Light activated SCR (LASCR) or a Photo SCR Â is just an ordinary SCR except that it can also be light triggered. Most LASCRs also have a gate terminal for being triggered by an elecÂtrical pulse just as a conventional SCR. The basic construction of an LASCR is shown in figure. The schematic symbols most commonly […]
The ability of an SCR to control large currents to a load by means of small gate current makes the device very useful in switching and control applications. A few of the possible applications for the SCR are listed in the introduction to SCR blog post. Here we will consider six applications of SCR like
How to make a full wave rectifier using SCR ? For full-wave rectification two SCRs are connected across the centre taped secondary, as shown in figure-a. The gates of both SCRs are supplied from two gate control supply circuits. One SCR conducts during the positive half cycle and the other during the negative half cycle
How SCR functions as a Half Wave Rectifier ? SCRs are very useful in ac circuits where they may serve as rectifiers whose output current can be controlled by controlling the gate current. An example of this type of application is the use of SCRs to operate and control dc motors or dc load from
How an SCR functions as a switch ? We have seen that SCR operates either in on-state or in off-state and no other state in between, that is SCR behaves like a mechanical switch. As such it is called electronic switch. An SCR has following advantages over a mechanical switch or electro-mechanical relay: Noiseless operation
90° Phase Control of SCR. In ac circuits, the SCR can be turned on by the gate at any angle a with respect to the applied voltage. This angle α is called the firing angle. Power control is obtained by varying the firing angle and this is known as phase control. In the phase-control circuit given in fig.
How to protect an SCR using protection circuits ? SCRs are sensitive to high voltage, over-current, and any form of transients. For satisfactory and reliable operation they are required to be protected against such abnormal operating conditions. Because of complex and expensive protection, usually some margin is provided in the equipment by selecting devices with
How to make series and parallel connections of an SCR ? In many power control applications the required voltage and current ratings exceed the voltage and current that can be provided by a single SCR. Under such situations the SCRs are required to be connected in series or in parallel to meet the requirements. Sometimes
Current ratings of an SCR The current carrying capability of an SCR is solely determined by the junction temperature. Except in case of surge currents, in no other case the junction temperature is permitted to exceed the permissible value. Some of the current ratings used in industry to specify the device are given below. (i)
SCR Voltage Ratings (i) Breakover Voltage. The minimum forward voltage, when the gate is open, at which SCR starts conducting heavily (that is turned-on) is called the breakover voltage. To specify this value, the gate is in the open-circuit condition and the junction temperature is at its maxiÂmum permitted value, although VFB0 is still a
SCR-Ratings and Specifications The performance of an SCR is affected by the junction temperature, because of change in carrier densities in the four layers and the junction temperature naturally depends upon the internal power losses of the device and the efficiency of heat transfer mechanism. The factors contributing toward rise in junction temperature are on-state
Turning-off Methods of an SCR As already mentioned in previous blog post, once the  SCR is fired, it remains on even when triggering pulse is removed. This ability of the SCR to remain on even when gate current is removed is referred to as latching. So SCR cannot be turned off by simply removing the
How to turn ON an SCR ? As mentioned earlier, the SCR can be switched on either by increasing the forward voltage beyond forward break over voltage VFB0 or by applying a positive gate signal when the device is forward biased. Of these two methods, the latter, called the gate-control method, is used as it
