When viewing the signal on the oscilloscope, where do you connect the ground clip of the scope probe?

Also, note that if a linear regulator has to drop the voltage from 24V to 5V, that is a 19V drop and the regulator will run very hot when supplying any appreciable amount of current.

 

Your right. I understand that however I am only driving an atmel microcontroller that draws very little current and a couple of LEDs.

 

I looked at your drawings both of which show a transformer in the circuit. I believe I tried a 1:1 transformer without a center tap and still only got a half wave. However what I am ultimately trying to do is put mains voltage through a full wave bridge rectifier and convert it to DC. Can't get full wave with that.
Thanks.

 

However what I am ultimately trying to do is put mains voltage through a full wave bridge rectifier and convert it to DC. Can't get full wave with that.

(1) Without a transformer your circuit could KILL you! Be aware that transformerless supplies are a banned topic here, according to the Terms of Service. (2) If your bridge rectifier doesn't give full wave rectification it is either dead or incorrectly wired.

 

Then you are doing something wrong.

Take a transformer secondary winding with no center tap. Connect to a bridge rectifier. The output is full wave rectified signal measured across the bridge.

 

However what I am ultimately trying to do is put mains voltage through a full wave bridge rectifier and convert it to DC.

And ultimately that will bring this discussion to a close since it is in violation of the Terms of Service of AAC.

 

My mistake. Your correct that the ac must come through a transformer and not necessarily center tapped.
Thank you.