ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

Basic Measurements Lab

In this lab experiment we will be investigating some of the techniques to measure basic
circuit properties such as resistance, voltage, and current. First, let us look at some
theory about the quantities that we will be measuring.

Current: The flow of electrons. Quantitatively, current is the number of electrons

flowing through a point in the circuit per second. The Amp is the unit of current and one
Amp is equal to one Coulomb of charge per second.

Voltage: Voltage is a convenient way of saying “electrical potential.” A non-zero

voltage may exist across any circuit element except a “perfect” wire. The unit of voltage
is the Volt.

Resistance: A circuit characteristic that opposes the flow of current. The unit of
resistance is the Ohm, symbolized by Ω.

I R

+ V -
Figure 1 Resistor Circuit Symbol.

A good analogy is to think of water flowing through a hose. The water flowing through
the hose is the current, the water pressure is the voltage, and the resistance is
equivalent to the nozzle setting on the end of the hose. When the nozzle is wide open,
lots of water (current) flows, but it comes out with little water pressure. If you try to put
your finger over the end of the hose, the water squirts farther (faster flow) because you
have increased the pressure drop (voltage) by increasing the resistance to the flow of
water. Figure 1 shows the circuit symbol of a resistor with its voltage, current and
resistance relationships.
Ohm’s Law

Ohms Law gives the relationship between voltage, V, the current, I, and the resistance,
R, in a circuit element. Mathematically, Ohm’s Law is

V V
V = IR or I = or R = (1)
R I

1
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

Lab Equipment
The Multimeter

The multimeter is a basic circuit laboratory tool used to measure voltage, current, and
resistance. This tool will become your best friend in the laboratory due to its endless
versatility. There are two common types of multimeters, digital (DMM), and analog
(AMM). Although we will be using a digital multimeter throughout this course, much of
the following discussion applies to analog multimeters as well. The multimeter, or meter
for short, is connected to the circuit under test via two or four leads (or probes). The
leads usually have a male banana connection on one end, which plugs into the meter.
The other end can have either a “grabber” type connection such as an alligator clip, or a
bare metal tip much like the point of a pencil. The meter leads are normally color-coded,
one red and one black. It is standard practice to connect the black lead to the negative
(or reference) jack on the meter, and the red lead to the positive jack. While the meter is
colorblind and does not care if you color-code your leads, it is good practice and will
save your time and effort when using the meter. The value indicated by the DMM is
determined by reading the digital value on the face of the meter.

Warning: Due to the display limitations of the LCD readout on the DMM, the
symbol “M” means milli, or 10-3 when displaying Amps or Volts, and mega, or 106
when displaying Ohms.

The function buttons determine which variable the DMM will measure: volts, amperes or
ohms. DC volts and amperes measurement functions, typically labeled VDC and ADC,
are available on most DMMs. Some meters also provide a measurement function for
time-varying signals, usually labeled VAC and AAC, which are collectively known as
“alternating current” (AC) signals. The AC notation indicates that the signal changes
periodically with time. The DC notation is used to indicate that the signal has a constant
magnitude over time. This experiment uses a widely accepted vernacular to describe the
three standard functions on AnalogMMs and DigitalMMs. Ohmmeter identifies an
instrument used to measure resistance. Ammeter and voltmeter, as you might suspect,
describe instruments used to measure current and voltage. These terms are often used
in reference to a multimeter that is set to the specific function described by the term. The
scale switch is used to set the sensitivity (or range) of the AMM. Typically, DMMs can
measure voltage, current, and resistance on several different scales, with the capability
of making measurements spanning three or more decades. In our case, the meter is
auto ranging and will go to the scale best suited for the measurement by itself.

The Power Supply

The power supply is used to produce a variable DC output voltage between ±20V in our
case. Figure 2 shows a front panel view of a power supply.

2
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

+6 +20 com -20

0-6V 0-20V

Figure 2 Front Panel of the DC Power Supply.

The power supply as shown in Figure 2 is a triple output power supply. It is

capable of producing an output of 0V to 6V, 0V to 20V or negative 20V to 0V. Which of
these output ranges you use depends on how you connect the power supply to your
circuit. There is a selector dial on the left side of the power supply (not shown in
schematic) to select which of the three ranges will be displayed on the analog meters
shown on the front of the power supply. It is important to note that you should not
depend on those analog displays for important data. Use them only as a gauge and
measure the output of the power supply with the DMM to be more accurate. The dials
on each of the lower corners of the power supply adjust the output voltage for their
specific ranges. If you want to use the 6V scale of the supply, connect up your circuit
between the +6V and common (com) connection points. If you desire to use the 20V
scale, connect your circuit between the +20V and com connections. For the –20V scale,
use the –20V and com connections. This is a floating power supply. That means that
the output of the power supply is not directly connected to earth ground inside the power
supply. That is the reason for the extra earth ground connection on the supply. If you
wish for the output of the supply to be connected to earth ground, simply connect a wire
between the earth ground connection point and the com point on the supply. You should
note that the three scales operate independently of one another and you may use all
three outputs simultaneously even though you will only be able to see one of them on
the analog meters on the supply. For the sake of completeness, the tracking dial allows
you to adjust the ratio between the +20 and –20 volt scales. You would use this if you
needed to simultaneously have +12V and –18V supplies for instance.

Real Important: The outputs of the power supply are between the +6V and
COM, the +20V and COM and the -20V and COM terminals. The terminal depicted
by the ground symbol is earth ground. COM is not connected to earth ground.
You must connect COM to earth ground by a wire.

Protoboard

The protoboard or breadboard as they are commonly called is a tool used for
constructing and testing a circuit. Don’t let the size of the protoboard fool you. Even
small protoboards can accommodate surprising large and complex circuits. Skill at
using a protoboard should be an item found in every practicing engineer’s toolbox. A
protoboard is shown in Figure 3.

3
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

V VB V VB
A A

Figure 3 Protoboard Pinout. Figure 4 Protoboard Connections.

The protoboard will either be your best friend or worst enemy. It is a friend because it
allows you to easily and neatly fabricate complex circuits. It can be an enemy if you
forget how the protoboard is connected. It can also be an enemy because protoboards
are easily damaged resulting in bad connections. The damage usually occurs when
something too big is plugged into the connection points. The connections on a
protoboard are easy to remember. See Figure 4 for a protoboard with the internal
connections shown with a thick black line. The three banana type connections on the
top of the protoboard are for the convenience of connecting power or other inputs to the
protoboard. They are not connected to anything else on the board unless you make the
connection yourself with a wire. The strips along both vertical sides of the protoboard
are common. This means that the points in the first column on the left as shown in the
figure are connected internally. Therefore any wire inserted in column 1 will share a
common node with any other wire inserted in column 1 no matter which row you select.
The same is true of column 2. However, column 1 and 2 are not connected. The same
connections apply to the 2 columns on the right side of the protoboard. These columns
or strips are usually used as power or ground busses when building circuits. The two
large groups of points in the middle of the protoboard are where you would place the
majority of your circuit components. Each horizontal row of 5 points is common to itself,
but not connected to any other group of 5 points. This means that the two groups of five
points in any row are not connected across the divide that runs vertically through the
center of the protoboard. Also, the each horizontal group of 5 points is not connected to
the 2 vertical columns that run vertically on the sides of the protoboard.

4
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

Measuring Voltage, Current, and Resistance

Voltage is measured across a component. That means you connect the DMM leads in
parallel with the component for which you would like to measure the voltage. Figure 5
shows this.
R1
A
+

Vs R2 R3 DMM VAB

-
B

Figure 5 Measuring Voltage with the DMM.

In Figure 5, the DMM is connected to measure the voltage across the resistor R3. This is
labeled as VAB in the figure. When two subscripts are used to identify a voltage, the first
subscript the to point and the second is the from point. So VAB is the voltage from point B
to point A. Another way to say this is that VAB is the voltage at A with respect to B. This
voltage can be negative or positive depending on where point A and B are. If a voltage
has only one subscript, it is the voltage at that point relative to ground. When measuring
voltage with a DMM, be sure that the probes are connected between the voltage
measurement terminals, the upper and middle terminal, and the proper setting for either
AC or DC measurement has been selected. The voltage terminals on a meter will
usually be labeled. In the case of our DMM, it is labeled as a 300V maximum input
between the voltage input terminals. This means the maximum voltage that you can
measure between the voltage inputs is 300V before the meter is destroyed with lots of
smoke resulting.

Warning the second most common way of “breaking” a DMM is

to leave the meter set on resistance or current while attempting a
voltage measurement. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!
Current is measured through a component. Current is measured by placing the meter in
series with the path of the current being measured. This is shown in Figure6.
R1
A
DMM

Vs R2 R3

B
IAB

Figure 6 Measuring Current with the DMM.

5
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

Figure 6 shows the DMM connected to measure the current flowing through the resistor
R3. This is labeled as IAB. This current is from point A through the resistor to point B.
The measured current can be positive or negative depending on the circuit. You usually
can not measure current through a component from A to B. So, when measuring
current, you have to actually break a connection in the circuit, and insert the meter in
series where the break was made. Changing circuit connections like this should always
be done when the power is turned off. On our DMM, current is measured between the
lower and middle inputs and we can measure up to 10A. The voltage and current
measurement inputs on the DMM share a common point (the middle one). This is the
reference connection for voltage measurement. When current comes out of this terminal
the meter will indicate that it is positive current. When measuring current, be sure that
the current button has been selected for either AC or DC current measurement.

Warning: The most common way to “break” a DMM is while

attempting to measure current. Typically the meter is switched to
current and then the probes are connected across a resistor or some
other passive component. DO NOT DO THIS! The impedance of the
DMM is about 0.1 ohms or less for the 10 Amp setting. Most passive
components have more than 1 volt across them. 1V / 0.1 ohms is 10
Amps. The meter will try to draw large currents if the voltage you
mistakenly measure is greater than 1. This will either burn out a
component in the circuit under test or “break” the DMM. Always
remember a current measurement should probe ‘across’ the point in
a circuit where a zero ohm impedance is normally seen. A great
example: a wire. This is because current is a through variable. You
should not think of measuring the current across a component. Think
of measuring current through one of the leads into or out of the
component. End of sermon.
Resistance is measured similar to voltage and by the same terminals on the meter. It is
measured across two points. Resistance cannot be measured with a DMM when power
is connected to the circuit or you will break the meter. So to measure equivalent
resistance between two points, turn off the power supply and replace it with a short
circuit. This is shown in Figure 7.

R1
A

R2 R3 DMM RAB

Figure 7 Measuring Equivalent Resistance with the DMM.

6
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

In Figure7, the DMM is connected in parallel with resistor R3. Since there are other
resistors connected to the same points (A and B), the DMM will measure the total
resistance between the points, A and B. If it is desired to measure only the resistance of
R3, then R3 must be removed or at least on terminal must be separated from the circuit.
This is shown in Figure 8.
R1
A

R2 R3 DMM R3

Figure 8 Measuring the Resistance of a Resistor.

The resistance being measured in Figure 8 is the resistance of R3 since R1 and R2 are
now isolated from point A. Be sure the resistance button has been pressed on the DMM
when measuring resistance. Also note that resistance does not have a polarity
associated with it so RAB = RBA.

Things to Remember when Measuring Voltage, Current or Resistance

1. Voltage is measured with the probes in parallel with the component. Across.
2. Current is measured with the probes in series with the component. Through.
3. Resistance is measured the probes in parallel with the components. Across.
4. Resistance is measured with the power off.
5. Select the correct function on the DMM before the probes are connected.
(Voltage, Current, or Resistance).
6. Be aware of what you are measuring: an elements resistance or an equivalent
circuit resistance.

Instructional Objectives
1.1 Measure the resistance of a resistor using the DMM.
1.2 Measure the DC voltage across using the DMM.
1.3 Measure the DC current through with the DMM.
1.4 Determine the resistance of a resistor by reading the color bands.
1.5 Determine the resistance of a resistor using Ohm’s law.

Procedure
1. We would like to know the resistance of several resistors. Why bother measuring
since they are color coded with the resistance values, right? Well yes, but not
very accurately. Remember that the last band tells us the tolerance of the
resistor. So a 10kΩ resistor with a tolerance of 5% will most likely have a value
between 9,500Ω to 10,500Ω. The 5% tolerance tells us that 1 standard deviation

7
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

of the resistors will be within 5% of the listed value. If you happen to pick one
resistor that is on the low end and one on the high end, you could have two
resistors that are marked the same but whose values differ by 10%. Get 5
resistors from your TA and record their labeled resistance value and tolerance
values. Check the validity of your Ohmmeter and probes using the “2 wire Ω”
setting on the DMM. This means touch the two probes together and see what
resistance is reported. The DMM should read about an Ohm. Measure the
resistance of each of the resistors to the nearest Ohm with the DMM. Record
your data in Table 1. You do not need to compensate for the resistance of just
the DMM. Make sure that each lab partner has an opportunity to measure this
important electrical quantity. Now measure the value of the smallest resistor with
4 probes and the “4 wire Ω” setting. Do this by connecting the 2 upper terminals
to one resistor lead and the two middle terminals to the other resistor lead. Do
not connect them together at the meter and use only one probe for this
measurement.

Warning: Avoid touching your skin to both probe tips while measuring
resistance. The resistance of your body will affect the reading. Use
alligator clips to hold the resistor if possible.

Labeled Resistance Measured Resistance Labeled Tolerance

(Ω) (Ω) (%)

Table 1 Measured and Labeled Resistance Data.

2. Set the function switch on the DMM to DC Voltage.

3. Turn on the power supply and turn the output all the way up. Observing proper
polarity, measure the maximum output of the supply using the +20V outputs.
Turn the output all the way down and measure the minimum output from the
+20V output. Record your data in Table 2.

4. Repeat step 3 for the +6V and –20V outputs.

8
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

Maximum Output Minimum Output

Output Setting
Voltage Voltage

+20V

+6V

-20V
Table 2 Output Voltages of the DC Power Supply.

5. With the power supply off, connect the COM (ground) terminal from your power
supply to the black post of the protoboard. I recommend using the black wire for
this connection. Connect the positive (+20V side of the power supply) to the red
post. I recommend using a red wire for this connection. Using wire with the ends
appropriately stripped, make a connection from each post to a different vertical
column running down the sides of the protoboard. This will serve as the positive
and ground bus. Insert your resistor into the middle area of your protoboard
being sure that both ends of your resistor are not connected to the same group of
five points since they are shorted together by design. With a jumper wire,
connect one end of the resistor to the positive bus and one end to the ground
bus. This can be done by inserting the jumper wire into the same group of five
points on the protoboard that one end of the resistor is inserted, and the other
end into the column of the positive or ground bus. My setup for this is shown in
photos 1 and 2.

Photo 2

Photo 1

9
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

Warning: If the current needle on your power supply pegs (maximum

value), immediately turn off your power supply and correct the problem,
most likely a short from positive to ground.

6. Set the DMM for DC voltage measurement and connect the leads across the
resistor (Photo 2). Turn on the power supply and adjust the power supply
voltage to be 10V. Record the actual value of the voltage across the resistor to
the nearest hundredth of a volt. Turn off the power supply and remove the
jumper wire that connects the ground end of the resistor to the ground bus
leaving one end of the resistor floating or connected to nothing. Turn on the
power supply and measure the voltage across the resistor.

Vresistor (Connected to V+ and GND) ____________________

Vresistor (Connected to V+ only) ____________________

7. Construct the circuit shown in Figure 9 on your breadboard using one of your
resistors.

I
VS = _______________ R VR
DC

Figure 9 Circuit to measure current.

8. Measure the value of VS using the DC voltage setting on your DMM like in photo
2. Remove the measurement leads from the resistor. Now configure the DMM to
measure current (push Amps DC setting and use the middle and bottom inputs
for current). Measure the current through your resistor (Photo 3). Don’t measure
the current across the resistor because that doesn’t make any sense. It also
usually blows something up. Turn off the power, replace the resistor with another
one, turn on the power
supply and again measure
the current. Do this for each
of your five resistors and
record the data in Table 3.
You can measure the
voltage that appears across
each resistor if you want to.
It should not change from
test to test. Make sure each
of the lab partners has an
opportunity to change the
circuit and measure current.
Photo 3

10
 ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

Labeled Resistance Measured Current Calculated Resistance

(Ω) (mA) (Ω)

Table 3 Measured Current Data.

9. In step 8 you determined the resistance by an indirect measurement since you

measured the voltage across and the current through the resistor. Using Ohm’s
Law and the values of voltage and current you measured in step 8, calculate the
resistance of each of your resistor and enter them in table 3. If the resistance is
more than 5% different from the nominal value, you may have made a measured
error in step 8. If this is the case, take this opportunity to redo step 8. It is also
possible that you got a real resistor that is really an outlier.

10. Obtain a mystery resistor from the TA. Using the protoboard, construct a circuit
that will allow you to measure the voltage across the resistor and the current
through it. Record these values.

VmysteryR ____________________ImysteryR ____________________

11. As verification, measure the resistance of the mystery resistor directly with the
DMM.

RmysteryR ____________________

Post Lab Questions

1. Explain why there is still a resistance reading on the DMM even when the two
leads are shorted together. What does the 4 wire measurement do for you?

2. In this lab, you got different resistance values depending on the method of
measurement. Explain the possible origins of any error in these resistance
values.

3. What range of resistance values would you expect to measure if a resistor had
bands of brown-black-green-gold?

11
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

4. Compare the calculated resistance of each resistor using table 3 to the values
you measured in step 1. Use the resistance measured resistance from step 1 as
the reference or true value of resistance. Calculate the percent error for your
indirect resistance measurements.

5. Calculate the percent difference in the two methods you used to determine the
value of the mystery resistor.

6. Explain what happened in step 6 when you removed one end of the resistor from
the power supply COM terminal.

12
ECE 170 Lab #1 Basic Measurements

Name: ____________________ Section: ____________________

Digital Oscilloscope Pre-Lab

Figure 1: Oscilloscope Screen for Problem 1.

1. The oscilloscope screen displayed in Fig. 1 has the following properties:

V/div setting = 1V/div
S/div setting = 1mS/div

a) What is the frequency of the signal?

b) What is the trigger level setting on the oscilloscope?

c) What is the trigger slope setting on the oscilloscope?

d) Recalling trigonometry, the equation of a wave of this nature is given as

v(t) = VMAX sin(ωt) + VDC.

What is the equation of the above wave with the variables changes to
values?

2. What does a 10:1 oscilloscope probe do?

13