Lab #2 Analysis of Simple Resistive Circuits

Submitted by: 22 September 2012

Abstract: This basis of this experiment was to simulate real world examples of a voltage divider, current divider, and resistor network. The circuits were built on a breadboard and a power supply was used to generate the current and voltages needed for the experiment. All values were then measured with a multimeter, and each circuit was then simulated using NI Multisim software. The most challenging part of this experiment was the lack of familiarity with the components and equipment. The author spent several hours using a trial by error approach to create the circuit, and measure the voltages, resistance, and current. The fuse needed for the current measurement was blown, but this was not discovered for quite some time. Once the fuse issue was identified and the fuse was changed, there was still no measurable current in the current divider circuit. The final problem was too high of a current range setting on the multimeter. Once the range value was corrected, all experimental current results were recorded. An error analysis was conducted and the experimental values were closer than expected to theoretical values. Overall, this lab contained excellent examples that reinforced the theory of the topics covered in class.

Table of Contents
I. Introduction:.............................................................................................................................4 II. Methodology:..........................................................................................................................4 III. Results:..................................................................................................................................6 IV. Theory & Simulations:..........................................................................................................7 V. Conclusion & Recommendations:..........................................................................................8 VI. References:............................................................................................................................9 Appendix A Multisim Simulations..........................................................................................10 12 13 14 15 Appendix B Breadboard Photos..............................................................................................16

I. Introduction:
This experiment will simulate examples of a voltage divider, current divider, and resistor network. The circuits will be built on a breadboard and all values will be measured with a multimeter. The experimental results will be compared with the theoretical models discussed in class. Each circuit will be simulated using Multisim software and an error analysis will be conducted to compare experimental results to theoretical values.

II.

Methodology:

Overview In this experiment, three circuits were constructed on a breadboard. The circuit shown in Figure 1 is a voltage divider. The voltage Vs was 10 volts, R1 was a 10k ohm resistor, and R2 was a 1k ohm resistor. The no-load circuit was tested for resistance The R2 resistor was then replaced with a 10k ohm resistor and tested again for resistance. R2 was again replaced with a 100k ohm resistor and tested again for resistance.

Figure 1: Voltage Divider Circuit. The voltage divider circuit was then connected to voltage source, and three load resistances were connected and voltage was measured. A 2.2k ohm, 10k ohm, and 1M ohm resistors were placed into the position of RL and tested. In Figure 2 below, a current divider circuit is shown. A 1k ohm resistor was placed in series with a voltage source of 10 volts. The resistor value of R1 was 10k ohms; the resistor value of R2 was 100k ohms. The current was measured at i1 and i2 to experimentally determine if Kirchhoffs current law was satisfied experimentally.

Figure 2: Current Divider Circuit. The final circuit constructed can be seen in Figure 3. A resistor network with parallel and series resistor values shown below was created. The circuit was tested to determine if the experimental equivalent resistance Rab across terminals a and b matched the theoretical value. The voltage source was applied and the current at i was measured. This portion of the experiment contained a task to determine if Rab was equal to (5/i) ohms.

Figure 3: Resistor Network. Procedure The circuits were constructed one at a time, and photos were taken of the setup. The previously mentioned multimeter was used to measure all ohm, volt, and current values. Resistance and voltage values were obtained across terminals, or across resistors. The current measurements were taken by breaking the circuit in the desired location, and using the multimeter to complete the circuit. This requirement was used to set up the breadboard, so jumper wires could be easily removed and replace with the leads of the multimeter. It would be advisable to theoretically determine the voltage and current values, so the proper range on the multimeter are selected. It is also advisable to measure the current of a known source to verify the multimeter is working.

III. Results:
The results of the voltage divider circuit are shown in Tables 1 through 3. In Table 1, the no-load determination of voltage at the specified resistance values had good agreement between experimental and theoretical results at the higher resistance levels. There was a -13% error in the value at the lowest resistance value. Use tables when necessary. Include theoretical values, simulated values, and experimentally measured values. Percent error calculations should be performed comparing the experimental data to the simulated and theoretical data. Explain what the results mean and why you got them.

Table 1: No-Load Voltage Divider Voltage Results.

R1 () 10k 10k 10k R 2 () 1k 10k 100k Vo Experimental (V) 0.79 4.92 9.08 Vo Theoretical (V) 0.909 4.997 9.083 % Error -13.10 -1.50 -0.03

The experimental resistance values determined in Table 2 also had good agreement with the theoretical values.

Table 2: No Load Voltage Divider Resistance Results.

R1 () 10k 10k 10k R 2 () 1k 10k 100k Experimental () 10940 19200 109,100 Theoretical () 11000 20000 110000 % Error -0.55 -4.00 -0.82

The finite load resistance simulation results are shown below in Table 3. The experimental and theoretical results have excellent agreement. As the meter-load resistance values are increased, the voltage increased. As the load resistance in parallel with the 2nd resistor in increased, it lowers the value of the 2nd resistor, which lowers the total sum of the voltage divider.

Table 3: No-Load Voltage Divider Voltage Results.

R1 () 10k 10k 10k R 2 () 1k 10k 100k R L () 2.2k 10k 1M Vo Exp (V) 1.50 3.31 4.91 Vo Theoretical (V) 1.528 3.332 4.973 % Error -1.83 -0.66 -1.27

The results of the current divider circuit are shown in Table 4. There is excellent agreement with experimental and theoretical results. Kirchhoffs current law is satisfied experimentally. The voltage source is 10 volts and the Req for the circuit is 10,090.9 ohms. Using ohms law, the power developed by the circuit is square volts divided by resistance. Therefore, the total power generated by the source is 9910 microwatts. The total power of the source is equal to the total power dissipated by the resistances by, 9910 982 8117 811 = 0.

Table 4: Current Divider Current Results.

Currents i1 i1 i2 Experimental (mA) 985 895 90 Theoretical (mA) 991.2 900.6 90.6 % Error -0.63 -0.62 -0.66 Power (uW) 982 8117 811

The results of the final experiment can be found in Table 5.

Table 5: Resistor Network Results.

Value Current i Rab Experimental 984 mA 4970 ohms Theoretical 994.8 mA 5025 ohms % Error -1.09 -1.09

IV. Theory & Simulations:

Theory There was good agreement between the experimental and theoretical values on all experiments, except for the voltage on the no-load voltage divider. The result was measured several times, but the value did not change. It is unclear why this result is so far off of the theoretical value. The current divider experiment validated what was expected from theory. Eq. 1 P =,, -2.- / .

Simulations Each of the circuits were simulated in Multisim. There was a steep learning curve, but after a few hours, the circuits became fairly easy to build using the software. There were no discrepancies. All of the simulation data can be found in the appendix.

V.

Conclusion & Recommendations:

Conclusion These were excellent experiments to learn the background of a voltage divider, current divider, and resistor network. Recommendations Simulate the results before trying to build the breadboard circuits.

VI. References:

Nilsson, James and Susan Riedel. Electric Circuits. Boston, Prentice Hall, 2011

Appendix A Multisim Simulations

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Appendix B Breadboard Photos

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