XLIX

Engineering Design Firm

9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223

Transmittal
Date: Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Section: ENGR 1201 – 023

To: Prof. Latta

Sam Bultman

From: Alex Dalberth

Subject: Electrical Circuit Project Laboratory Report

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☐ Report - Draft ☐ Test Data Sheet ☐ Extra Credit
☒ Report - Final ☐ Other: Enter Other Item

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 Electrical Circuit Project Laboratory Report

ENGR 1201-023

Prof. Latta
Sam Bultman

Prepared by:
Alex Dalberth

Test Date: 09/19/2018

Date submitted: 09/25/2018

Include on all assignments submitted for this course:

I have neither given nor received any unauthorized help on this assignment, nor witnessed any violation
of the UNC Charlotte Code of Academic Integrity.

Date: September 25, 2018

Abstract
The purpose of this exercise was to design and test a circuit to achieve certain voltage values at given
points (nodes) on a circuit. This was done by computing the voltage drop between nodes, calculating
the equivalent resistance, and configuring the given resistors in such a way that they provided the
necessary equivalent resistance. The results of this lab were successful because the measured voltages
at each of the nodes was within the tolerable range of 5%. The conclusion was that the calculations
were correct, the measured values were acceptable and that the circuit worked.

Introduction
For this lab, students were given a specific circuit to solve. There were different nodes with different
voltage drops that must be achieved for the given circuit to work. The values of these voltages were
18V, 15.31V, 12.71V, 4.91V and 0V. The student’s goal was to use electrical engineering knowledge
learned in class to correctly place given resistors to construct a circuit and achieve the given voltage
values using a breadboard.

Students were each given 25 resistors, broken up into groups of five of each of the following values: 220
ohms, 330 ohms, 2,200 ohms, 3,300 ohms, and 10,000 ohms. After using electrical engineering
knowledge like Ohm’s Law, students arranged the resistors in such a manner that the correct voltage
drop was achieved across each measurable node.

The resistors each had a gold band, which meant that in quality control testing, the sample batch was
within five percent of the stated rating. It was assumed that the resistors given were also within five
percent of the stated rating. It was also assumed that there was no resistance from the wires or
breadboard used to construct the circuit.

Theoretical analysis
Electricity is the passage of electrons through a material. Electricity has three main components:
voltage, current, and resistance. Voltage is the “push” of electrons down a certain path. It is measured
in volts (V) and is a common measurement of how much electricity something draws. Current is the rate
of flow of electrons down that path. It is measured in amperes or amps (A) and is a common
measurement for how deadly an electrically charged object is. Resistance states how difficult it is for
electrons to move down that path. It is used to determine how much electricity an object may use and
can be artificially added to the circuit to make sure that the voltage drops and amperes are safe for the
appliances using them. It is measured in ohms. They combine to make relationships and equations like
Ohm’s law, which states that the current passing through a circuit is proportional to the voltage over the
resistance.
If a material, like copper, allows electrons to move freely, then it is said to have a low resistance, which
means that a lower voltage can get the same current than if it had a high resistance. Resistors use a thin
copper wire wound around a ceramic rod to precisely resist the flow of electrons. The thin wire means
that electrons bump into each other more instead of just heading down the wire. This high resistance
gained from having electrons bump into each other rather than flowing down the wire increases the
resistance, which hinders the flow of electrons, or current, and lowers the voltage received at the other
end.

This relationship between current, voltage and resistance can also be seen in Ohm’s law which is given
as

𝑉 =𝐼×𝑅
1

where V is voltage, I is amperage, and R is resistance.

Experimental Apparatus and Procedures

To complete this experiment, the first step was to determine the values of all of the voltage drops
between the measured nodes. To do this, the previous voltage was subtracted from the voltage value at
the node. This gave the voltage drop. The voltage drop then be divided by the current (0.0009A) to find
the equivalent resistance. Once the equivalent resistance was known, the resistors could be arranged in
such a way that their total resistance matched that of the equivalent resistance. The 4-band color chart
was used to find the total resistance of each resistor.

Table 1. Resistor Values

Using the table above, it was determined that the values of the resistors given in this experiment were
220 ohms, 330 ohms, 2,200 ohms, 3,300 ohms, and 10,000 ohms with a 5% tolerance.

With the calculations done and all unknowns known, all that was left to do is to see how everything fit
together. Resistors can be combined in series and in parallel to give different resistance values. With
the goal of getting closest to the equivalent resistance with the provided resistors, the resistor
combinations are crucial. (See below work and examples)

Equivialnt resistance for

resistors in parallel:

Equivilant resistance for

resistors in series:

Figure 1. Resistor Configurations

Example calculations:
Δ𝑉1 = 18𝑉 − 15.31𝑉 = 2.69𝑉 (2.1)
𝑉 2.69𝑉
𝑅𝑒𝑞1 = = = 2988Ω (2.2)
𝐼 0.0009𝐴
Solution: 2200Ω + 220Ω + 220Ω + 330Ω = 2970Ω (2.3)
1 1 −1
Alternate Solution: (3300 Ω + 10000 Ω) + 220Ω + 330Ω = 3031.2Ω (2.4)

Once the placement of the resistors has been calculated, the resistors can be placed onto the
breadboard, and then the breadboard can be used as a guide to create the schematic. An example
schematic is provided below.
12.71V 4.91V

220 220 330 3300 3300 2200

13.43V

220

2200

10000

15.31V
330 2200

220 3300

220 0V

2200
DC
18v
0.0009A

Figure 2. Example Schematic

Results

Table 2. Results table

Theorectical experimental Percent

values values 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 − 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 difference
∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
Node 1 15.31 15.30 (15.31 − 15.30) 0.065%
∗ 100
15.30
Node 2 13.43 13.48 (13.43 − 13.48) 0.37%
∗ 100
13.48
Node 3 12.71 12.78 (12.71 − 12.78) 0.54%
∗ 100
12.78
Node 4 4.91 4.92 (4.91 − 4.92) 0.203%
∗ 100
4.92
Node 5 0 0 (0 − 0) 0.0%
∗ 100
0
Discussion
The results achieved proved a successful result. The success of the lab demonstrated proper knowledge
of basic electrical theory. There were some differences between the actual value and the theoretical
due to manufacturing tolerances in the resistors and assuming that the only resistance came from the
resistors. Some resistors may have been able to be placed in different configurations to achieve voltage
drops closer to the actual values, but the configurations used in the tests provided results that were
within the acceptable ranges with very few resistors. Fewer resistors allowed for fewer points of error
and less overall cost for the project.

Conclusion
The lab was a success. The goal was to design and implement a circuit with specific voltage drops using
specific resistors, and that goal was achieved.
Reference
1201 Faculty, "Electrical Circuit Project," (Pre Class readings, ENGR 1201 Canvas Site, UNC Charlotte,
Charlotte, NC, accessed September 15, 2017).
“Electric Current.” n.d. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Accessed September 25, 2018.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/electric-current.
“Electrical Resistance.” 2018. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. August 11, 2018.
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_resistance.
"How Do Resistors Work? What's inside a Resistor?" Explain That Stuff. July 18, 2018. Accessed
September 25, 2018. https://www.explainthatstuff.com/resistors.html.
“Physics for Kids.” n.d. Ducksters Educational Site. Accessed September 25, 2018.
https://www.ducksters.com/science/physics/ohms_law.php
"Voltage." Wikipedia. June 30, 2018. Accessed September 25, 2018.
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage.