I have a DC power source that I'm trying to convert to AC. The DC power can be anything. The only catch is that the AC delivered needs to be only 5 VAC with a frequency of 60Hz and a current of 1 Amp. Is there any way to achieve this without a transformer? If I do have to use a transformer to make an inverter, how do I meet these other specifications?
First of all, remember that the AC signal can be at most, in a perfect world (which ours is not), equal to the wattage of the DC input. 5 VAC (RMS), at 1 A, will require a 5 W DC input. In practice you should at least double this. The technical term is an inverter. You can buy an off-the shelf inverter and connect it to a transformer. Since you're shooting for low voltage, you can also just build one with a 555 timer and a power transistor that can handle 1 A. You'll need to filter the output (with a big inductor or an RC bridge) if harmonics will be a problem. The quickest simplest way to do this is to build yourself a dynamotor by connecting the shafts of a DC motor and an AC motor. You can very easily generate this kind of power, and it will be exceptionally clean and noise-free, unlike the output of an inverter. But you have one other option: a cheap PA amplifier (remember, you only need 5 watts) and a sine wave generator (which can be any wall transformer with a large resistor in series to prevent excessive current from flowing). Just turn the volume knob until you get the voltage you want. If the whole rig needs to be able to run on DC, you can construct the sine wave generator out of a 555 and an RC filter with a very low cutoff.
Transistors are regularly not used to transform AC to DC. Diodes / rectifiers are used. A diode is form of a one way valve - it is going to enable a mind-blowing going area of the AC with the aid of and block the unfavourable element. the effect is a pulsating beneficial voltage on the different edge of the diode. this is noted as 0.5 wave rectification - if 4 diodes are utilized in what's noted as a bridge, comprehensive wave rectification can ensue. in this way, each and each of the AC sign is switched over to a mind-blowing DC voltage. Capacitors are then placed in parallel with the output to soft out the humps and bumps of the rectified AC voltage.
