Mobile Studio Activity #8

Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2

Introduction
Transfer functions are particularly useful for alternating current first- and second-order circuit
analysis because they provide the relationship between the input and output of a system in terms of
frequency. Bode Diagrams are used to graphically represent the gain of a circuit (in decibels) as a
function of frequency. Both tools are often used to inspect and/or calculate whether a system acts as a
high-pass or low-pass filter.

Procedure
The protoboard configuration for this lab is shown in the
image to the right. Green and orange wires were connected on both
sides of each device of the RLC circuit (one at a time), and
measurements were taken using the Bode Analyzer tool from the
LabVIEW Launcher software designed for use with Mobile Studio
cards. Data was then imported into Microsoft Excel and plotted.

Another protoboard used for this lab was configured as is

illustrated in the image to the left. Readings from the Mobile Studio
Desktop software were taken while the potentiometers were both
adjusted so that the peak to peak voltage across the circuit inputs
was no greater than 5mV. Then a multimeter was used to obtain the
resistances of both potentiometers.

Analysis
A transfer function for a port is the ratio of the output voltage divided by the input voltage. By
converting a circuit to its s-Domain impedances, transfer functions for a series RLC circuit can be
evaluated using these impedances instead. For second-order circuits like the one used in this lab,
transfer functions in the s-Domain follow the form . Bode Diagrams are obtained by
converting these expressions into their decibel equivalents. Cutoff frequencies are found where the gain
is ⁄√ . The distance between the cutoff frequencies is defined as bandwidth, and is equal to ⁄ .
Second-order circuits will respond at their natural resonant frequency, which can be calculated by
evaluating the impedance of the circuit as a function of . Analytical proof shows that this
frequency is √ ⁄ .

Mathematical analysis of circuits like the second one used in this lab illustrate that inductance
can be measured indirectly as a function of certain resistances within the circuit. The evaluation for this
special circuit resulted in an inductance with an error of only 2mH. The resistance of the inductor was
also calculated, and the result was only off by 1Ω.

Page 1
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2

Conclusion
Transfer functions and Bode Diagrams are invaluable tools used by Electrical Engineers for AC
transient circuit analysis. Using transfer functions, circuits can be treated as systems of ports where each
port has a specific input/output relationship. The results from this kind of analysis can then be plotted
on Bode Diagrams as frequency responses, which allow engineers to inspect the circuits for high- and
low-pass filtering.

Page 2
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2

Data
R1 L1
1 2
500 1mH
V1
VOFF = 0 PARAMETERS: C1
VAMPL = 0.5 F = 1k 10u
FREQ = {F}

Transfer Function for Resistor

( ) ⁄
( )
( ) ⁄ ⁄ ⁄

( )

( )
( )( )

( )

Transfer Function for Capacitor

( ) ⁄ ⁄
( )
( ) ⁄ ⁄ ⁄

( )

( )
( )( )

Page 3
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2

( )

Transfer Function for Inductor and Capacitor

( ) ⁄ ⁄
( )
( ) ⁄ ⁄ ⁄

( )

( )
( )( )

( )

Resonant Frequency
( ) ⁄

( ) ⁄

( ) ( ⁄ )

Page 4
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2

R2
10k
C2 R4
22u 1k
V2
VOFF = 0
VAMPL = 0.5
FREQ = 1k

A1+ A1-

R3 R_coil
1k ?

L_coil

LX and RX of Unknown Inductor

⁄ ( ) ⁄

Page 5
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2
Figure 1 - LabVIEW: Bode Gain Analysis for Resistor

Bode Gain Analysis for Resistor

2

-2

-4
Gain (dB)

-6

-8

-10

-12

-14
10 100 1000 10000 100000
Frequency (Hz)

Figure 2 - LabVIEW: Bode Phase Analysis for Resistor

Bode Phase Analysis for Resistor

100

80

60

40
Phase (deg)

20

-20

-40

-60

-80
10 100 1000 10000 100000
Frequency (Hz)

Page 6
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2
Figure 3 - LabVIEW: Bode Gain Analysis for Inductor

Bode Gain Analysis for Inductor

0

-10

-20
Gain (dB)

-30

-40

-50

-60
10 100 1000 10000 100000
Frequency (Hz)

Figure 4 - LabVIEW: Bode Phase Analysis for Inductor

Bode Phase Analysis for Inductor

120

100

80
Phase (deg)

60

40

20

-20
10 100 1000 10000 100000
Frequency (Hz)

Page 7
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2
Figure 5 - LabVIEW: Bode Gain Analysis for Capacitor

Bode Gain Analysis for Capacitor

10

-10

-20
Gain (dB)

-30

-40

-50

-60

-70
10 100 1000 10000 100000
Frequency (Hz)

Figure 6 - LabVIEW: Bode Phase Analysis for Capacitor

Bode Phase Analysis for Capacitor

20

-20
Phase (deg)

-40

-60

-80

-100

-120
10 100 1000 10000 100000
Frequency (Hz)

Page 8
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2
Figure 7 - LabVIEW: Bode Gain Analysis for Inductor and Capacitor

Bode Gain Analysis for Inductor and Capacitor

5
0
-5
-10
-15
Gain (dB)

-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
-45
10 100 1000 10000 100000
Frequency (Hz)

Figure 8 - LabVIEW: Bode Phase Analysis for Inductor and Capacitor

Bode Phase Analysis for Inductor and Capacitor

100
80
60
40
20
Phase (deg)

0
-20
-40
-60
-80
-100
-120
10 100 1000 10000 100000
Frequency (Hz)

Page 9
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2
Figure 9 - PSPICE Simulation: Bode Analysis for Resistor
500mV

450mV

400mV

350mV

300mV

250mV

200mV

150mV

100mV
10Hz 30Hz 100Hz 300Hz 1.0KHz 3.0KHz 10KHz 30KHz 100KHz
V(R1:1,L1:1)
Frequency

Figure 10 - PSPICE Simulation: Bode Analysis for Inductor

400mV

350mV

300mV

250mV

200mV

150mV

100mV

50mV

0V
10Hz 30Hz 100Hz 300Hz 1.0KHz 3.0KHz 10KHz 30KHz 100KHz
V(L1:1,C1:2)
Frequency

Page 10
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2
Figure 11 - PSPICE Simulation: Bode Analysis for Capacitor
500mV

400mV

300mV

200mV

100mV

0V
10Hz 30Hz 100Hz 300Hz 1.0KHz 3.0KHz 10KHz 30KHz 100KHz
V(C1:2,0)
Frequency

Figure 12 - PSPICE Simulation: Bode Analysis for Inductor and Capacitor

500mV

400mV

300mV

200mV

100mV

0V
10Hz 30Hz 100Hz 300Hz 1.0KHz 3.0KHz 10KHz 30KHz 100KHz
V(L1:1,0)
Frequency

Page 11
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2
Figure 13 - MATLAB Plot: Bode Gain Analysis for Resistor

Figure 14 - MATLAB Plot: Bode Gain Analysis for Capacitor

Page 12
 Mobile Studio Activity #8
Adam Steinberger Electric Circuits Section 2

Figure 15 - MATLAB Plot: Bode Gain Analysis for Inductor and Capacitor

Page 13