BMEN 3120 Biomedical Circuits and Instrumentation Laboratory Fall 2016

Lab 1: Introduction to Circuits and Instrumentation

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Contents
Introductory concepts ................................................................................................................................ 1
Exercise 1. Breadboards ............................................................................................................................. 3
1.1 Understanding nodes and rails......................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Equivalent circuit .............................................................................................................................. 6
Exercise 2. Basic measurements ................................................................................................................. 8
2.1 Measuring resistance ....................................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Building your first circuit and measuring voltage............................................................................. 8
2.3 Measuring current and verifying Ohms law .................................................................................... 9
Things to remember ............................................................................................................................. 10
Exercise 3. Finding an unknown resistance .............................................................................................. 11
Exercise 4. Multisim simulation ................................................................................................................ 12
4.1 Getting started ............................................................................................................................... 12
4.2 Circuit simulation ........................................................................................................................... 12
Exercise 5. MATLAB simulation ................................................................................................................ 12

Introductory concepts
In today's high technology world, the biomedical engineer is faced with the design and analysis of an
increasingly wide variety of circuits and systems. However, underlying all of these systems at a
fundamental level is the operation of direct current (DC) circuits. The ability to analyze and simplify
such circuits is central to the understanding and design of more complicated circuits. Furthermore, the
measurement of DC circuit quantities, i.e. voltage, current and resistance, are the most fundamental
measurements that need to be made quite frequently. In this introductory lab, you will learn how to
build simple resistive circuits with DC sources and take basic measurements. You will also be
introduced to a circuit simulation tool called MutiSim and review MATLAB, which we will use
throughout the course.

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For the first few weeks of this course, we will mostly use the National Instruments Educational
Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite (NI ELVIS), which is a prototyping platform that integrates
several instruments including oscilloscope, digital multimeter, function generator, etc. Later in the
course, we will also work with a few other instruments.

We will now very briefly go over the some of the key terms such as voltage, current, resistance, etc.

The concept of electric charge is the basis for describing all electrical phenomena. This charge is
bipolar, meaning that electrical effects are described in terms of positive and negative charges. The
electric charge exists in discrete quantities (in integral multiples of the electronic charge, 1.6022 x 10-19
C). Electrical effects are attributed to both the separation of charge and charges in motion.

In circuit theory, the separation of charge creates an electric force (voltage) and the motion of charge
creates an electric fluid (current). Voltage is analogous to pressure of a liquid or gas whereas current is
analogous to its flow. Resistance, as the name suggests, is simply a measure of how much an object
opposes the passage of charges. The units of voltage, current and resistance are Volts (denoted V),
Amperes (denoted A) and Ohms (denoted ), respectively.

A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical resistance as a

circuit element. Resistors act to reduce current flow, as well as to
lower voltage levels within circuits. The voltage drop across a
resistor is proportional to the current owing through it, and is
modeled by Ohms Law. The relationship between the voltage
and current can be written as,
1 = 1 . 1
The equivalent circuit model can be represented as in Figure 1.

Figure 1

For example, if a 5 mA current flows through a resistor of 10 k, then the voltage drop across the
resistor will be 5 mA x 10 k = 50 V. It is very important to remember that the voltage drops in the
direction of the current flow, as the electrons flow from a higher potential to lower potential.

Every electric circuit requires a source of power, which is usually the battery. To drive the current
around the circuit, the battery undergoes a discharging process that converts chemical energy into
electric energy that eventually gets dissipated as heat in the resistor. In this lab, you will use constant-
voltage sources that will deliver power to the electric circuit. These voltage sources will be assumed to
maintain a pre-specified voltage difference across their terminals at all times.

You do not need to write a formal report for todays lab. Fill in the worksheet as you go through the
exercises and just submit the completed worksheet after you finish (you can scan or take pictures of
any circuits you draw). However, make sure you save a copy of the worksheet and review it to prepare
yourself better for the subsequent labs (as well as the exams).

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Exercise 1. Breadboards
The purpose of this activity is to familiarize with solder-less breadboards, which you will use
throughout this course to build all your circuits.

A breadboard is used to build and test circuits quickly before finalizing any circuit design. The
breadboard has many holes into which circuit components like integrated circuits (ICs) and resistors
can be inserted. The holes are most commonly spaced 0.1 apart to accommodate standard
components. A typical breadboard that includes top and bottom (or left and right) power distribution
rails is shown in Figure 2. The breadboard has strips of metal sockets which run underneath the board,
connecting groups of holes on the board.

Figure 2

To use the bread board, the leads of components are inserted into the holes. Each set of holes
connected by a metal strip underneath forms a node. A node is a point in a circuit where two or more
components are connected. For example, in Figure 3(a), the five holes denoted a, b, c, d and e in row 1
are all internally connected. The holes denoted f through j in row 1 are also connected to each other
but not to holes a through e. Figure 3(b) shows how the power rails (or bus strips) are connected.

(a) (b)
Figure 3

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1.1 Understanding nodes and rails
Read the following questions and write the answers in Table 1 in page-5.

1.1(a) When you see a circuit diagram, remember that a node is simply a point in a circuit. Two or
more points connected by a wire is considered as a single node. Examine the circuit diagrams
in Figure 4 and state how many distinct nodes there are in each of the circuits.

Figure 4(a) Figure 4(b)

1.1(b) Examine the breadboard shown in Figure 5 and state how many distinct nodes there are. How
many of these nodes are power rails?

Figure 5 Figure 6

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1.1(c) Now examine the breadboard with wires and resistors shown in Figure 6 and state how many
distinct nodes and power rails there are.

1.1(d) Examine the breadboard in your ELVIS board and state how many distinct nodes and power
rails there are (excluding the two Terminal Strips on the left and right sides).

Figure 7(a) Figure 7(b)

1.1(e) Consider the circuit diagram in Figure 7(a), where a 5 V battery is connected across a resistor.
If youre trying to build this circuit in your ELVIS board, you need to first place a resistor
between two different nodes, e.g. between nodes a and b in Figure 7(b). Which nodes in the
Left Terminal Strip should you connect these points to? You dont need to build the circuit.

1.1(a) Number of nodes in Figure 4(a) =

Number of nodes in Figure 4(b) =
1.1(b) Number of nodes in Figure 5 =
Number of power rails in Figure 5 =
1.1(c) Number of nodes in Figure 6 =
Number of power rails in Figure 6 =
1.1(d) Number of nodes in ELVIS board =
Number of power rails in ELVIS board =
1.1(e) Node a connects to __________________ in the ELVIS board
Node b connects to __________________ in the ELVIS board
Table 1

Once completed, show your answers to the TA/instructor.

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1.2 Equivalent circuit
Build the following circuit on your ELVIS breadboard in exactly the same way as shown. Use random
values of resistors and capacitors. While the resistors have no polarity , the capacitors usually do (one
of the legs has a negative sign next to it). Do not turn on the power of the ELVIS board.

Figure 8

Once youve built it, your goal is to draw an equivalent circuit diagram (in a manner similar to Figure
4). As you can see, two of the nodes in the circuit are connected to the +5V supply and the GROUND in
the Left Terminal Strip. If you examine the circuit closely, you should be able to conclude that this
entire circuit has a total of only four distinct nodes that matter (there may be other nodes that have no

BMEN 3120 Introduction to Circuits and Instrumentation Page 6

significance; this will be clear once you start examining the circuit). Figure 9 shows a blank layout of
these four nodes. You need to find out where the resistors and capacitors are connected. For example,
the negative end of the capacitor denoted C1 is connected to node-C (as well as the GROUND); you
have to find out which node its positive end connects to, and draw the capacitor in between C and that
node. Use the notations R1, R2, , etc. since you are using arbitrary resistor values.

You will perform the following three steps and check with your TA/instructor after each step. Do not
alter the circuit in the first two steps.

a) At first, draw a neat equivalent circuit diagram showing all six resistors and two capacitors.
b) Then examine the circuit and try to find out which of these components are redundant or
insignificant. Redraw the circuit without the redundant components.
c) Now take out all the redundant wires and components out of the circuit such that the reduced
circuit is still equivalent to the original one.

Figure 9

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Exercise 2. Basic measurements
In this exercise, you will build a simple resistive circuit with one voltage source, learn how to measure
the three basic electrical properties (i.e. voltage, current and resistance) and verify Ohms law.

2.1 Measuring resistance

a) Pick resistors that have nominal values (NV) of 1 k and 2.2 k.
b) Use the NI ELVIS II's Digital Multimeter (DMM) to measure their actual resistances (MV) and fill
in Table 2 (ask your TA or see Exercise 1.1 from http://www.ni.com/white-
paper/13559/en/#toc2 to learn how to make the required connections).

c) Calculate the percentage error as, 100%
d) Also use the handheld multimeter to measure the resistances and fill in Table 2.

Resistor Nominal Value Using DMM Using Handheld

(NV) Multimeter

Measured Value Percentage Error Measured Value

(MV)

R1 1.0 k

R2 2.2 k

Table 2

2.2 Building your first circuit and measuring voltage

a) Using the two resistors you just measured, build the following circuit (Figure 10) on NI ELVIS II's
breadboard. Use the +5V power supply.

Figure 10

b) To measure the voltage drop across a circuit component (i.e. the voltage difference between the
two nodes across the component), the voltmeter must be placed in parallel across that
component in question. The above figure shows how the voltage (V2) across R2 can be measured
using the voltmeter function of the DMM (check http://www.ni.com/tutorial/13559/en/#toc4
for more details on where to connect them). Fill in Table 3.

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 Voltage Using DMM Using Handheld Multimeter

V1 (across R1)

V2 (across R2)

Table 3

c) Also, try to figure out how to use the handheld multimeter to measure this voltage. Next
measure the voltage, V1 (across R1). Fill in Table 3.

d) Measure the voltage V0. Note that V0 is the supply voltage whose nominal value is 5V. It should
also be equal to the sum of V1 and V2 since the voltage across multiple components in series is
simply the sum of the voltages across the individual components. Fill in Table 4.

Voltage Nominal Measured Percentage V1 + V2

Value (NV) Value (MV) Error

V0
(across 5V
R1 and
R2 in
series)
Table 4

2.3 Measuring current and verifying Ohms law

We will now measure the current passing through the circuit you built (there is just one current, I,
flowing through this circuit since there is a single loop). While the voltage across one or more
components can be measured without breaking the circuit, the measurement of current has to be
performed in series and requires you to break the circuit. For example, consider the circuit shown in
Figure 11(a), and suppose that we wish to measure the current, I. In order to do so, we must place the
ammeter in series with the resistor, R, as shown in Figure 11(b).

Figure 11

a) Measure the current, I in your circuit (you can check Exercise 1.3 from
http://www.ni.com/white-paper/13559/en/#toc4 to learn how to use the ammeter function of

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 the DMM to measure the current). Also, try to figure out how to use the handheld multimeter to
measure this current. Fill in the second and third columns of Table 5.
b) According to Ohms law ( = ), the current through a resistor is the ratio of the voltage
across it and its resistance. You can verify this law from your measurements. Fill in Table 5 (use
the measured values of R1, R2 and V0 instead of the nominal ones).

Current Measured Value Value Calculated using Ohms Law

Using Using V1/R1 V2/R2 V0/(R1+R2)

DMM handheld
multimeter

Table 5

Things to remember
When you pick a resistor for building a circuit, do not just rely on the labels on the component
drawers, or even on the color codes (which give you the nominal values, as described in the next
exercise). Measure them using a multimeter to ensure you have the right value. From this point
on, you can use either the ELVIS or the handheld multimeter for measurements.
For all your calculations, use the measured resistor and supply voltage values for more accurate
estimations rather than the nominal values as you have seen there is almost always an error.
Remember that a voltage between any two nodes of a circuit can be measured simply by touching
the two probes of the voltmeter to these nodes. But when measuring current, you have to break
the circuit and allow the current to pass through the ammeter.

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Exercise 3. Finding an unknown resistance
You will be handed one or more unknown resistors and asked to find their values without using the
multimeter as an Ohmmeter (i.e. directly measuring the resistance).

a) First, you will use Ohms law to find the resistance (by measuring the voltage across and
current passing through the resistor and taking the ratio). However, you SHOULD NOT
connect the 5V power supply directly across it. Because if the unknown resistor is too small (in
several ohms range), the resulting current can be very high and damage the components. Try
to think of a configuration (using one or more known resistors) to ensure that the current
through the resistor does not exceed 10 mA, regardless of the value of the unknown resistor.
In the first row of Table 6, briefly describe how you measured the unknown resistor. Also,
explain it to the TA/instructor.

How did you measure the

unknown resistor using
Ohms law and what value
did you get?

What colors do you see on

the resistor? What value
do they imply and how?

Table 6

b) Next, you will examine the color codes of the resistor and deduce its value (fill in the second
row of Table 6).

The value of the resistor is marked on

the body using colors (in 4-band or 5-
band code). To determine the value of
a given resistor, look for the tolerance
band (which is a little farther from the
other bands) and rotate the resistor as
in the diagram in Figure 12
(http://www.digikey.com/en/resource
s/conversion-calculators/conversion-
calculator-resistor-color-code-4-band).
Examine the diagram and find the
value of the resistor.

Figure 12

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Exercise 4. Multisim simulation
NI Multisim is an electronic schematic capture and simulation program. This simulation and circuit
design software gives engineers the advanced analysis and design capabilities to optimize performance
and reduce design errors. In this exercise, you will learn how to simulate simple circuits using it.

4.1 Getting started

a) Launch the software NI Multisim 14.0 (or whichever version is available in the lab PC). Click
File > New > Blank > Create to create a new design.
b) Click Place > Component or click the components toolbar to open a window that lists a wide
range of circuit elements.
c) Under the Group: Sources, if you select POWER_SOURCES >
DC_POWER, you can place a DC voltage source in your design (you
can find resistors under the Group: Basic).
d) Construct the circuit from Exercise 2.2 (Figure 10). Once youve
placed the components, just click the mouse from one component to
another to layout the wires. Double-click the components to change
their values. Also attach a ground to your circuit as shown
(POWER_SOURCES > GROUND).
e) Under the Group: Indicators, you can find voltmeters and ammeters
(in the top of the right toolbar, there is also a Multimeter element,
which you can use to measure current, voltage or resistance).
Connect a voltmeter across R1. Your schematic should look Figure 13
something like Figure 13.
f) Now click the green Run button on the toolbar (or press F5) to simulate the circuit. The
voltmeter will display the voltage across R1.

4.2 Circuit simulation

Now simulate the following circuit (Figure 14) in Multisim and measure and . Take a screenshot of
the simulation displaying the values of and .

Figure 14

Exercise 5. MATLAB simulation

Please refer to the separate worksheet for MATLAB Tutorial.

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