Design and Construction of an AC to DC Converter for Charging Electronic Devices That can be Used as Instructional Material in a Physics Classroom Setting: A case of A Physics Classroom

This project focused on the design and construction of a functional cell phone charger that converts alternating current (AC) from the mains supply into regulated direct current (DC) suitable for charging mobile phones. The project was motivated by the need to develop a simple, affordable, and locally constructed instructional material that can be used to demonstrate practical applications of electricity and electronics in the physics classroom (Bano et al., 2024). The charger was designed using basic electronic components, including a step-down transformer, rectifier circuit, filter capacitor, voltage regulator, and output charging interface. The AC voltage is stepped down to a lower voltage, converted from AC to DC through rectification, filtered to reduce fluctuations, and regulated to provide a relatively stable DC output suitable for a mobile phone charging circuit. The completed device was tested to determine its functionality, output voltage stability, and suitability for instructional purposes (Low et al., 2018). The project demonstrates important physics concepts such as alternating and direct current, electromagnetic induction, voltage transformation, rectification, filtering, regulation, electrical energy conversion and basic electronic circuit operation. The constructed charger can therefore serve as a practical instructional material that enables learners to connect theoretical concepts with real-life applications through observation, experimentation, and hands-on learning (Van Cutsem et al., 2020). The project recommends the use of locally designed electrical devices in physics classrooms to enhance learners' conceptual understanding, practical skills, problem-solving abilities, and interest in physics and electronics.

Design and Construction of an AC to DC Converter

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