In this post we try to investigate how to design a SG3525 full bridge inverter circuit by applying an external bootstrap circuit in the design. The idea was requested by Mr. Mr. Abdul, and many other avid readers of this website.
Why Full-Bridge Inverter Circuit is not Easy
Whenever we think of a full bridge or an H-bridge inverter circuit, we are able to identify circuits having specialized driver ICs which makes us wonder, isn’t it really possible to design a full bridge inverter using ordinary components?
Although this may look daunting, a little understanding of the concept helps us realize that after all the process may not be that complex.
The crucial hurdle in a full bridge or a H-bridge design is the incorporation of 4 N-channel mosfet full bridge topology, which in turn demands the incorporation of a bootstrap mechanism for the high side mosfets.
What's Bootstrapping
So what’s exactly a Bootstrapping Network and how does this become so crucial while developing a Full bridge inverter circuit?
When identical devices or 4 n-channel mosfets are used in a full bridge network, bootstrapping becomes imperative.
It's because initially the load at the source of the high side mosfet presents a high impedance, resulting in a mounting voltage at the source of the mosfet. This rising potential could be as high as the drain voltage of the high side mosfet.
So basically, unless the gate/source potential of this mosfet is able to exceed the maximum value of this rising source potential by at least 12V, the mosfet won't conduct efficiently. (If you are having difficulty understanding please let me know through comments.)
In one of my earlier posts I comprehensively explained how emitter follower transistor works, which can be exactly applicable for a mosfet source follower circuit as well.
In this configuration I have explained that the base voltage for the transistor must be always 0.6V higher than the emitter voltage at the collector side of the transistor, in order to enable the transistor to conduct across collector to emitter.
If we interpret the above for a mosfet, we find that the gate voltage of an source follower mosfet must be at least 5V, or ideally 10V higher than the supply voltage connected at the drain side of the device.
If you inspect the high side mosfet in a full bridge network, you will find that the high side mosfets are actually arranged as source followers, and therefore demand a gate triggering voltage that needs to be a minimum 10V over the drain supply volts.
Once this is accomplished we can expect an optimal conduction from the high side mosfets via the low side mosfets to complete the one side cycle of the push pull frequency.
Normally this is implemented using a fast recovery diode in conjunction with a high voltage capacitor.
This crucial parameter wherein a capacitor is used for raising the gate voltage of a high-side mosfet to 10V higher than its drain supply voltage is called bootstrapping, and the circuit for accomplishing this is termed as bootstrapping network.
The low side mosfet do not require this critical configuration simply because the source of the low side mosets are directly grounded. Therefore these are able to operate using the Vcc supply voltage itself and without any enhancements.
How to Make a SG3525 Full Bridge Inverter Circuit
Now since we know how to implement a full bridge network using bootstrapping, let’s try to understand how this could be applied for achieving a full bridge SG3525 inverter circuit, which is by far one of the the most popular and the most sought after ICs for making an inverter.
The following design shows the standard module which may be integrated to any ordinary SG3525 inverter across the output pins of the IC for accomplishing a highly efficient SG3525 full bridge or H-bridge inverter circuit.
Circuit Diagram
Referring to the above diagram, we can identify the four mosfets rigged as an H-bridge or a full bridge network, however the additional BC547 transistor and the associated diode capacitor looks a bit unfamiliar.
To be precise the BC547 stage is positioned for enforcing the bootstrapping condition, and this can be understood with the help of the following explanation:
We know that in any H-bridge the mosfets are configured to conduct diagonally for implementing the intended push pull conduction across the transformer or the connected load.
Therefore let’s assume an instance where the pin#14 of the SG3525 is low, which enables the top right, and the low left mosfets to conduct.
This implies that pin#11 of the IC is high during this instance, which keeps the left side BC547 switch ON. In this situation the following things happen withing the left side BC547 stage:
1) The 10uF capacitor charges up via the 1N4148 diode and the low side mosfet connected with its negative terminal.
2) This charge is temporarily stored inside the capacitor and may be assumed to be equal to the supply voltage.
3) Now as soon as the logic across the SG3525 reverts with the subsequent oscillating cycle, the pin#11 goes low, which instantly switches OFF the associated BC547.
4) With BC547 switched OFF, the supply voltage at the cathode of the 1N4148 now reaches the gate of the connected mosfet, however this voltage is now reinforced with the stored voltage inside capacitor which is also almost equal to the supply level.
5) This results in a doubling effect and enables a raised 2X voltage at the gate of the relevant mosfet.
6) This condition instantly hard triggers the mosfet into conduction, which pushes the voltage across the corresponding opposite low side mosfet.
7) During this situation the capacitor is forced to discharge quickly and the mosfet is able to conduct only for so long the stored charge of this capacitor is able to sustain.
Therefore it becomes mandatory to ensure that the value of the capacitor is selected such that the capacitor is able to adequately hold the charge for each ON/OFF period of the push pull oscillations.
Otherwise the mosfet will abandon the conduction prematurely causing a relatively lower RMS output.
Well, the above explanation comprehensively explains how a bootstrapping functions in full bridge inverters and how this crucial feature may be implemented for making an efficient SG3525 full bridge inverter circuit.
Now if you have understood how an ordinary SG3525 could be transformed into a full fledged H-bridge inverter, you might also want to investigate how the same can be implemented for other ordinary options such as in IC 4047, or IC 555 based inverter circuits, …..think about it and let us know!
UPDATE: If you find the above H-bridge design too complex to implement, you may try a much easier alternative
SG3525 Inverter Circuit which can be Configured with the the above Discussed Full Bridge Network
The following image shows an example inverter circuit using the IC SG3525, you can observe that the output mosfet stage is missing in the diagram, and only the output open pinouts can be seen in the form of pin#11 and pin#14 terminations.
The ends of these output pinouts simply needs to be connected across the indicated sections of the above explained full bridge network for effectively converting this simple SG3525 design into a full fledged SG3525 full bridge inverter circuit or an 4 N channel mosfet H-bridge circuit.
An Easier Full Bridge Inverter using P-Channel MOSFET
If you think the above SG3525 full bridge inverter circuit using 4 N-channel MOSFETs is too complex for you to handle, then you can rather try the following simpler design.
It replaces the high side N-channel MOSFETs with P-channel MOSFETs, thus eliminating the need of a bootstrapping network.
You can see 3 to 4 P-channel MOSFETs are connected in parallel on the high side, while only single MOSFETs are used on the low side.
This is because P-channel MOSFETs have relatively higher RDSON resistance specifications compared to the N-channel MOSFETs, which have very low RDSON resistance.
To make sure the P-Channel MOSFET's RDSON resistance matches with the N-channel counterpart, more number of P-channel MOSFETs are connected in parallel, which makes sense.
Feedback from Mr. Robin, (who is one of the avid readers of this blog, and a passionate electronic enthusiast):
Hi Swagatum
Ok,just to check everything is working I separated the two high side fets from the two low side fets and used the same circuitry as:
(https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2017/03/sg3525-full-bridge-inverter-circuit.html),
connecting the cap negative to the mosfet source then connecting that junction to a 1k resistor and an led to ground on each high side fet.Pin 11 pulsed the one high side fet and pin 14 the other high side fet.
When I switched the SG3525 on both fets lit up momentarily and the oscillated normally thereafter.I think that could be a problem if I connected this situation to the trafo and low side fets?
Then I tested the two low side fets,connecting a 12v supply to a (1k resistor and an led) to the drain of each low side fet and connecting the source's to ground.Pin 11 and 14 was connected to each low side fets gate.
When I switched the SG3525 on the low side fet's would not oscillate until I put a 1k resistor between the pin (11, 14) and the gate.(not sure why that happens).
Circuit diagram attatched below.
My Reply:
Thanks Robin,
I appreciate your efforts, however that doesn't seem to be the best way of checking the IC 's output response...
alternatively you can try a simple method by connecting individual LEDs from pin#11 and pin#14 of the IC to ground with each LED having its own 1K resistor.
This will quickly allow you to understand the IC output response....this could be done either by keeping the full bridge stage isolated from the two IC outputs or without isolating it.
Furthermore you could try attaching a 3V zeners in series between the IC output pins and the respective full bridge inputs...this will ensure that false triggering across the mosfets are avoided as far as possible...
Hope this helps
Best Regards...
Swag
From Robin:
Could you please explain how{ 3V zeners in series between the IC output pins and the respective full bridge inputs...this will ensure that false triggering across the mosfets are avoided as far as possible...
Cheers Robin
Me:
When a zener diode is in series it will pass the full voltage once its specified value is exceeded, therefore a 3V zener diode will not conduct only as long as the 3V mark is not crossed, once this is exceeded, it will allow the entire level of voltage that's been applied across it
So in our case also, since the voltage from the SG 3525 can be assumed to be at the supply level and higher than 3V, nothing would be blocked or restricted and the whole supply level would be able to reach the full bridge stage.
Let me know how it goes with your circuit.
Adding a "Dead Time" to the Low Side Mosfet
Thee following diagram shows how a dead time could be introduced at the low side mosfet such that whenever the BC547 transistor switches causing the upper mosfet to turn ON, the relevant low side mosfet is turned ON after a slight delay (a couple of ms), thus preventing any sort of possible shoot through.
faith jumbo says
Sir I noticed that there’s no voltage at the negative of the 10uf and when I connect the driver to the mosfet voltage drops drastically also the mosfet heat up very fast, is like it shorting
faith jumbo says
Good afternoon sir, I’m having a serious challenge, I build a hbridge and I build the boostrapimg drive the hbrigd while sg3524 is use to drive the boostrap for but when ever I power it my mosfet blown or at times the voltage will drop to the extent that there will be no output from the ocillator board, but if I power the oscillator board alone it works fine. Please what could be the cause
Swagatam says
Faith, short circuit can happen only when the MOSFETs in the same vertical line conduct together, which cannot be possible in this configuration. The BC547 will never allow both the vertical MOSFETs to turn ON together. Make sure your IC is working correctly, and has some dead time set.
Always Test with 12V car head light bulbs in series with the drain pin of the MOSFETs
Faith says
Sir please I want to ask what could cause the output of the se3524 fluctuating because I noticed if I put the sd3524 my regulator will heat up but if remove it the regulator will not heat up again I noticed the output of the ic is not steady what could be the cause
Swagatam says
Faith, did you add the L2, C16, C17, D3 as shown in the second diagram? Try replacing the L2 with a 220 ohm resistor and check the response
Faith says
I only add 1000uf,25v, but will that cause Both on and off time to happen the same time, because, Sir this is not my first time of building this the first and second time I build this it works fine but I don’t know what is wrong with this very one, now I took my time to troubleshoot it but I couldn’t fine any error I now check the output waveform from pin 11 and 14 and I observed that both on and off happen the same time, which is not supposed to be so, now I compared it with the old board I have and I observed that in the old board there is a delay between the on and off time, what I can’t figure out is why is Both on and off time happen the same time, which I believe is the cause of my burn mosfet, please sir any ideas why this is happening
Swagatam says
The output should work in push-pull manner, when one pin is OFF the other should be ON and vice versa. Use 4047 IC instead if you are finding it difficult to handle.
Faith says
Sir I have rectify the problem and is working fine now thank you so much for your help I’m really great full,
Swagatam says
Glad you could solve it Faith…keep up the good work!
Evans MWOREH says
Hi Faith,I seem to be facing similar issue, please would you mind sending your diagram on how you trouble shoot the problem I will really appreciate
Evans mworeh says
Hello sir swagatam,can you send me the diagram for 4047 you are proposing for faith to use? Am facing the same issue with sg3525. What am wondering is will 4047 feed to he full bridge without any modifications?
Swagatam says
Evans, SG3525 is a precision IC, and will never produce wrong output unless the connections are wrong the IC itself is faulty. Yes you can connect the 4047 output with the specified full bridge network.
Evans mworeh says
Sir swagatam,so if I use a 4047 oscillator to the updated full bridge network you have provided with the dead time,will the outcome be same as if I could have used sg3525? Or should add/subtract anything? Again sir how will the direction of the 3v zener diode? Where will the anode and cathode connect?
Swagatam says
No changes will be required because the output of the two ICs work in a similar fashion…
Emmanuel Etim Offiong says
Also why it’s that the connection of a Zener diode in series to the base or gate of a transistor is important and why being specific at the voltage rate of 3V please sir I need more light on this
Thanks and may The Lord god continue to blessed you for the good work
Swagatam says
As explained in the article, the 3V zener will keep the MOSFETs OFF until a genuine trigger above 3V or upto 12V appears at the gate of the MOSFET. This ensures that the MOSFET switching across the two channel is isolated by a minimum 3V value, and they never conduct together due to minor stray leakages
Emmanuel Etim Offiong says
Hi swagatam please can this circuit be modified by adding the PWM circuitry or SPWM circuitry and which side of the MOSFET is high/low also why it’s that when modifying a circuit the PWM or SPWM circuitry is always being connected to the low side of the MOSFET not the high side of the MOSFET thanks
Swagatam says
Hi Emmanuel, yes it can be controlled with SPWM on the low side mosfets. PWM integration with low side mosfet is implemented only on full bridge topology which uses 4 MOSFETs and no center tap transformer.
Charles Ogbonna says
Hi,tanx for Ur helps.before now I ve had successes with this cct,but now am having problems.for a 12volt inverter, if battery voltage is 12.5volts, the transformer makes noise until the voltage drops to about 11.0volts,then the noise will stop and inverter works well.
Sir,what can I do as a remedy,i ve been using this cct for two years now with great success.
Swagatam says
Thanks Charles, did you use any kind of feedback or some other customization? I would suggest to test the inverter in its basic mode and see if the problems still exists.
Charles Ogbonna says
Thanks a million 4 Ur time.if used with a centertap transformer,it wok’s very well,hwever full bridge inverters are more economical.am presently working on a new design, I will update you later. Thanks.
Swagatam says
Sure, thanks for the feedback!
Manuel Gomez says
Thank you Swagatam sir.
Swagatam says
You are welcome Manuel
Manuel Gomez says
Dear Swagatam sir,
Doubt cleared sir, thank you for your immediate response. Matching Transistor MOSFET for 200w inverter ?
Swagatam says
You are welcome Manuel, the MOSfeT can be IRF540
Manuel Gomez says
Dear Swagatam Sir,
I am late comer in your tutorial regarding Inverter Circuits. I am about to make one by your instruction, Sir generally which type of transformer we can use all these circuits,I mean normal 230V AC to 12-0-12 step down Transformer we can use by Reversing the Sec. side to (12-0-12) as Input ? My requirement is approx 200W.
Swagatam says
Welcome Aboard, Manuel. Yes that’s right, you can any use normal step-down transformer as a step up inverter transformer just by turning it the opposite way.
Step-up or step-down conditions depend on which side is being used as the input and which side as the output
ahmed says
his sir can u plz make a code in arduino uno which generates 3 positive and 3 negative pulses for igbt gate driver circuit…
Swagatam says
Hi Ahmed, I am not good with Arduino so coding can be difficult, but this can be perhaps implemented using external totem pole transistors also
Robin says
Hi Swagatum
Swagatam says
Hello Robin!
Robin says
Hope you are well
Just out of interest
Refering to the above circuit I tested it on my oscilloscope awhile back and found that there was some shoot-thru because of the inversion of the signal,so i tried these two circuits which work perfectly.I also built a similar circuit with the dedicated high low side drivers(IR2110) which still outperformed these.(trying to send you some images)
I plan to try the second circuit where you have introduced the dead time for the low side mosfets and check the results
Juust in case can i still send an email to: hitman2008 @ live.in
Apurva deepak says
Hello sir… Rply me sir i have no much more time… Please help me for making this project….
Swagatam says
Hello Apurva, I have just changed my website URL so your previous comments might be deleted. sorry about that!
I have already answered to all your previous questions. Please let me know if you any further doubts.
Bugeza says
I made that full bridge circuit and I used atransformer which had 12v at its at its primary and 220v at its secondary and it inverted igot the out put voltage 220v but when I load my inverter the output drops to 170v but may inverter need feedback at the ic can you help me with that feed back circuit sweetable for that sg 3525 ic circuit
Swagatam says
You can add a feedback to pin#1 of the IC as shown in this diagram
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/feedback.png
Rohan chinni says
Hi, can this bootstrap circuit work at high frequency like 100khz, I require it to operate ferrite core transformer??
Swagatam says
yes that’s possible, just make sure the ferrite trafo is correctly matched with the frequency and the voltage
ROHAN CHINNI C L says
Will the transistor BC547 respond at that high frequency of 100khz??
Swagatam says
yes it should, BC547 is rated at 1MHz
Rohan chinni says
Thank you so much for helping, one last question, how many MOSFETs can I connect in parallel? for bc547 to be able to drive them? Or can u suggest me more powerful transistor for bc547, or can I use IGBT’s
Swagatam says
Rohan, mosfets and IGBTs require minimal current at their gate/base to operate, therefore no special BJTs are required, BC547 can be easily used
Rohan chinni says
Thank you so much again
Swagatam says
You are welcome!!
Yusuf abdulazeez says
Hi Engr Swagatam. Pls, where do I connect pin #10 of IC 2535 for shut down against overloading etc.
Swagatam says
Hi Yusuf, you can connect pin#10 with the output of the following opamp circuit.
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/automatic-output-voltage-regulator/
eliminate the transistor stage completely and connect pin#6 of the opamp directly with the pin#10 of the SG3525.
Make sure to use 3 or 4 1N4148 diodes in series so that the opamp output leakage offset voltage is blocked.
Swagatam says
sorry, the said arrangement will prevent over voltage not overloading, to control overloading you may have to swap the input pin numbers of the opamp, meaning pin#2 and pin#3 must be swapped, and the recommended output diodes reversed
Rudi says
hi sir,
S1 S3
| |
——– TR ———
| |
S2 S4
is there any deadtime between high (S1) and low side (S2) mosfet? since there are came from 1 source (Pin11 SSG3525)
i think would be better if add some deadtime at the moment they are switching to prevent 1 side are not fully off but another side is aready on.
thanks.
Swagatam says
Hi Rudi, yes dead time can be set by adjusting the resistor at pin#7
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/understanding-sg3525-ic-pin-outs/
Rudi says
hi sir,
sorry sir, i think you get me wrong. i know pin7 is to adjust deadtime between outpin11 and outpin14. but what i means is between low and high side of fet. since they are opposite, for example, if pin11 is high then the low side would be high too, but at the same time high side will turn low., if we operate at some high freq, is it possible the low side is go high while the high side of fet are not fully turn off?
i think would be better to have some deadtime between them for keep it safe. i know low and high fet (at the same side) cannot be turn on together, this will blow up the fet.
thanks,
Swagatam says
Hi Rudi, you mean to say during dead time since the BC547 BJTs would be OFF, the high side mosfets would be turned ON, you want to have all the mosfets turned OFF during the dead time, right? I am sorry that looks difficult for this particular design.
To satisfy this condition you may have to try a full bridge topology using p and n channel mosfets as shown in the following article:
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/arduino-full-bridge-h-bridge-sinewave-inverter-circuit/
Rudi says
Hi sir,
Yes sir. During the bc547 turn off the high side gate to gnd is cut off and make it on by a cap (bootstrap). My idea is at right before that happening, it is better to let the low side off for a short of time to keep the things smooth.
I have read a lot of example on internet, there is one of many ways is to introduce a rcd (resistor,cap,diode) can achive that. But i dont know how to implement it into ur circuit.
Thanks,
Swagatam says
Hi Rudi,
I have updated the required design at the bottom of the article please check it out and let me know if you have any doubts.
Rudi says
Ok thanks sir
Rudi says
Hi sir,
I have tested your circuit. When operatr at low freq says 50hz, the waveform look great, prefect square wave. But if i ran at some khz speed, let say 33khz my waveform is very distorted. Its more look like a banana shape.
Can you point me what cause this problem? How can i make this just look as great as 50hz?
Thanks
Swagatam says
Thanks Rudi, Glad you could test it successfully.
When you use high frequency, inductive spikes starts getting more active and these spikes could start developing across connecting wires, tracks, solder fluxes, or any other possible unwanted source creating harmonics and distortions.
I would advise you to use a well designed PCB and make the tracks as short as possible across the mosfets and the transformer. The transformer here will be obviously a ferrite based transformer.
also use suppressing capacitors across various nodes as suggested in the following article
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/mosfet-protection-basics-explained-is/
Rudi says
Ok thks for the advices. I will try it again when i am got free.
Regards,
Rudi
Dylan says
Hello Sir, Thank you for the awesome website. Sorry for the silly question but does the connection between the MOSFETs connect to the 12V side of the transformer as well as the 10uF caps or do they just pass over them?
Thanks Again!!
Dylan
Swagatam says
Thanks Dylan, Only the negative side of the capacitor is overlapping a few of the other lines…but it is connected only with the source of the respective mosfets, and nothing else.
I cannot see any other overlapping lines other than the above
Mehedi Leon says
Sir can I charge 12V battery with 9V or 11V or 15V transformer? I aaked u what is minimum and maximum volt to charge a 12V battery? Sir I hope now u understand
plz make me understand
Thank u
Swagatam says
Mehedi, you are repeating the same question which I have already answered….
Mehedi Leon says
Sir I asked about charging volt. what is the minimum and maximum charging volt for 12V-95A battery.
sir u said charging current 10A and charging time 12Hr
but
*Total battery Amp / Charging Amp = charging time*
so that 95/10=9.5Hr, m I right?
Swagatam says
Mehedi, I have provided the charging details in the earlier comment, you can refer to it for the details. Your charging period calculation is approximately correct…
Mehedi Leon says
Sir I have a 12V 95 Amp Sealed led acid Battery,
now what will be minimum and maximum volt and charging current? for safer charge for long lasting the battery life,
Swagatam says
Mehedi, it is standard for all 12V batteries, 14.3V full, and 11V low. Charging current will be around 10 amps for 12 hours
Mehedi Leon says
SIR THANK YOU, I hv understood it bt
IRFZ44N( just one on each chanel) total 2.
just 2 IRFZ44N will give out put of 400Wattage!? I m so surprised, I hv no batter idea about MOSFET, thank u sir, I have anoter question, if I use your above Full bridge circuit for 400watage out put then which MOSFET should I use?
Swagatam says
Mehedi, since The mosfets are rated to handle that much wattage so they will be able to do it comfortably…pleas note that this is as per my analysis.
you can use the same mosfets for the above inverter also
Mehedi Leon says
Sir I hv no perfect decision about it.
that’s why I asked u
I m using 650VA (390W) UPS transformer and 100AH battery(12V)
I want 400Wattage output
now my questions are:-
1. if I use your above Full bridge circuit then how many MOSFET will need to use on each Chanel? and which MOSFET?
2.if I use center tape transformer then how many MOSFET will need to use on each chanel? and which MOSFET?
sir plz make me understand correctly about this
Swagatam says
Mehedi, I mean to say that if you have asked regarding the dissipation factor then you should have also asked regarding the VDss, and Id factors of the mosfets because these are more prominent factors than power dissipation..
anyway, power dissipation is the value which shows at what power the device may reach its maximum core temperature without a heatsink. So at 94 watts the device may dissipate temperature which may eb dangerous for the device, and therefore adequate heatsinking must be applied to it to ensure it is able to sustain the specified max level of 55 x 49 = 2695 watts
I hope you have understood it now…
Mho says
Ok…good point. Charge pumps, bootstrapping, isolated drives and other means of high side N channel mosfet drive techniques. Could you talk a little about them? I have discovered that the H bridge for many ferrite inverters hardly use tlp250, but almost all the iron core transformer h bridge does. Why is that so? Please explain. Thanks.
Swagatam says
TLP250 is just an enhanced opto-coupler for ensuring safe switching for the connected mosfets, because mosfets can be highly sensitive and unpredictable devices, especially when the triggering frequency is high.
At lower frequencies the vulnerability is reduced to a great extent and therefore no such special arrangement is required for their switching.
However these cannot be used for the high-side mosfets because the bootstrapping needs to be applied directly to the mosfet gate, so intermediate buffer cannot work here.
Mho says
ok….I get more enlightened each day by your blog …Thanks. I want to implement a H bridge switching , not unlike the one above. Only I want to use a Microcontroller for the SPWM generation. What kind of drive circuitry can I use? Mostly for the High Side Mosfets? I already successfully generated the high voltage VDc from the dc dc converter. I need to understand more the modalities involved. I got a bunch of IR2110, but unfortunately, they are mostly inferior, and act rather unpredictible. I need an alternative drive pattern. Thanks.
Swagatam says
unfortunately there is no better driver alternative than the specialized full-bridge driver ICs, therefore you will have to test and optimize your circuit using only these driver devices…make sure to add a 1K resistor across gate/source leads of the mosfets for better stability
Mho says
I have taken apart several high frequency inverters, and most of them did not use any special drivers, some did. Others used totem pole for switching the low side, and a sort of charge pump for the high side. I didnt completely understand the full rationale for the charge pump. What is your take?
Thanks.
Swagatam says
the charge pump is used for bootstrapping and will be required if no special driver IC is used, you can read regrading bootstrapping in this article:
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/sg3525-full-bridge-inverter-circuit/
bootstrapping raises the hi-side mosfet gate level typically to 12V over its drain level, to enable optimal conduction.
Mho says
Please send me your email sir. I have several questions I would love to ask you, and wouldn’t want to do it here, as it may be different from the topic. I follow your tutorials, and I have been really enlightened.
Thanks.
Swagatam says
Mho, I want our discussions to be visible to all the visitors here so that all can benefit through this, therefore it would be a better to present our discussions here itself, in emails the discussions will remain hidden and will be wasted.
Mehedi Leon says
I m using 12V 100AH Battery
sir u said one on each Chanel will be enough. that’s mean I need to use total 2 IRF44N.
but my IRFZ44N(Power Dissipation 94 W)
94+94= 188W
188W switching wattage will be 400W by 650VA(390W) Transformer????
sir I m confused how it possible?
in your previous reply u said that :-
Swag says
“The switching devices must be rated above the transformer rating, if the trafo is 500 watt then the mosfets must be rated at minimum 600 watts.”
in this case now transformer is 390W so switching device (Mosfet) must be rated at minimum 490W,
sir I m so much confused!!!!!!!!!
Swagatam says
You are right but then what about the drain/source rating of the mosfet, and the continuous drain current rating of the mosfet which are shown as 55V and 49 amps respectively…..please let me know your opinion about this??
Mehedi Leon says
Thank you sir for your valuable Reply.
Sir I am designing an inverter for 400watt full load.
I am using your above Full bridge circuit with SG3524 ic circuit, almost everything done and I am getting out put from transformer.
But I am facing a problem that is, I am unable to chose right mosfet for actual 400Watt out put.
so I need your help to chose right mosfet.
I m using 650VA UPS transformer and
100AH battery
now say me what mosfet is needed for this inverter? and how much mosfet in total?
I have available mosfet in my palce :-
IRF44N
IRF540N
IRF840N
IRF3205
IRF3710
please u help me to use right mosfer for accurate Wattage
Thank u sir
Swagatam says
Mehedi, assuming your battery voltage is below 48V, you can use the first one which IRF44Z, just one on each channel will be enough, with adequate heatsinks attached
NICK says
hello SWAG. thanks for your idea. i tried your circuit using sg3524 ic.
the high side drain voltage is 48v, i replaced bc547 with tip41c.
my bootstrap cap. is 160v 10uF. my mosfets are irfp260n.
the 1N4148 is connected to a 12v supply. when i power on, the circuit works but the high side FETs gets hot after a few minutes without load. what i’m i getting wrong?
should i replace the 12v supply wih 48v?
Swagatam says
Hi Nick, The upper mosfet could get hot if the gate voltage reaches higher than its rated gate value, you can try measuring this value by keeping the meter probes across the 10uF capacitor, and momentarily switching ON the trigger across the base of the relevant TIP141 transistor…the reading should not be above 60V, if it is above this value then we may have to think of a different configuration in which the drain voltage could be applied separately and the 12V applied independently yet make sure these two become a part of the 10uF cap.
NICK says
Hello Swag; thanks for getting back to me so soon. what if i change the 1n4148 to 1N4007 and connect a resistor (say 22k) in parallel with the bootstrap cap? what do you think? i’ll try it and let you know the outcome. thanks again
Swagatam says
Sorry Nick, I am unable to simulate the configuration in mind so it would be better to get it checked practically and learn how it behaves…wish you all the best
Mehedi Leon says
What is Drain side volt of upper mosfer? ( IRF540)
How can I read drain side volt of any mosfet from it datasheet? plz say me
In IRF540 datasheet we know that :-
Type Designator: IRF540
Type of Transistor: MOSFET
Type of Control Channel: N -Channel
Maximum Power Dissipation (Pd): 150 W
Maximum Drain-Source Volt |Vds|: 100 V
Maximum Gate-Source Volt |Vgs|: 20 V
Maximum Gate-Threshold Volt|Vgs(th)| 4 V
Maximum Drain Current |Id|: 30 A
my question is here what is the drain side volt here?
Swagatam says
Here by Drain side voltage I meant to say the voltage which you prefer to apply across the drains of the upper mosfets.
Mehedi Leon says
ok sir I got it,
I am using 12V(13.5)V at upper mosfet drain side, so that the equation goes 12+20=32v/10uf
or 13.5+20=33.5/10uf
but they are not available
that’s why 10uf/50v, am I right sir?
sir one more question :-
in lower mosfet gate, can I use 100R or 33R or 10R resistance? please say which is best
Swagatam says
you are right Mehedi, the capacitor voltage rating should be ideally twice the supply level applied across its terminals, higher rating than this will do, but lower than this may not be advisable.
Swagatam says
for lower mosfet gates you can use any value below 100 ohm
Mehedi Leon says
Sir can I use 10uf/25V cap? 50V is not available now.
and can I use 10ohms or 33ohms gate resistance instance of 22ohms?
Swagatam says
Mehedi, what is drain side voltage you have used? The capacitor voltage rating must be 20V higher than the drain side voltage of the upper mosfets
Mehedi Leon says
Ok Sir I understand but I have a little misunderstand that is-
in ur above 300+300 (w) driving wattage
1.if I use 500w transformer then what will the out put watt from transformer?(4*150)
2.if I use 1000w transformer then what will the out put watt from transformer?(4*150)
that’s the matter I want to know
Please sir make me clear the thinking.
Thank u
Swagatam says
Mehedi, mosfets are like switches, you can compare them to a relay contact or any form of switch that we we use for operating an electrical device…they are designed only to carry the current which the transformer pulls from the battery…so the mosfet only needs to be rated at the transformer wattage level so that they can carry the current safely to the transformer and don’t get burnt….the output from the transformer depends solely on the transformer wattage and the battery capacity.
1) for 500w trafo the output will be 500 watt provided the mosfets are rated to carry 500 watts and the battery is also rated to supply current for getting the 500 watt…it will be same for the 1000 watt also
Mehedi Leon says
Sir Thank u for your valuable reply
I want to know about switching wattage : that means in the above article you used IRF540 (4, each 150w)
here I want to know that 4nos IRF560(each 150w)
so what will be switching wattage?
1.150+150=300
2.150*4=600
Sir kindly say me in ur above circuit what is Switching wattage?
Swagatam says
As I have already mentioned, the combined wattage of the mosfet gives its total power handling capacity…in your case for one channel it will 300 watts and for the other channel it will 300 watts…
the output power will be decided by the transformer, not by the mosfets.
Mehedi Leon says
Sir I have some questions
1. if I use 4 IRFZ44N( each 100w) and a 500w transformer then what will be the output watt?
2. here u described H-bridge circuit with 4 Mosfet, if I want to add more mosfet to increase wattage then how can I add more mosfet?
3. in the above circuit you drive the lower tow mosfet directly from pin 11 n 14, can I add gate resistance with each 4 mosfet? if I can then what resistance?
4. one another thing, if I want add safty diode (IN14007) then what will the diode connection?
Sir plz make me understand
Thank u…….
Swagatam says
The switching devices must be rated above the transformer rating, if the trafo is 500 watt then the mosfets must be rated at minimum 600 watts.
you can more mosfets in parallel, just make sure to add a resistor separately with each mosfet gate.
yes you can add a gate resistors for the low side mosfet, and also add 1K resistors across gate/source
for diodes the cathode will go towards the drains of the mosfets…use 1N5408, and not 1N4007
Mehedi Leon says
1.Sir if I use 500w trafo then 4 nos 600w mosfet( each 600w)? please make it clear
2.with each mosfet gate what will the resistance value?(gate resistance)?
3.at low side mosfet what will the gate resistance value?
4.sir u said “for diodes the cathode will go towards the drains of the mosfets” bt anode will go where?
Sir plz help me
Swagatam says
1) The combined wattage of the mosfets on each channel can be 600 watt
2) low gate resistance for each mosfet can be 22 ohms 1/4 watt, high side mosfet will not require any gate resistor.
4) diode must be connected across drain/source of each mosfets
Aiqbal says
Thanx Swag,
One more thing I want to ask you, have u worked on resonant power supplies, I want to design a constant current mode power supply,
plz suggest design using igbt
Regards
Aiqbal
Swagatam says
Hi Aiqbal, I have not yet worked with resonant power supply designs, whatever SMPS designs I have posted all are referred from other sites…
Aiqbal says
Hi Swag,
I applied this circuit and it works nicely for me with irf3205 FETs, I have used this circuit for high voltage capacitor charging application,
I have one problem : at start FETs draws very high inrush current which have destroyed my fets some times, I don’t want to use current limiting resistors due to power loss, plz suggest any ideal circuit using sg3525 and irf3205 for inrush current limiting ,
Second problem is that this circuit doesn’t work with igbt instead of fet, what drive circuit u suggest for ixgx60n120,
Swagatam says
Hi Aiqbal, I am glad it is working for you.
If you refer to the following article regarding the pinout details of the IC
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/understanding-sg3525-ic-pin-outs/
You will find that pin#8 decides the slow or oft start for the IC by generating narrow pwms during initial power switch, so may be you can try increasing the capacitor value connected at this pin to some higher value for enabling higher level of soft start and subsequently reducing the initial surge.
Alternatively you can also try increasing the dead time parameter of the IC by increasing the resistor value at pin#7 of the IC
watson says
Hi Swag,
I plan to make a similar project with 24V VDD. Do you have any experience/recommendations how do configure the bootstrap cap (double the value?) and the high side resistor to prevent overvoltage of the gate? Or would you see general problems with 24V VDD?
Thanks and best regards,
Watson
Swagatam says
Hi Watson,
I have no idea about it, in fact I am myself struggling to understand the calculations, that’s why it is better to use a specialized IC for the driver as I have explained below:
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/simplest-full-bridge-inverter-circuit/
watson says
Hi Swag,
thank you. I even had tested a 24V project with the IRC2453 two times , but had bad experiences (the circuit became instable after some time in use). The oscillator frequency was hard to set in lower ranges (~ 100 Hz for iron core transformer) ans changed permanently. Although I used a voltage regulator chip for the fullbridge IC. Maybe a design error, but I am now looking for another option than the IRC2453. Will make further test and maybe report what I found out.
Best regards,
Watson
Swagatam says
OK, wish you all the best Watson, in the meantime you could also explore the following concepts
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/full-bridge-1-kva-inverter-circuit/
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/h-bridge-inverter-circuit-using-4-n/
thatcher says
I tried this circuit, with rail supply 12vdc and the output was 5.6 to 7vac. Then changed rail voltage to 315vdc and there was no output at all. What could be wrong with it? I intend to use this full bridge on an inverter which has 315vdc as bus voltage.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PmouwUVAFEktOSSK2
Swagatam says
sorry, I am not able to troubleshoot it…no ideas.
thatcher says
Hie, I want you to help me on another circuit but don’t know how to post a picture on comments.please help.
Swagatam says
Hi, you can upload it to any free image hosting site online and provide the link here…I’ll check it out.
thatcher says
Hello sir!
I once constructed a circuit with boot strap and worked fine but I really don’t know how exactly the bootstrap work.
How possible the n fets on high side are not burnt with high Vgs? For example, I have 370vds on the drain and Vg must be 5v minimum above supply voltage which means it must be 375v or more but the fet maximum Vgs is 30v.
Please could you explain this in detail.
Thank you.
Swagatam says
Hello Thatcher,
since the hi-side mosfets are in a source-follower mode the high voltage on the gate is not considered by the mosfet, and it gets nullified by the equivalent drain high voltage, only the remaining 5V or 10V is considered for triggering the mosfet, this is due to the specific characteristic of all semiconductor devices, in which the conduction of voltage from one end to the other end becomes possible only when the required minimum specified forward voltage drop of the device is satisfied, otherwise the device will stay unresponsive and locked.
Therefore in mosfet or BJTs the full conduction is able to happen only when the gate or base voltage is pulled above the emitter voltage by a value which may be equal to the fwd drop voltage.
In normal configuration the drain voltage is ignored because the source is at the ground level that is at zero level, theefore only 10V becomes sufficient
The formula that needs to be satisfied for mosfets is Gate voltage = source voltage + 10V
since the load is attached with the source, the source has to first reach the drain level, then pass through the load to ground.
Therefore the source has to first reach at the drain voltage level, say 310V, but this can happen only when the gate voltage reaches 310 + 10 = 320V value
and that’s exactly why we need to reinforce the gate with that extra 10V over the drain voltage level
thatcher says
Thank you so much for this info I think I now know the concept.
Swagatam says
I am glad it helped!
thatcher says
Sir, I got something here. Now I want to contruct something different but almost similar, the last time I built an h- bridge with 12 volts as supply voltage band used bootstrap cap 10uf /50v. This time the supply voltage for the h-bridge is 300volts, do I have to change the voltage rating of cap to 400v? If no ,how could the cap charge to about 300v to meet gate voltage required at high side. Again on driver stage can I use any transistor with specs almost to thebc547 and bc 557 or I need absolutely with same?
Swagatam says
Thatcher, 300V rating will not be required, the capacitor can be a 25V rated one, because the capacitor will store only the extra charge which is required to be raised over the drain level. The voltage stored inside the capacitor will be dumped in series with the drain level for a fraction of a second during the high side ON time switching, forcing the gate level to go up by the factor supplied by the capacitor charge value over the drain supply level.
ayam says
Hi Mr. Swagatam…
can u design full bridge inverter using HCPL 3120 optocoupler to drive the MOSFET?
ThankS!!!
Swagatam says
Hi Ayam, can you please specify why do you wish to use optos when the mosfet can be directly driven from the relevant sources?
ayam says
I want to drive the modulation and frequency of the inverter. PWM source from Arduino and go to the HCPL 3120 and then drive the full bridge MOSFET with 310VDC. Its like to control the load using scalar method (V/F method). thanks!!!!
Swagatam says
I could not correctly understand the principle of operation that you are trying to implement. Controlling an induction motor speed with V/F is quite complex therefore I must fist completely understand how your Arduino is adjusting the parameters through the optocoupler, only then I would be able to design it. If possible please provide more details
ayam says
I’m done with the bipolar PWM for the full bridge with V/F control method using MATLAB/Simulink. the PWM signal I was deployed to the hardware (Arduino). So I want to send the PWM signal to the HCPL3120 and drive the MOSFET. I realize that the HCPL3120 can reduce my component if I’m using IR2110 to drive the MOSFET. any suggestion for me Mr. Swagatam?
ayam says
I’m done with the bipolar PWM for the full bridge with V/F control method using MATLAB/Simulink. the PWM signal (4 PWM signal) I was deployed to the hardware (Arduino). So I want to send the PWM signal to the HCPL3120 and drive the MOSFET. I realize that the HCPL3120 can reduce my component than I’m using IR2110 to drive the MOSFET.
Here the output PWM of the simulation for 0.02sec (https://i.imgur.com/nq7jjyz.jpg).
Here the PWM with LC filter for 0.02sec (https://i.imgur.com/yXR77az.jpg).
here the output waveform if I variable the modulation and the frequency (https://i.imgur.com/RMYRAzy.jpg)
any suggestion for me Mr. Swagatam?
Swagatam says
OK so you want to know how the opto coupler can be integrated with a full bridge network in order to implement the full-bridge operation correctly? right?
and what is the specifications of the full bridge, should it be using 4 N channel mofets, because using 4 channel moefets will require a special driver IC. Although I have designed circuits without using driver ICs, I haven’t tested them practically.
Please clarify the above
ayam says
yes. I would like to know how to implement the opto to control the MOSFET apart from using the component of discrete electronics. I intend to use four (IXFH22N60P3 – Power MOSFET, N Channel, 22 A, 600 V, 0.39 ohm, 10 V, 5 V) to create a full bridge network.
Maybe you can help me in terms of connecting and using other passive components to build this full bridge network such as the choice of appropriate value of capacitor, resistor, and diode by using HCPL3120 to drive the MOSFET
Swagatam says
I won’t recommend using discrete components as that wouldn’t guarantee accurate results, I’ll try to design it with a standard full bridge IC.
However I cannot understand why the high voltage opto is selected by you, any other low voltage opto can be also used because we are not connecting the opto anywhere along the BUS line of the mosfet, as far as I understand.
here the idea is to only ensure total isolation of the Arduino from the Full bridge network in every possible manner..
Swagatam says
I have tried to do it here, you can check it:
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/bipolar-pwm.gif
here VCC1 = 5V
VCC = 12V
one side is shown, you will have to repeat the same layout for the other side of the bridge
ayam says
Thank you for your suggestion. I will wait if you are willing to design with full bridge IC standard as you said. for the selection of high voltage opto by me is because I have referred to another website stating that HCPL3120 is Robustness, Real-estate, and Simplicity instead of using IR2110. If you have other ideas, which are relevant to the requirements of my project, I would appreciate it if you can help me create a circuit that works well based on the needs of this project.
Thanks!!!!
Swagatam says
OK I’ll try to do it soon, and let you know….
ayam says
Thanks sir. I very appreciate it. for the resistor, how about the power rating should I use? 1/4 W or bigger than that?
Swagatam says
you can use 1/4 watt resistors since no high current is involved here.
ayam says
hi sir. can I know what type of diode that u use in this circuit?
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/bipolar-pwm.gif
Swagatam says
D1 can be 1N4148. other across the mosfets can be 1n5408. usually these are already present inside the mosfets…
Thamer says
Great job
berbs says
Hi,
Will it be possible to use a portable battery bank for phones to charge a laptop? I’m trying to use the USB output (5V/2.1A) as my source to the circuit. However, since SG3525 requires 8V and above, I’m thinking of boosting this 5V to 12V instead. I do not need it to supply enough capacity to charge a laptop fully but I just need it to work and be able to charge.
So far, I have made a SG3525 DC-DC Converter (push-pull) running at 180V. Didn’t focus much on the inverter part yet because I believe that most recent laptop chargers are SMPS-based and rectification should be the first stage so DC might be possible. I tested the output with a dummy load of 680ohms at 180V and managed to get 0.1A so I assume the DC/DC converter is working fine. Load is assumed to be about 70W for laptop. Issue is with the input side.
The issue is that my input source is not able to supply sufficient current. If my input voltage is 12V so for a load of 70W, my input current will need at least 5.83A which is too big for my application. I’m only able to supply 2.1A at most using the USB output of my port battery bank. Are there any ways to amplify the current using transistors or other methods at the source side? I have heard of methods to keep the average current constant but able to have certain pulses of current to be much higher (e.g. 5A) and with certain pulses to be lower but still average it out to be the current the source supply (e.g. 2.1A in my case).
Thanks.
Swagatam says
Hi, Amplifying current would result in dropping the voltage, and vice versa, in other words the output wattage can never exceed the input wattage. In your case the input wattage us 12 x 2 = 24W, if you divide 24 with 180 it comes to around 0.13 amps, and this figure cannot be increased without decreasing the 180V level. Whether it is in the pulsed form or continuous the o/p IxV will be always less than the i/p VxI. For getting 70 watt output you will need an input higher than 70 watts
Deogratia says
how many watts and is it sine wave?
Swagatam says
no it is not a sinewave.
Emmanuel Offiong says
Hi swagatam
I made this circuit with the addition of extra PWM signals to the low side MOSFET, when testing the circuit without connecting the transformer it was working well (ie the voltage were out from it output that would have go in to the transformer terminal), but when I letter connect the transformer to the circuit, it blow up the MOSFET
Please what could be the reason for the cost of the damage of the MOSFET?
Because I wanted to make used of the circuit to replace a damaged H bridge inverter board
Swagatam says
Hi Emmanuel,
Can you tell me, how did you test the circuit without the transformer? You can test test it using a resistive load such as a 12V or 24V car bulb and check if everything works correctly or not. This will confirm that your H bridge is working fine.
You can also connect 10 ohm resistors in series with the low side gates, and a reverse diode parallel with this resistor.
Also make sure your SG3525 output has sufficient deed time.
After this you can connect a small transformer and again confirm the results.
Emmanuel Offiong says
I tested the circuit with the use of multi meter by setting it to voltage reading and read the voltage that is coming out from it output which would’ve been connected to the transformer input and the voltage reading was okey or couldn’t have tested it that way? l use SG3524 not SG3525 and I tested the oscillation circuit (ie SG3524 circuit) it was okey, I did that by connecting LEDs to it output pin and to the GND and it was oscillating well
Emmanuel Offiong says
I will connect the 10ohms resistor together with the diode and I will also add protective diode from drain to source after then I will let you know the outcome
Thanks for your quick response
Swagatam says
You must test with a real load such as a bulb or a motor etc….only that will confirm if your h bridge is working.
Emmanuel Offiong says
I have made the changes and even change the oscillator circuit from SG3524 to SG3525 circuit but when using it with small transformer it function very well and when attaching a 3.5kva transformer the BC547 at high side MOSFET will blowout immediately after turning ON, please what could be the problem or is it that the H bridge setup can’t power higher wattage system?
Swagatam says
You can try adding a reverse diode across the emitter/collector of the BC547 and also a reverse diode across the base 10K resistor, and see if that helps!
the diodes can be 1N4148
Abdulganiyu says
Hello Wagatam
Firstly I have to thanks you for your electronic aid, i made the above circuit several times but it doesn’t work with 150ah – 200ah of battery on no load but work fine in 50ah with any Load, but i discovered that inverted signal is the problem ( the signal doesn’t goto 0v) which cause the burning of the upper MOSFET, please what can which can be use to invert properly to give a full inverted signal
Swagatam says
Thank you Abdulganiyu, You can connect a 4k7 resistor between the base/emitter of the two BC 547 transistors, and check the response. If 4k7 doesn’t work you can try 2k2 resistors. You can also connect a 1K between the gate/source of the lower mosfets for better response.
Abdulganiyu says
K thanks i will make the change and give you feedback soon
Aondofa Injoh says
Great work Swagatam the design is working well. Keep it on such a nice ideal. Aondofa Injoh from Nigeria.
Swagatam says
Thank you Aondofa, i am glad it worked for you! keep up the good work!
chikez okechuks says
Hello swag.my questions are simple, first. Can this h-bridge circuit be driven directly with a 24v battery system, secondly. Can the transformer be used to charge the batteries on utility mode. Then thirdly why are the MOSFETs not having gate resistor like other circuit s do. Thanks that all for now.
Swagatam says
Hello Karlas, yes you can use 24V for the above shown H-bridge configuration.
The transformer can be used only in the inverter mode, it cannot be used for charging the battery unless some special changeover circuitry is incorporated.
the upper mosfets do not need gate resistor since the BJT's 1K itself forms the gate resistor for the mosfets…the lower mosfet could be added with a some low value gate resistor….although it's never too important.
chikez okechuks says
Hello swag, can this circuit be driven directly with a 24vdc supply?secondly , can the same transformer be used to charge the batterywithout any damage to the MOSFETs? Then thirdly why are the MOSFETs not having gate resistor like 10 ohms or any other thank .Karlas is my name and a follower of this blog .
Robin says
Hi Swagatam
Thanks for getting back to me in the pure sinewave inverter post.
I would like to know in this full bridge circuit above,if i have a 290v dc supply voltage from a high frequency source if the 10uf 50v capacitor must be changed to a higher voltage and if the irf540 must be changed as well to handle the higher voltage.I want to switch this high voltage DC to 220vac at 50Hz
regards Robin
Swagatam says
Hi robin, as far as I think, the mosfet drains will need to be connected with the 290V DC, while the diode anode separately connected to the 12V supply…yes the mosfet will need to replaced with a 400V type for example IRF804 etc…
Robin says
Hi Swagatum
Ok on first attempt i burnt one of the IRF840's,so I'm just making sure that the resistor between pin 5 and 7 on the SG2535 causes a delay which it does.Also is'nt it a good idea to put a 1k resistor between the gate and source of each mosfet to make sure that it is not accidently on when you switch on,or would it affect the functioning of your circuit
Swagatam says
Hi Robin, yes adding a slight delay or dead time will help to control mosfet burning..
you can add a resistor between gate and source if the mosfets are relatively away from the IC or the trigger source…
no it won't affect the above explained circuit…and please note that the BC547 emitters are only connected to the ground and not to the mosfet sources
Robin says
Ok ,Thanks,I understand,will give it another go and let you know how it goes
Robin
Swagatam says
sure…thanks!!
Robin says
Hi Swagatum
I've been wrestling with this H-bridge circuit above and it worked the first time i made it,I slowed down the hz so i could see it oscillating,the moment i put a load on (bang).
Ok,I've now disected it and first got the two high side Irf840's blinking,(source,1k,led,ground),pin 11 to the one IRF gate and pin 14 to the other but as soon as i switch the sg3525 on both led's come on at the same time thereafter it oscillates normally,would'nt this be a catastrophic occurance?.By the way the cap seems to have charged up via the load because i was getting 18v on the gates.
Then i got the low side IRF's blinking(+12v,1k,led,drain,source,ground)pin 11 to 1k resistor then to gate,pin 14 same to other IRF but they would not oscillate without the 1k to the gate?
Oh! I saw your comments with Bob the Blogger(interesting)
Regards Robin
Swagatam says
Thanks for the update Robin,
sorry I could not get this: (source,1k,led,ground)
LED can be connect in series wit the BC547 base and across gate/source of the low side mosfet any other position could create problems wit the functioning or misleading indications.
Please let us know, if possible through images if the deign works for you correctly as proposed i the article…
wish you all the best..
Gody says
Hi sir I appreciate the great gesture you are doing may the lord be your strength ????. Sir my question is : Can one parallel each of the mosfets to give a total of 8 instead of 4? And also will it be advisable to to supply the drains of the high side with a 24v but the gets with 12v? This is to say using like 7812ic to get the 12v from the 24v source. Thank hope to here from you soon.
Swagatam says
Thanks Gody, yes you can parallel as many MOSFeTs as you want to reach the desired wattage level.
The drains can be supplied with any DC voltage depending upon the MOSFETs VDS rating, but the gates must not exceed 15 V. So your assumption is correct.
Abduleng Aminu says
sir please is this full bridge circuit work and tested.100% working??
Swagatam says
Abduleng, I have presented the concept after doing some intense research on the net, now it's upto the readers to decide whether it will work or not
shahid siddique says
Where is the sechmatic
Swagatam says
you can use any standard IC SG3525 circuit and just replace its mosfet stage with the above shown full bridge mosfet stage…for example you can try the the circuit which is show here and combine its output with the above explained full bridge circuit:
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5MczDv9jutw/V8gay8cFAkI/AAAAAAAAOlQ/YuRggQiaD2cj3y78UFFObZx358Y8GOUSQCLcB/s1600/sg3525.png
Prathamesh Chipkar says
Hello Sir,
I am working on Full Bridge Inverter Circuit using IGBTs where the DC Voltage is not constant at the input, I wanted to know about the protection circuits which must be designed to avoid any damage.
Swagatam says
Hello Prathamesh, which cirucit are using using? is it using the IRS based full bridge driver? please provide the schematic details….if it's an IRS based driver, then yo can use its SD (shut down pinout for the protection feature…for other info you can study the following article:
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/09/mosfet-protection-basics-explained-is.html
Prathamesh Chipkar says
Thank you Sir, the link was very helpful. Also needed some help with Overvoltage and Overcurrent Protection Circuits. Will you please tell me the devices which must be used to protect the inverter from sudden fluctuations where the output of the inverter is 1.4kW with a nominal input voltage of 200V and maximum input voltage 250V?
I'd appreciate any information you could give me.
Swagatam says
Prathamesh, since the inverter is being operated using a battery there cannot be any fluctuations, but an overload (overcurrent) could cause problems, for which you can use the shut down pinout of your full bridge IC to protect the system.
Silverman says
Sir I think your high side and low side GATEs are incorrect position or connection. Am I right?
Swagatam says
Nope, I have already explained the reason in the above comment….
Silverman says
Thank you sir. I got now the idea of the bootstrapped implemented in your diagram. I already made your previous 1kw full bridge inverter and its fully functional. I'm now using it in my house to drive my appliances.
I will test this new inverter diagram and I will let you know sir.
Thank you very much sir for being helpful to us as a hobbyist.
Swagatam says
You are most welcome Silverman, all the best to you!
Silverman says
Hello sir.. good news! I finally build your design, and it's fully working. The output from the MOSFETs is 13.5vac using 12vdc/100ah battery. The output from the transformer is 240vac. My question is why 13.5vac output but my supply is 12vdc.?
I'm using IRF3205, my transformer build is 220v-12v with 60hz.
Swagatam says
That's great silverman…I appreciate it a lot.
where exactly did you find 13.5V?
check it across drain/source terminals of the mosfet, you wlll find it to be around 6V,,,,that's the average value due to the ON/OFF cycles of a 12V supply
Silverman says
Thanks for the reply sir. My bad.. I forgot my basic voltage check. I put my test probe across to the connector of 12v windings of transformer and I got AC readings at 13.5vac.
It is now partially completed inside the wooden box. And I also made a changeover circuit and I Incorporate it to your design.
Silverman says
I checked again the drain/source as instructed, the drain/source voltage is 6.75V. I double checked the schematics and it's properly oriented. And it's all components are soldered in PCB.
Evans mworeh says
Silverman, please help me with the diagram you buit including any changes you made so that I can implement it really to my project,I will really appreciate.
Swagatam says
that's wonderful, thanks for posting this valuable info!!
Ugoeze Akuekwe says
Hello sir in this post the pulse from the ic is not configured in a diagonal form as your other full bridge configurations , is this oversite or the correct configuration for this sequence?
Swagatam says
Hello Ugoeze, it's because of the presence of the BC547 transistors which invert the signal for the upper mosfet making sure that the only the diagonal mosfets are triggered at any instant during the osculations.
Louis says
Hello swagatan, please can ic sg3524 be used for this design? I can’t find sg3525 here in my location.
thanks
Swagatam says
Hi Louis, yes it can be used
Davtech says
Pls sir, can i get a more modified H bridge circuits. with Ac input for charging
Swagatam says
will try to get, if possible….