It doesn’t matter which pin you hold against each terminal. Never use a multimeter if the rubber around the pins has damage or tears since you could risk electrocuting yourself.
For example, if the AC power source has 120 V, then your formula would be 120/√(2) = 84. 85 V in a DC signal.
Voltage drop may cause electronics not to work if there are not enough volts running through it.
You can buy transformers and perfboard from an electronics supply store or online. If you want to raise the voltage, then you can use a step-up transformer instead.
The diamond pattern of the diodes is known as a bridge rectifier and allows the circuit to transfer the positive and negative outputs of the AC signal. You can buy diodes from an electronics supply store or online. Make sure the diodes are pointing in the right directions or else the current won’t be able to flow through them. You can use hot glue to secure the diodes to the perfboard if you want, but it’s not required.
The wires from the transformer will supply power to the circuit. Make sure the wires have firm connections to the diodes or else the current won’t be as strong. It doesn’t matter which wire you attach to each corner.
The leads connected to the left and right carry the DC signal away from the rectifier.
You can buy solder and a soldering gun from your local hardware store.
You can buy capacitor filters from an electronics store or online. You can solder an additional wire to the ends of the capacitor filter if you want to run wires to a device. You don’t need a capacitor filter on your circuit, but if you don’t have one, the current running through it won’t be consistent.
Be extremely careful connecting the circuit to power since it could shock or electrocute you depending on the current’s strength.
You can also attach a DC-powered lightbulb to the wires on your capacitor filter to see if it lights up. If the light stays on consistently, then the converter worked.
