CHAPTER 2

Direct Current Indicating Instruments

1

Suspension Galvanometer
It is a device used to detect and measure small current in the circuit.
Principle: -A current carrying coil placed in a magnetic field
Experiences a torque
Construction: - It consists of a narrow rectangular coil having a large number
of turns of copper wound on a non-metallic frame. It is suspended between the
semicircular poles pieces of powerful horseshoe magnet by mean of a
suspension wire made of phosphor bronze with a needle or pointer attached to
it. A cylindrical soft iron core is fixed within the coil. This makes the magnetic
field linked with coil to be radial. At the lower end, coil is attached to a fine
spring. Lamp and and Scale arrangement is used to measure deflection
Fig:

which is
given as
T
d
(
d

W
h
e
r
e

e
f

e
c

ti
n
g

t
o
r
q
u
e
)
=
N

2 Torque and Deflection of the Galvanometer

When the current I is passed through the coil, it experiences a torque

I
A

B = magnetic field, and

Due to this torque, coil starts rotating. So the suspension wire gets twisted and a restoring
torque is developed in the suspension wire made of Phosphor bronze. The restoring torque
continues to increase and stage reaches when restoring torque becomes equal to the
deflecting torque.
At equilibrium
Defecting Torque = Restoring Torque
or controlling torque
Td=Tc
NIAB
=k

n
o
o
f
t
u
r
n
s

A=
area o
coil

Where is the angle by which the coil is rotated and k is the restoring torque per unit
angle
.
Therefore
I = k / NBA = G
Where G = k / NBA is called galvanometer constant.
I
Hence current is directly proportional to the angle by which the coil rotated. Also light
from lamp falls on the mirror gets deflected and falls on the scale. When current passes
the mirror moves and light spot moves on the scale.

Permanent .Magnet moving coil mechanism (PMMC)

In PMMC meter or (DArsonval) meter or galvanometer all are the same
instrument, a coil of fine wire is suspended in a magnetic field produced
by permanent magnet. According to the
Fundamental law of electromagnetic force, the coil will rotate in the
magnetic field when it
Carries an electric current by electromagnetic (EM) torque effect. A pointer
which attached the Movable coil will deflect according to the amount of
current to be measured which applied to the coil. The (EM) torque is
counterbalance by the mechanical torque of control springs attached to the
movable coil also. When the torques are balanced the moving coil will
stopped and its angular deflection represent the amount of electrical current
to be measured against a fixed reference, called a scale. If the permanent
magnet field is uniform and the spring linear, then the pointer deflection is
also linear.
4

Galvanometer Sensitivity
Sensitivity: - A galvanometer is said to be sensitive, if it give large
deflection, even when a small current is passed through it or a small voltage
is applied across its coil.
Current Sensitivity:-It is defined as the deflection produced in the
galvanometer on passing a current of one ampere. i.e.
Current Sensitivity =
Voltage Sensitivity: - It is defined as the deflection produced in the
galvanometer when a potential difference of one volt is applied its coil.
Voltage Sensitivity =

DC Ammeters

Indirect D.C Ammeter:

Have to determine values of Ra,Rb and Rb to measure different range of

currents

DC Voltmeters

Voltmeter Sensitivity

Voltmeter- Ammeter method

This is very popular method for measurement of medium resistances since instruments
required for this method are usually available in laboratory. The two types of connections
employed for ammeter voltmeter method are shown in figure. In both the methods if
readings of ammeter and voltmeter are taken then we can measure value of resistance by
using formula:

The measured value of resistance Rm, would be equal to the true value R, if the ammeter
resistance is zero and the voltmeter resistance is infinite, so that the conditions in the circuit are
not disturbed. But in actual practice this is not possible and hence both methods give inaccurate
results.
Consider circuit of figure (a):

In this method ammeter measures the true value of current flowing through resistance but
voltmeter does not measures the true value of the voltage across the resistance. the voltmeter
indicates the sum of the voltage across resistance and ammeter.
Let Ra be the resistance of the ammeter

It is clear from the above equation that the error will be small if the value of the measuring
resistance is large as compare to the internal resistance of the ammeter .therefore circuit should
be used when measuring resistances are high.
Consider circuit of figure (b):

voltmeter ammeter method

In this circuit the voltmeter measures the true value of the voltage across the measuring
resistance but the ammeter does not measures the true value of the current flowing through the
resistance .the current through the ammeter is the sum of the current through the voltmeter and
resistance.

Let Rv be the resistance of the voltmeter.

From the above equation it is clear the true value of the resistance will be equal to the measured
value only when the voltmeter resistance is equal to the infinite. However, if the resistance of the
voltmeter is very large as compared to the resistance under measurement:

Series type Ohmmeter

10 Shunt type Ohmmeter

11 Millimeter or VOM Calibration of Dc Instruments:this is a instrument is used to measure

current ,voltage and Resistance.