EE 201: Electric Circuits

Fall 2011

LAB 1 MEASUREMENT OF SIMPLE DC CIRCUITS DUE DATE: 09/06/11 OR 09/07/11

Objective: This lab will familiarize you with the digital multi-meter and the measurement of voltage and current. Students will also be exposed to series and parallel circuits (including voltage dividers and current dividers). The lab will culminate in the students designing and building a simple light sensor.

Experiment 1 Measuring DC Voltages

1. Set up the digital multi-meter (DMM) as a voltmeter. This will involve both pushing the appropriate buttons and connecting the DMMs leads (one of which is red, and the other black) to the appropriate terminals on the DMM. In some DMMs, the terminal to which the red lead should be connected is red itself and/or is labeled HI or V. The terminal where the black lead should be connected is black itself and/or is labeled LO or COM. If you do not see these markings, ask your TA for help. If there is a DC/AC button on the voltmeter, set it to DC since only DC (constant with respect to time) voltages and currents will be measured in this experiment. To measure a voltage between two points, a voltmeter must be connected across the two points so that it can sense the potential difference between them. Referring to Fig. 1, if you want the potential of point K with respect to point L, you need to connect the red terminal of the voltmeter at K and the black terminal at L. You should not disconnect anything in the circuit under measurement in order to measure a voltage. 2. Connect the - terminal of the power supply (PS) to the PSs ground terminal and turn on the PS. Connect the black DMM lead to the - terminal of the PS and the red lead to the + terminal. Measure the voltage of the PS for various settings of its voltage knob. For a reliable measurement, you should set the voltmeter to an appropriate measurement range. The range must be one for which the maximum measurable voltage is higher than the voltage you are trying to measure. Also, the range should be such that a sufficient number of decimal places are shown in the voltmeter display; for our purposes, two decimal places are enough. Many current DMMs have automatic ranging features, so you may not need to worry about this. 3. Set the PS voltage to 5 V and record the reading of the DMM. Then, without changing the PS and DMM settings, interchange the connections of the DMMs leads at the PS and record the new

Switch PS R

K Voltmeter

V
L

Figure 1: Schematic to be used in Experiment 1.

EE 201: Electric Circuits

Fall 2011

reading. How are the two readings related? Why? 4. Set up the circuit shown by the sold lines in Fig. 1, all parts can be found in your lab kit. The value for the resistor should be 10 k. The switch shown is not part of the PS; you should use the stand-alone switch that can be found in your lab kit. Set the PS voltage to 3 V. Now attach the voltmeter, as shown by the dashed line, and measure the voltage of point K with respect to point L, with the switch open and with the switch closed. Now measure the voltage of point L with respect to point K again for the switch open and closed. Relate this reading to the previous one and explain.

Experiment 2 - Measuring DC Currents

1. You will prepare for measuring the current through the resistor. First, disconnect the DMM from the preceding circuit, leaving the rest of the circuit connected. Configure the DMM as an ammeter. This will involve both button pushing and selecting the appropriate DMM terminals for connecting the red and black leads. In some DMMS, these terminals may be the same as those used for voltage measurements; in others, the red lead may have to be connected to a separate terminals, which may be labeled A. To measure a current at a given point in the circuit, you need to break the connection at that point and insert the ammeter in series. To measure the current in a given reference direction, you need to make the current enter the ammeter at the red lead, go through the ammeter, and exit from the black lead. 2. Consider again the circuit sown in Fig. 1. Suppose you need to measure the current in the wire that connects the switch to the upper terminal of the resistor, in the direction from left-to-right. To do so, break that connection, and insert the ammeter in series with the element, as shown in Fig. 2(a). Remember to think about where the red and black leads should be connected. Ideally, since the ammeter acts as a short circuit, it is just a piece of wire as far as the circuit is concerned and does not influence the circuits operation. Nevertheless, the current of the resistor now flows through the ammeter and can be measured. Measure the current i1 indicated in Fig. 2(a). Keep the switch in the off position until you are ready to do this measurement, and then switch it to the on position. When finished with this step, return the switch to the off position. 3. Without changing the setting on the PS and the DMM, you will now prepare to measure the current i2, indicated in Fig. 2(b). Notice that the circuit is still the same; only the reference
Ammeter Ammeter

A Switch PS i1 i1 R PS Switch i2

A i2 R

(a)

(b)

Figure 2: Schematics to be used in Experiment 2.

EE 201: Electric Circuits

Fall 2011

direction for the current has been changed. What should you change in how the ammeter is connected in order to measure i2? If you are not sure, reread Step 1. Now measure i2. Compare your reading to that of i1 obtained above and explain what you find. Why is one current negative? What is the meaning of a negative current? Hint: think about passive sign convention.

Experiment 3 Measuring I-V Characteristics

1. The behavior of resistive circuit elements can be represented by a plot on the voltage-current (IV) plane. This plot is usually called an I-V characteristic. For most resistive devices, there is a unique value of I for each value of V, and vice-versa. To measure I versus V, hook up the circuit shown in Fig. 3, using a resistor of 10 k. The arrow through the PS symbol is used to emphasize that the PS voltage is variable. Two DMMS are used, one set up as a voltmeter and the other as an ammeter (if two DMMs are not available, you can use a single DMM as an ammeter and the display on the PS as the voltmeter). Notice that, as before, the voltmeter is connected in parallel with the element whereas the ammeter is connected in series with the element. Think carefully about where the red and black leads of the DMM(s) should be connected to measure the voltage and current with the polarity and direction indicated in the figure. Vary the PS voltage and record the voltage and current for a voltage range of -5 V to +5 V taking data every 1.0 V. For negative voltage values, you may need to reverse the + and - terminals on the PS, so that the - terminal of the PS is now connected to the switch, and the + terminal to ground. The PSs display will still be showing a positive value, however, the voltage across the resistor will now be negative and if you have a separate voltmeter connected across the resistor, you should notice a change of sign in its reading. Use Matlab or a similar program to plot your measured I vs. V making sure to label your axis. What is the slope of the resulting line? How does it relate to the value of the resistor? 2. Now for a bit of destruction. All of the resistors in your kit are rated for -watt of power dissipation. Select a 100 resistor from your lab kit, measure the exact resistance, and connect it directly to the 20 V power supply using your circuit board. Starting at 0 V, begin increasing the supply in 1 V increments. At each step, determine the current flowing through the resistor (by

Ammeter

A Switch PS i1 R V

Voltmeter

Figure 3: Schematic to be used in Experiment 3.

EE 201: Electric Circuits

Fall 2011

dividing applied voltage by the resistance) and the power being dissipated by the resistor. As you increase the voltage (and consequently the current), note the following points: where can you feel the resistor becoming hot with your finger? BE CAREFUL! You can burn yourself on a hot resistor. Once you feel it becoming hot, do not touch it again. At what point can you smell it becoming hot? At what point does the resistor burn out? After the resistor burns, try and measure the resistance again. What is the value? If it is different, why do you think that it changed? Remember the heat and the smell. In the future, when you feel hot components or can smell melting plastic, bad things are usually happening and you should turn off the power supply to your circuit. If you need to dissipate higher powers in resistors, you must use components with higher power ratings. Of course, higher power resistors are more expensive. Controlling the dissipation of heat (i.e., power) is a big part of practical electronic circuit design.

Experiment 4 A Series Circuit

1. Construct the series circuit shown in Fig. 4. Use values of 10 k and 3.33 k for R1 and R2, respectively. Set the PS voltage to 10 V. Measure the voltages VS, V1, and V2. To measure the voltage across an element, remember that you will need to connect the voltmeter in parallel with it; you should not break any connections to measure the voltages. Verify that these voltages satisfy Kirchhoffs voltage law: . This circuit is also known as a voltage divider. Using Ohm's Law verify that V2 satisfies the following equation: . The mathematical analysis can be done after lab if desired. Does your measured value for V2 match your calculated value?

+ VS -

R1

+ V1 + V2 -

R2

Figure 4: Circuit to be used in Experiment 4.

Figure 5: Circuit to be used in Experiment 5.

EE 201: Electric Circuits

Fall 2011

Experiment 5 A Parallel Circuit

1. Construct the parallel circuit shown in Fig. 5. Use values of 10 k and 3.33 k for R1 and R2, respectively. Measure the currents i1, i2, and i3. Do not change the PS voltage during these measurements. Think of which connection you need to break in each case to insert the ammeter and where its red and black leads must be connected. Verify that the currents satisfy Kirchhoff's current law: . As discussed in lecture, this circuit is also known as a current divider. Using Ohm's law, verify that I2 satisfies the following equation: . The mathematical analysis can be done after lab if desired. Does your measured value for I2 match your calculated value?

Experiment 6 Design of a Resistive Light Sensor

1. Sensors are devices that convert nonelectrical physical quantities to electrical quantities to facilitate measurements using electronic circuits. One type of sensor is the photoresistor; this is a resistor whose resistance depends on the intensity of the light shining upon it. Verify this property with the ohmmeter, using the photoresistor found in your lab kit. What is the resistance when exposed to ambient light from the room? What is the resistance when completely covered with your finger? 2. Now you are asked to design a light sensor. Propose a circuit that produces a voltage that varies with the light intensity in the room. Hook the circuit up and try it out. Think of ways to make the circuit sensitive. Demonstrate the circuit to your lab instructor. Hint: A voltage divider will be useful for this.

Reporting
Prepare a report discussing your calculations and measurements. Specifically, be sure to address all of the underlined questions above.