.73.

Fig: 2.73: Sketching V_{o .}

Parallel clipper:

The network of Fig. 2.82 is the simplest of parallel diode configurations with the output for the same inputs of Fig. 2.67. The analysis of parallel configurations is very similar to that applied to series configurations, as demonstrated in the next example.

Fig 2.82 : Response to a parallel clipper