2 EE462L Triac Light Dimmer

EE462L, Power Electronics, Triac Light Dimmer
Version January 20, 2013

Page 1 of 28
Notes before starting Read this report carefully. Every team builds a circuit, and each
team writes only one report.

Wear safety glasses when soldering or viewing an energized power circuit from a close distance.
Remove watches, bracelets, rings, and dangling neckchains when performing this experiment.
Do not energize your circuit without the assistance of Dr. Kwasinski or one of the TAs. Do not
mount the steel corner brackets so that they touch each other. Do not attempt to use this circuit
at home with 120Vac because a serious shock may result.

All oscilloscope screen snapshots in this document serve as checkpoints do not pass a
checkpoint until your circuit has approximately the same waveform shown. Snapshots
designated by the following boxes:

should be saved on USB memory sticks for your report.

Overview
A light dimmer regulates power flow to a resistive load, such as an incandescent light bulb, in an
efficient way by allowing only a portion of the 60Hz current to pass through. Example current
(and voltage) waveforms to a resistive load are shown in Figure 1 for firing angles = 30, 90,
and 150. Firing angle is controlled by a potentiometer, RC circuit, and diac. The variation of
load power with is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1. Resistive load current (and voltage) waveforms for firing angles
= 30, 90, and 150
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360
Angle
C
u
r
r
e
n
t
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360
Angle
C
u
r
r
e
n
t
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360
Angle
C
u
r
r
e
n
t
= 30 = 90
= 150
Save screen
snapshot #N
Page 2 of 28

Figure 2. Normalized power delivered to resistive load versus firing angle
(this is a normalized plot of Equation (1) in the Lab Report section)

Two important characteristics of the light dimmer current are that 1. it has zero average value
(i.e., no DC, which minimizes corrosion of power grounds), and 2. it has half-wave symmetry
(i.e., has no even-ordered harmonics).

The light dimmer circuit that you will build is designed for use at 120Vrms. However, you will
perform your experiment with using an isolation transformer and variac set at 70Vrms.

Light dimmer circuit and operation
The light dimmer circuit is shown in Figure 3. During each half-cycle, when the voltage across
the capacitor (either positive or negative) exceeds the breakover voltage of the diac and fires
the triac, current then flows through the load. The RC time constant of the series 3.3k + 250k
linear potentiometer and 0.1F capacitor determines the phase delay and magnitude of the
sinusoidal capacitor voltage with respect to the source voltage. Once firing occurs, the voltage
across the triac collapses, the capacitor voltage goes to nearly zero, and the entire process resets
at the beginning of the next half-cycle. For the circuit to work properly, a small current must
flow through the load before firing occurs, but this current is miniscule with respect to full load
current.

0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
0 30 60 90 120 150 180
Alpha
P
Page 3 of 28

Note - when the potentiometer is adjusted to 0, the time constant of the RC circuit (ignoring
load resistance) is 3300 0.1 10
-6
= 0.330msec, which is small compared to one-half period of
60Hz (i.e., 8.33msec). When the potentiometer is at 250k, the time constant is 25.3msec,
which is relatively large.

Figure 3. Light dimmer circuit with triac
(Use blue #22 solid wire for control electronics when the leads of small electronic components
are not long enough to make connections. Current-carrying wires should be #16 stranded.)
Triac
(front view)
MT1 MT2 G
+
V
an

(from Variac)

Light
bulb
G
MT2
MT1
0.1F
3.3k
250k
linear
pot
Triac
Bilateral trigger
diode (diac)
a
c
n
b
After firing, the triac is a closed
switch, so that practically all of V
an

is applied across the light bulb.
Light
bulb a
n
b
+ V
an

+
V
an

+
0V

Light
bulb a
n
b
Before firing, the triac is an open switch,
so that practically no voltage is applied
across the light bulb. The small current
through the 3.3k resistor is ignored in
this diagram.
+ 0V
+
V
an

+
V
an


Page 4 of 28

Oscilloscope probes
Before using a probe, you should
1. calibrate it, and
2. check the integrity of its ground.

Calibration is performed by connecting the probe to the calibration terminals on the oscilloscope,
and then selecting Auto Scale. Use a trimmer potentiometer adjustment tool to turn the screw
on the probes plug until the wave is square.

If the alligator ground clip is loose or broken, the oscilloscope trace that you see for a signal
whose ground is not the same as the oscilloscope chasis will be either false or shaky. You can
prevent this problem by either checking the resistance between the alligator clip and the outside
of the BNC connector, or by viewing the waveform of an ungrounded source (such as from a
25V transformer). If a probe is defective, report it to the checkout counter.

Page 5 of 28
The experiment
Work at either a lab bench, or on top of one of the black cabinet tops. Never place the hot tip of
a soldering iron on the surface of a lab bench or table. Instead, use the coiled wire holster. Do
you soldering on a wood piece, or using a Panavise. Remember to use safety glasses.

Use #16 stranded wire for your power connections, and #22 solid wire for the control
connections (i.e., potentiometer, diac, capacitor, and Triac gate wire).

Make two sets of jumper cables that you will use all semester. Cut two 3 pieces of #14 stranded
copper wire from the large spools (one red piece, and one black piece), and two 6 pieces (again,
one red, and one black). Crimp and solder spade connectors to both ends of each wire.

A. Use Excel spreadsheet EE462L_Triac_Light_Dimmer.xls to predict the performance of
the light dimmer circuit
EE462L_Triac_Light_Dimmer.xls can be run or downloaded from the class web page. Click
Enable Macros when asked. Vary the value of the 250k potentiometer using the R
potentiometer slide bar. If macros are not permitted on your PC, then simulate
potentiometer action by changing the potentiometer resistance value in the yellow cell.
Triggering occurs when the capacitor voltage exceeds the diac breakover voltage.

B. Using the parts provided, build the light dimmer circuit shown in Figure 3.
Note - to avoid screwing all the way through your wood piece, use #8 x self-tapping
screws for the terminal block, and #8 x self-tapping screws for the steel corner brackets.

An example circuit is provided in the glass case outside Dr. Gradys office for your
inspection. Use #16 black stranded wire for power connections, and #22 blue solid wire for
connecting the control electronics. Minimize your use of #22 solid wire by using the leads of
the devices as much as possible. Do not use heat shrink in your circuit (because it tends to
hide the quality of your soldering!). Mount your triac so that the leads point downward.
Mount your potentiometer so that turning the shaft clockwise increases light intensity.
Mount the porcelain light bulb holder using a rubber washer between each #8 x 1 self-
tapping screw head and the porcelain to prevent the porcelain from cracking. After your
circuit is built, write your names on the top surface of the wood.
Page 6 of 28

C. As shown in the photograph below, connect your light dimmer circuit with bulb to the
isolation transformer and variac (but do not yet energize)
1. Make sure that your variac switch is off and that its output voltage control knob is
fully counterclockwise(to the 0V position).
2. With the variac off, connect your light bulb and light dimmer circuit in series with the
output of the variac as shown in Figure 3. The variac black post is hot, and the
white post is neutral. Do not use the green post (i.e., ground).
3. Plug the variac into an isolation transformer, and the isolation transformer into a
wall outlet. The isolation transformer removes the ground reference from the variac
output, adding a degree of safety. I mportant do not leave the isolation
transformer plugged into the wall outlet after you are finished because it will get
hot!

Isolation transformer
Variac (plugged into
isolation transformer)
Light dimmer
Light dimmer
connected to black
and white terminal
posts
Variac knob set to zero
Page 7 of 28

D. Test your circuit with V
an
=70Vrms and a 120V, 60W incandescent light bulb load
1. Make sure that your variac switch is off and that its output voltage control knob is
fully counterclockwise(to the 0V position).
2. With the variac off, connect your light bulb and light dimmer circuit in series with the
output of the variac as shown in Figure 3. The variac black post is hot, and the
white post is neutral. Do not use the green post (i.e., ground).
3. Plug the variac into an isolation transformer, and the isolation transformer into a
wall outlet. The isolation transformer removes the ground reference from the variac
output, adding a degree of safety. I mportant do not leave the isolation
transformer plugged into the wall outlet after you are finished because it will get
hot!
4. Turn your light dimmer potentiometer to the full clockwise position.
5. Turn on the variac, and slowly raise the output voltage knob to 70Vrms. The bulb
should light up. Use a handheld multimeter across the black and white posts and adjust
for V
an
= 701 Vrms.
6. Vary your light dimmer potentiometer across its full range and observe the light bulb to
verify that your circuit is controlling light bulb brightness properly.
7. Turn the variac output voltage knob to zero, and then turn off the variac switch.
8. Remember you must always de-energize 120V circuits before making
connections or attaching oscilloscope probes!
9. Connect an oscilloscope probe to monitor light bulb voltage V
ab
.
10. Re-energize your circuit with V
an
= 70Vrms, and set the potentiometer for full
brightness. Display one or two cycles of V
ab
on the oscilloscope. Use the time cursors
to measure firing angle in milliseconds, and waveform period (or half-period) in
milliseconds. Convert to degrees. Measure V
ab,rms
with a multimeter and with the
oscilloscope. (Note not all multimeters compute true rms for nonsinusoidal
waveforms - see Step 11.) When using an oscilloscope to measure rms, be sure to
adjust the time resolution so that at least six periods of the waveform are visible on
the screen. Record V
ab,rms
(multimeter and oscilloscope), and .

Page 8 of 28

11. While viewing the oscilloscope screen, visually set 90 (i.e., the firing point is
midway between the zero crossings of V
ab
). Measure V
ab,rms
using both multimeter
and oscilloscope. Record both V
ab,rms
readings, and . Since the circuit is energized
with V
an
= 70Vrms, the value of V
ab,rms
for 90 should be approximately
2
70
=
49V. By comparing your oscilloscope and multimeter readings, can you tell if your
multimeter reads true rms, or if it simply averages the rectified wave and makes a
sinewave assumption?

12. Set to the maximum value that still has conduction. Use time cursors and determine
in degrees. Measure V
ab,rms
, and record V
ab,rms
and .

Save screen
snapshot #1
Page 9 of 28
13. Turn the variac output voltage knob to zero, and then turn off the variac switch.
14. Careful when using two oscilloscope probes, remember the black alligator clips
(i.e., grounds) on these probes are connected together at the scopes BNC
terminals. Therefore, when using two probes, do not use the ground clip of the second
probe. Instead, clip it onto itself so that it does not accidentally touch part of the dimmer
circuit, establishing a short circuit through the BNC terminals. For example, connecting
one probe across V
ab
, and the other probe across V
cn
will establish a short circuit from
point b to point n.
15. Connect one oscilloscope probe to view variac output V
an
, and a second probe to view
capacitor voltage V
cn
.

16. Re-energize your circuit with V
an
= 70Vrms. Observe the variation of capacitor voltage
V
cn
(magnitude and phase with respect to variac output V
an
) with . In your report,
comment on how your capacitor voltage observations compare with those in Excel
program EE462L_Triac_Light_Dimmer.xls.

Page 10 of 28

V
an

V
cn

= 90 16.67ms 4
Diac conducts when V
cn

reaches 32-35V (diac
breakover voltage). The
capacitor then discharges
through the triac gate.
In the above screen snapshot, the time period corresponding to is X = 4.040ms
Save screen
snapshot #2
Fixed Potentiometer Diac Diac
Source Freq R kohm C breakover on volts
Vrms Hz kohm uF V V
70 60 3.3 49 0.1 35 5
Denom-mag
2.210759
Denom-ang
63.10652
VCrms
31.66333
VCang
-63.1065
Tau
0.00523
-150
-100
-50
0
50
100
150
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360
Angle
V
o
l
t
a
g
e
Source voltage Capacitor voltage Diac breakover
EE462L_Triac_Light_Dimmer.xls
V
an
and V
cn
waveforms with
potentiometer adjusted for = 90
Page 11 of 28

As potentiometer resistance increases, firing stops because V
cn
never exceeds the
diac breakover voltage. In that case, V
cn
has a steady-state phasor solution. The
above screen snapshot shows V
an
and V
cn
after transition into the no-firing regime.
Fixed Potentiometer Diac Diac
Source Freq R kohm C breakover on volts
Vrms Hz kohm uF V V
70 60 3.3 96 0.1 35 5
Denom-mag
3.874785
Denom-ang
75.0439
VCrms
18.06552
VCang
-75.0439
Tau
0.00993
-150
-100
-50
0
50
100
150
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360
Angle
V
o
l
t
a
g
e
Source voltage Capacitor voltage Diac breakover
EE462L_Triac_Light_Dimmer.xls
waveforms after transition into the
no-firing regime
Page 12 of 28
When there is no firing, the steady-state phasor solution for the capacitor voltage (ignoring the
light bulb resistance) is

(
+
=
(
(
(
(
+
=
RC j
V
C j
R
C j
V V
an an cn
e
e
e
1
1
1
1
,

where R is the series combination of the fixed and variable resistances. For small R,
an cn
V V ~ .
As R increases, the RC je term begins to dominate, causing the magnitude of
cn
V to decrease
and lag
an
V . As a result, values of o greater than 90 are possible.

E. Measure magnitudes of harmonic components of Vab
1. Using only one scope probe, with V
an
= 70Vrms, view V
ab
on the scope and set
90.

2. Set the horizontal scale so that at least three cycles of the waveform as shown.
3. Press the Math button, then FFT, then Settings.
4. Adjust Span to 1kHz, and Center to 500Hz.
V
ab
time trace, with Van 70Vrms, and 90
Page 13 of 28

5. Press More FFT to see the dB per division scale.
6. Press Math to return.
7. Press the 1 button to turn off the time trace.
8. Press the Cursors button.
9. Adjust Y1 to the top of the 60Hz component, and Y2 to the top of the 180Hz
component.
10. Measure the dB values of the 60Hz and 180Hz components. These values are with
respect to a 1Vrms reference.

Measuring the dB difference between 60Hz and 180Hz
components of V
ab

60Hz component
180Hz component
100Hz
Save screen
snapshot #3
Spectral content of V
ab
, superimposed on time trace (note
spacing between vertical lines corresponds to 100Hz)
Page 14 of 28
11. Compute the ratio of V
180
/V
60
and compare the ratio to that predicted in Excel
program EE462L_Triac_Light_Dimmer_Fourier_Waveform.xls.

Example calculations:

|
.
|
\
|
=
Vrms
V
db
Hz
1
log 20 81 . 32
60
10
, so
|
.
|
\
|
- =
20
81 . 32
60
10 1Vrms V
Hz
= 43.7Vrms
|
.
|
\
|
=
Vrms
V
db
Hz
1
log 20 87 . 26
180
10
, so
|
.
|
\
|
- =
20
87 . 26
180
10 1Vrms V
Hz
= 22.1Vrms
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
Hz
Hz
V
V
db
60
180
10
log 20 94 . 5 , so
|
.
|
\
|
=
20
94 . 5
60
180
10
Hz
Hz
V
V
= 0.505.

F. 120Vac operation
Careful! Slowly raise the variac output voltage to 120Vrms, observe V
ab
on the
oscilloscope as you vary the firing angle from minimum to maximum, and verify that the
circuit is working properly. The smooth operation should make it obvious that the circuit
components have been optimized to work best at full 120Vrms input voltage. You may also
be interested in powering up to 1kW of lights.

Lab report
Document your experiment, addressing the steps in parts C through E as needed. Many
students include a digital photo of their circuit in their report. Paste in the requested screen
snapshots. Use Excel, with scatter plot option, to plot your three oscilloscope-measured
V
ab,rms
data points from Steps C10, C11, and C12 versus in degrees, along with
calculations using the theoretical formula below.

(
+ =
t
o
t
o
2
2 sin
1
2
,
2
,
rms an
rms ab
V V , in radians. (1)

Optional using the definition of rms, can you derive the above theoretical formula?

Parts list
- Isolated case triac, 200V, 15A Littlefuse Q2015L5, (Mouser #576-Q2015L5)
- Heat sink for triac, approx. 1.5 x 1.75 for TO-220 case style, 9.6C/W (Aavid Thermalloy,
Mouser #532-507222B00)
- 32V trigger diode (diacs), STMicroelectronics DB3 or DB3TG, on-state voltage = 5V,
(Mouser #511-DB3 or #511-DB3TG)
- 0.1F, 100V axial lead ceramic capacitor (Kemet, Mouser #80-C430C104K1R) (in student
parts bin)
- 250k, W potentiometer with linear taper (Alpha/Xicon, Mouser #31VC503-F)
- 3.3k, W resistor (in student parts bin)
Page 15 of 28
- One 3-terminal, 20A terminal block (Molex, Mouser #538-38780-0103). One of the center
screws is removed and the hole marked with paint to indicate dont use.
- 1 steel corner bracket for mounting the potentiometer (Stanley 30-3010, Home Depot).
Hole in 1 bracket enlarged with 5/16 drill bit to fit the potentiometer.
- 1 steel corner bracket for mounting the triac (Stanley 30-3170, Home Depot).
- 1 x 6 wood (approx. 10 long piece)
- Porcelain 120V light bulb holder
- 60W clear-glass bulb
- Two 9/16 or outer diameter flat rubber water-faucet washers for the porcelain light bulb
holder. A rubber washer goes between the screw head of the 1 screw and the porcelain to
prevent the porcelain from cracking.

Extra parts for the student parts bin and screw cabinet, at least
- 5 of the triacs, and diacs
- 5 of the rubber washers

Plastic bags for parts
- 6x8, 6mil for light bulb
- 6x8, 6mil for porcelain socket
- 4x6, 4mil antistatic for small parts
- 8x10, 6mil for holding everything

Page 16 of 28

Flat rubber washers between
#8 x 1 screws and porcelain
Remove
this
center
screw
#6-32, machine screw,
flat washer, split washer, and
hex nut
#8 x 3/4
screws for
terminal blocks
#8 x
screws
for corner
brackets
The back of the triac fits
firmly against the heat sink,
with maximum surface
contact. The flat washer,
then split washer, then hex
nut fit on the other side of the
corner bracket.
Remove
this
center
screw
Page 17 of 28
Appendix

RMS
The rms value of a periodic current (or voltage) waveform is defined as

2
rms rms
I I = , where
}
+
=
T t
t
rms
dt t i
T
I ) (
1
2 2
.
Evaluating the integral for the special case of a sine wave of current shows that the rms value is
the peak current divided by 2 .

Fourier Series
Any physically realizable periodic waveform can be decomposed into a Fourier series of average
(i.e., DC), fundamental frequency, and harmonic terms. In sine form, the Fourier series in polar
form is

=
=
+ + = + + =
1 1
) 90 cos( ) sin( ) (
k
o
k o k avg
k
k o k avg
t k I I t k I I t i u e u e ,

where
avg
I is the average value,
k
I are peak magnitudes of the individual harmonics,
o
e is the
fundamental frequency (in radians per second), and
k
u are the harmonic phase angles. The time
period of the waveform is

o o o
f f
T
1
2
2 2
= = =
t
t
e
t
.

The formulas for computing
avg
I ,
k
I ,
k
u are well known and can be found in any
undergraduate electrical engineering textbook on circuit analysis. These are described in a
following section.

Figure A.1 shows a desktop computer (i.e., PC) current waveform. The figure illustrates how the
actual waveform can be approximated by summing only the fundamental, 3
rd
, and 5
th
harmonic
components. If higher-order terms are included (i.e., 7
th
, 9
th
, 11
th
, and so on), then the original
PC current waveform will be perfectly reconstructed. A truncated Fourier series is actually a
least-squared error curve fit. As higher frequency terms are added, the error is reduced.

Fortunately, a special property known as half-wave symmetry exists for most power electronic
loads. Have-wave symmetry exists when the positive and negative halves of a waveform are
identical but opposite, i.e.,

)
2
( ) (
T
t i t i = ,

Page 18 of 28
where T is the period. Waveforms with half-wave symmetry have no even-ordered harmonics.
It is obvious that the PC current waveform is half-wave symmetric. Televisions and other home
entertainment equipment have the same waveform.

Figure A.1. PC Current Waveform, and its 1
st
, 3
rd
, and 5
th
Harmonic Components
-5
0
5
A
m
p
e
r
e
s
1
Sum of 1
st
, 3
rd
, 5
th

3
5
-5
0
5
A
m
p
e
r
e
s

Page 19 of 28
Fourier Coefficients
If function ) (t i is periodic with an identifiable period T (i.e., ) ( ) ( NT t i t i = ), then ) (t i can be
written in rectangular form as
| |
=
+ + =
1
) sin( ) cos( ) (
k
o k o k avg
t k b t k a I t i e e ,
T
o
t
e
2
= ,

where

}
+
=
T
o
t
o
t
avg
dt t i
T
I ) (
1
,

( )
}
=
T
o k
dt t k t i
T
a
0
cos ) (
2
e ,

( )
}
=
T
o k
dt t k t i
T
b
0
sin ) (
2
e .

The sine and cosine terms above can be converted to the convenient polar form by using
trigonometry as follows:

) sin( ) cos( t k b t k a
o k o k
e e +

2 2
2 2
) sin( ) cos(
k k
o k o k
k k
b a
t k b t k a
b a
+
+
- + =
e e

(
(
(
+
+
+
- + = ) sin( ) cos(
2 2 2 2
2 2
t k
b a
b
t k
b a
a
b a
o
k k
k
o
k k
k
k k
e e

| | ) sin( ) cos( ) cos( ) sin(
2 2
t k t k b a
o k o k
k k
e u e u + - + = ,

where

2 2
) sin(
k k
k
k
b a
a
+
= u ,
2 2
) cos(
k k
k
k
b a
b
+
= u .

Applying trigonometric identity

) sin( ) cos( ) cos( ) sin( ) sin( B A B A B A + = + ,

a
k

b
k

k

Page 20 of 28
yields polar form

) sin(
2 2
k o
k k
t k b a u e + - + ,

where

k
k
k
k
k
b
a
= =
) cos(
) sin(
) tan(
u
u
u .

Phase Shift
If the PC waveform in Figure A.2 is delayed by T A seconds, the modified current is

( )
=
+ A = A
1
) sin( ) (
k
k o k
T t k I T t i u e =
=
+ A
1
) sin(
k
k o o k
T k t k I u e e
( ) ( )
=
A + =
1
sin
k
o k o k
T k t k I e u e = ( )
=
+
1
sin
k
o k o k
k t k I u u e ,

where
o
u is the phase lag of the fundamental current corresponding to T A . The last term above
shows that individual harmonics are delayed by
o
ku of their own degrees.

Symmetry Simplifications
Waveform symmetry greatly simplifies the effort in developing Fourier coefficients. Symmetry
arguments should be applied to the waveform after the average value has been removed. The
most important cases are

Odd Symmetry, i.e., ) ( ) ( t i t i = ,

then the corresponding Fourier series has no cosine terms,

-5
0
5
A
m
p
e
r
e
s
delayed
Figure A.2. PC Current Waveform Delayed in Time
Page 21 of 28
0 =
k
a ,

and
k
b can be found by integrating over the first half-period and doubling the results,

( )
}
=
2 /
0
sin ) (
4 T
o k
dt t k t i
T
b e .

Even Symmetry, i.e., ) ( ) ( t i t i = ,

then the corresponding Fourier series has no sine terms,

0 =
k
b ,

and
k
a can be found by integrating over the first half-period and doubling the results,

( )
}
=
2 /
0
cos ) (
4 T
o k
dt t k t i
T
a e .

Important note even and odd symmetry can sometimes be obtained by time-shifting the
waveform. In this case, solve for the Fourier coefficients using the time-shifted waveform,
and then phase-shift the Fourier coefficient angles according to (A.6).

Half-Wave Symmetry, i.e., ) ( )
2
( t i
T
t i = ,

then the corresponding Fourier series has no even harmonics, and
k
a and
k
b can be
found by integrating over any half-period and doubling the results,

( )
}
+
=
2 /
cos ) (
4 T
o
t
o
t
o k
dt t k t i
T
a e , k odd,

( )
}
+
=
2 /
sin ) (
4 T
o
t
o
t
o k
dt t k t i
T
b e , k odd.

Half-wave symmetry is common in power systems.
Page 22 of 28
Examples

Square Wave
By inspection, the average value is zero, and
the waveform has both odd symmetry and
half-wave symmetry. Thus, 0 =
k
a , and

( )
}
+
=
2 /
sin ) (
4 T
o
t
o
t
o k
dt t k t v
T
b e , k odd.

Solving for
k
b ,

( ) ( )
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
= =
=
=
}
) 0 cos(
2
cos
4
cos
4
sin
4
2 /
0
2 /
0
T k
T k
V
t k
T k
V
dt t k V
T
b
o
o
T t
t
o
o
T
o k
e
e
e
e
e

Since
T
o
t
e
2
= , then

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) t
t
t
t
k
k
V
k
k
V
b
k
cos 1
2
1 cos
2
4
=
= , yielding

t k
V
b
k
4
= , k odd.

The Fourier series is then

( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
(
+ + + = =

=
t t t
V
t
k
V
t v
odd k k
o o o
, 1
o
5 sin
5
1
3 sin
3
1
1 sin
4
k sin
1 4
) ( e e e
t
e
t
.

Note that the harmonic magnitudes decrease according to
k
1
.

Triangle Wave
By inspection, the average value is zero, and
the waveform has both even symmetry and
half-wave symmetry. Thus, 0 =
k
b , and

( )
}
+
=
2 /
cos ) (
4 T
o
t
o
t
o k
dt t k t v
T
a e , k odd.

Solving for
k
a ,

V
V
T
T/2
V
V
T
T/2
Page 23 of 28
( ) ( ) ( )
} } }
= |
.
|
\
|
=
2 /
0 2
2 /
0
2 /
0
cos
16
cos
4
cos
4
1
4 T
o
T
o
T
o k
dt t k t
T
V
dt t k
T
V
dt t k
T
t
V
T
a e e e

( ) ( )
dt
k
t k
T
V
k
t k t
T
V T k
T k
V T
o
o
T t
t
o
o o
o
}
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
=
=
2 /
0 2
2 /
0
2
sin 16 sin 16
) 0 sin(
2
sin
4
e
e
e
e e
e

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) t
t
t
t
t
t
k
k
V
k
k
V
k
k
V
cos 1
4
sin
4
sin
2
2 2
+ , k odd.

Continuing,

2 2
8
t k
V
a
k
= , k odd

The Fourier series is then

( )
=
=
odd k k
t os
k
V
t v
, 1
o
2 2
k c
1 8
) ( e
t

( ) ( ) ( )
(
+ + + = t t t os
V
o o o
2
5 cos
25
1
3 cos
9
1
1 c
8
e e e
t
,

where it is seen that the harmonic magnitudes decrease according to
2
1
k
.

To convert to a sine series, recall that ) 90 sin( ) cos(
o
+ = u u , so that the series becomes

( ) ( ) ( )
(
+ + + + + + =
o o o
t t t
V
t v 90 5 sin
25
1
90 3 sin
9
1
90 1 sin
8
) (
o o o
2
e e e
t
.

To time delay (i.e., move to the right) the waveform by
4
T
(i.e.,
o
90 of fundamental),
subtract ( )
o
k 90 - from each harmonic angle. Then, the above series becomes

( ) ( )
|
.
|
- + + - + =
o o o o
t t
V
t v 90 3 90 3 sin
9
1
90 1 90 1 sin
8
) (
o o
2
e e
t

( )
(
(
+ - + +
o o
t 90 5 90 5 sin
25
1
o
e ,
or
Page 24 of 28

( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
(
+ = t t t t
V
t v
o o o o
2
7 sin
49
1
5 sin
25
1
3 sin
9
1
1 sin
8
) ( e e e e
t
.

Half-Wave Rectified Cosine Wave
The waveform has an average value and even
symmetry. Thus, 0 =
k
b , and

( )
}
=
2 /
0
cos ) (
4 T
o k
dt t k t i
T
a e , k odd.

Solving for the average value,

( ) ( )
4 /
4 /
4 /
4 /
sin cos
1
) (
1
T t
T t
o
o
T
T
o
T
o
t
o
t
avg
t
T
I
dt t I
T
dt t i
T
I
=
=
+
= = =
} }
e
e
e

2
sin
1
4
sin
4
sin
4
sin
2
t
t
e
t
e e
t
= = |
.
|
\
|
=
T I T T I
o o o
.

t
I
I
avg
= .

Solving for
k
a ,

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )dt t k t k
T
I
dt t k t I
T
a
T
o o
T
o o k
} }
+ + = =
4 /
0
4 /
0
1 cos 1 cos
2
cos cos
4
e e e e

( )
( )
( )
( )
4 /
0
1
1 sin
1
1 sin 2
T t
t
o
o
o
o
k
t k
k
t k
T
I
=
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
+
=
e
e
e
e
.

For 1 = k , taking the limits of the above expression when needed yields

( )
( )
( )
( )
o o
o
o
k
I
k
T
k
T
I
a
e
t
t e
e
e 1 1
2
1 1 sin
1
4
1 sin
lim
2
0 ) 1 (
1
+
+
+
|
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
- =

( )
( )
( )
( )
o o
o
o
k
I
k
k
T
I
e t e
e
e 1 1
0 sin
1
0 1 sin
lim
2
0 ) 1 ( +
-
-

I
T/2
T
T/2
Page 25 of 28
( )
2
0 0 sin
2 4
2
1
I I T
T
I
a
o
= + = t
t e
.

For 1 > k ,

( )
( )
( )
( )
|
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
+
=
k
k
k
k
I
a
k
1
2
1 sin
1
2
1 sin
t t
t
.

All odd k terms above are zero. For the even terms, it is helpful to find a common
denominator and express the above equation as

( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
|
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + +
=
2
1
2
1 sin 1
2
1 sin 1
k
k k k k
I
a
k
t t
t
, 1 > k , k even.

Evaluating the above equation shows an alternating sign pattern that can be expressed as

( )
=
+
=
, 6 , 4 , 2
2
2
2
1
1
1
2
k
k
k
k
I
a
t
, 1 > k , k even.

The final expression becomes

( ) ( ) ( ) t k
k
I
t
I I
t i
o
k
k
o
e
t
e
t
cos
1
1
1
2
cos
2
) (
, 6 , 4 , 2
2
1 2 /
=
+
+ + =

( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
(
+ + + = t t t
I
t
I I
o o o o
e e e
t
e
t
6 cos
35
1
4 cos
15
1
2 cos
3
1 2
cos
2
.

Light Dimmer Current
The Fourier coefficients of the waveform in Figure 1 can be shown to be the following:

For the fundamental,

o
t
2
1
sin
p
V
a

= ,
(
+ = o
t t
o
2 sin
2
1
1
1 p
V b ,

where
p
V is the peak value of the underlying AC waveform, and is in radians.

Page 26 of 28
For harmonic multiples above the fundamental (i.e., k = 3, 5, 7 , ),

( ) ( )
(
+ +
+
+
= t o t o
t
) 1 cos( ) 1 cos(
1
1
) 1 cos( ) 1 cos(
1
1
k k
k
k k
k
V
a
p
k
,

( ) ( )
(
+ +
+
+
= t o o t
t
) 1 sin( ) 1 sin(
1
1
) 1 sin( ) 1 sin(
1
1
k k
k
k k
k
V
b
p
k
.

The waveform has zero average, and it has no even harmonics because of half-wave
symmetry.

The magnitude of any harmonic k, including k = 1, is
2 2
k k
k
b a V + = . Performing the
calculations with =
2
t
radians (i.e., 90) yields

1
V =
4
1
2
t
t
+
p
V
= 0.593
p
V , and
3
V =
t
p
V
= 0.318
p
V ,

so that

1
3
V
V
=
4
1
1
2
t
+
= 0.537.

The above case is illustrated in the following Excel spreadsheet.

Page 27 of 28
Excel Program EE462L_Triac_Light_Dimmer_Fourier_Waveform.xls

Note the magnitude of the fundamental is computed to be 0.593 times the magnitude of the underlying sine wave (see Magk
column). If the underlying sine wave is 70Vrms, this corresponds to 41.5Vrms, which is close to the Section D calculation. The ratio
of the 3
rd
harmonic voltage magnitude to the fundamental is computed to be 0.537, which also compares favorably with Section D.
Differences are most likely the fact that the wall outlet voltage is not an ideal sine wave, and also to errors in measuring .
Triac_Light_Dimmer_Fourier_Waveform.xls. Light Dimmer Voltage Waveform (normalized to peak value of underlying sine wave)
Enter
Ratio Alpha = 90 1.570796
Fourier Fourier Magk/
k ak bk Magk Mag1
1 -0.31831 0.5 0.592724 1.000
3 0.31831 -3.9E-17 0.31831 0.537
5 -0.106103 3.9E-17 0.106103 0.179
7 0.106103 -3.9E-17 0.106103 0.179
9 -0.063662 3.9E-17 0.063662 0.107
11 0.063662 -3.9E-17 0.063662 0.107
13 -0.045473 3.9E-17 0.045473 0.077
15 0.045473 -3.9E-17 0.045473 0.077
17 -0.035368 3.9E-17 0.035368 0.060
19 0.035368 -3.9E-17 0.035368 0.060
21 -0.028937 1.93E-16 0.028937 0.049
23 0.028937 -1.93E-16 0.028937 0.049
25 -0.024485 -9.15E-17 0.024485 0.041
27 0.024485 9.15E-17 0.024485 0.041
29 -0.021221 1.52E-16 0.021221 0.036
31 0.021221 -1.52E-16 0.021221 0.036
33 -0.018724 -6.08E-17 0.018724 0.032
35 0.018724 6.08E-17 0.018724 0.032
37 -0.016753 1.28E-16 0.016753 0.028
39 0.016753 -1.28E-16 0.016753 0.028
41 -0.015158 -4.18E-17 0.015158 0.026
43 0.015158 9.32E-17 0.015158 0.026
45 -0.01384 6.13E-17 0.01384 0.023
47 0.01384 -1.13E-16 0.01384 0.023
49 -0.012732 -2.89E-17 0.012732 0.021
Light Dimmer Voltage Waveform
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
0 45 90 135 180 225 270 315 360
Page 28 of 28
Triac Light Dimmer Modified to Serve as a Voltage Clamp

This circuit helps prevent voltage runaway on the output of a DC-DC boost or buck/boost
converter. When the voltage across the diac reaches its 35V trigger level, the triac and 150W
light bulb turn on, thus loading down the converter significantly, which helps to limit the
converters output voltage.

Steps:

- Remove the 3.3k resistor, and replace it with a 33k, W resistor (in student parts
bin). Solder the 33k resistor to the diac/capacitor terminal of the 250k potentiometer
- Solder a 15k resistor (in student parts bin) across the 0.1F capacitor
- Replace the 60W light bulb with a 150W light bulb

Note: After completing the above steps, the potentiometer of the original triac light dimmer is
effectively disabled, but it is still useful as a soldering terminal.
Light bulb
0.1F
3.3k
250k linear
pot
Original Triac Light Dimmer Circuit
150W Light bulb
0.1F
33k
250k
linear
pot
15k
Modified Circuit that Turns On at
Approximately 120V

2 EE462L Triac Light Dimmer

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EE462L, Power Electronics, Triac Light Dimmer

Version January 20, 2013

EE462L, Power Electronics, Triac Light Dimmer

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