Experiment -3

Aim: Introduction to Instruments.

A. DMM-Digital Multimeter

A multi-meter is used to measure not only the voltage across an element in the circuit, but
also the current passing through an element. Voltage can be measured by connecting a multi-
meter in parallel with the element. On the other hand, current can be measured by connecting
a multi-meter in series with the element.

Fig.1 Block diagram of a DMM

List of Different Terminals on DMM

1. V. mV.  measuring terminal

This is the positive input terminal for all functions except current measurements.
Connection is made to it using a red test lead.
2. COM Common input terminal

This is the negative (ground) input terminal for all measurement modes. Connection is
 made to it using a black test lead.
3. A. mA measuring terminal

This is the positive input terminal for current measurement up to 500 mA. Connection is
made to it using a red test lead.
4. A measuring terminal

This is the positive input terminal for current measurement up to 10 A.

5. POWER Switch and FUNCTION Switch.

This rotary switch turns on and off the power and selects the functions of measurement.
6. RANGE button

This button is used to select between manual and auto range mode. Pressing this button
for 1 second or more results in auto mode (“AUTO” appears on the display).
7. SELECT button

In mV, A, mA, A measurements, it is used to select dc or ac type of the measurements.

8. DATA HOLD button

When this button is pressed, the data display at that time is hold (“H” is seen on the
display).

Connection of DMM for different Measurements

1] Voltage measurement: Connect the DMM in parallel across the resistor to measure
voltage.

2] Current measurement: To measure current, it is connected in series.

3] Resistance measurement: It is connected in parallel to the resistor

B. DC Power Supply

Fig. 2 Block Diagram of a Power Supply

Fig. 3 Front panel of a Power Supply

The block diagram and the front panel of a power supply has following openings.

1 The power knob switches on the circuit.

2 The voltage knob is used to change the value of voltages as per our requirements.
3 The generated voltage and current is visible on the display.
The following gives the steps to use a dc power supply.
1. Turn on the power button.
2. Connect power cables to the + and – position of channel (where a red wire is
connected to +, and a black wire is connected to –).
3. Adjust the voltage at the voltage knob until the display shows the value that is needed.
Since there may be error in the voltage value, a voltmeter should be used to measure
the output voltage for higher precision.
4. Connect the power cables to your circuit.

Note: Be careful that the power wires + and – do not touch each other. Otherwise, the circuit
will be short, spark, and that can severely damage the equipment and the circuit.

C. CRO – Cathode Ray Oscilloscope

A CRO is a versatile instrument that can be used to measure voltage, time intervals, and the
phase angle between two sinusoidal voltages of the same frequency. It is also used as a visual
display of waveforms, and in more advanced CROs to display signals that occur only for
short intervals of time.

There are 8 vertical divisions and 10 horizontal divisions indicated with grid lines. A standard
screen size is 8 cm by 10 cm. The screen is coated with phosphor that emits light when struck
by the electron beam. The slope of the rising phase varies with the frequency of the sawtooth
and can be adjusted, using the TIME/DIV control, to change the scale of the X-axis. Dividing
the oscilloscope screen into squares allows the horizontal scale to be expressed in seconds,
milliseconds or microseconds per division (s/DIV, ms/DIV, µs/DIV). Alternatively, if the
squares are 1 cm apart, the scale may be given as s/cm, ms/cm or µs/cm.

The signal to be displayed is connected to the input. The AC/DC switch is usually kept in the
DC position (switch closed) so that there is a direct connection to the Y-amplifier. In the AC
position (switch open) a capacitor is placed in the signal path. The capacitor blocks DC
signals but allows AC signals to pass. The Y-amplifier is linked in turn to a pair of Y-plates
so that it provides the Y-axis of the V/t graph. The overall gain of the Y-amplifier can be
adjusted, using the VOLTS/DIV control. The vertical scale is usually given in V/DIV or
mV/DIV.

The trigger circuit is used to delay the time base waveform so that the same section of the
input signal is displayed on the screen each time the spot moves across. The effect of this is
to give a stable picture on the oscilloscope screen, making it easier to measure and interpret
the signal.

Changing the scales of the X-axis and Y-axis allows many different signals to be displayed.
Sometimes, it is also useful to be able to change the positions of the axes. This is possible
using the X-POS and Y-POS controls. For example, with no signal applied, the normal trace
is a straight line across the center of the screen. Adjusting Y-POS allows the zero level on the
Y-axis to be changed, moving the whole trace up or down on the screen to give an effective
display of signals like pulse waveforms which do not alternate between positive and negative
values.
 Fig. 4 Front panel of a CRO

1. Power ON/OFF: Turns ON or OFF. LED indicates Power ON. Use position and Int/Focus
controls to get the beam.
2. Time/Div: Rotary Switch for Time Base Speed Control.
3. Trigger Input: for Feeding external trigger signal.
4. Volts/div: for sensitivity selection of CH1 and CH2.
5. DC-AC-Gnd: Switch provided for Input Coupling. BNC inputs provided for connecting
the input signal.
6. Component Tester: Switch when pressed converts scope into Component Tester mode.
7. CT: Input and Gnd Terminals to be used for CT.

1. Intensity: controls the brightness

2. Focus: controls the sharpness
3. Trace rotation: controls the horizontal alignment of the trace.
4. X Pos: Controls the horizontal position.
5. Y Pos I & II: Controls vertical position of the trace.
6. XY: When pressed cuts off internal Time Base; connects external horizontal signal via
CHII
7. X 5: When pressed it gives 5 times magnification
8. External: When pressed allows ext. trigger.
9. TV: when pressed, allows TV frame to be synchronized
10. Cal Variable: Controls the time speed in between the steps.
11. Auto/Norm: In AT gives display of trace and auto trigger. When pressed becomes normal
and gives variable level trigger.
12. Level: Controls the trigger level from positive peak to negative peak.
13. +/-: Selects the slope of triggering
14. Trig 1/Trig 2:When out triggers CH I and when pressed triggers CH II
15. CH I/ALT : when out selects CH I and when pressed selects CH II. When dual switch
also pressed, this selects Alt or Chop modes.
16. Mono/Dual: When out, selects CH I only. When pressed selects both.
 Fig. 5 Block diagram of the CRO

 Amplitude measurement using CRO:

Where Vrms= root mean square value of the voltage, and Vp= peak value of the voltage.

Phase measurement using CRO:

D. Function Generator

Function Generator

Function generators are handy gadgets that generate waveforms. A function generator is
usually a piece of electronic test equipment or software used to generate different types of
electrical waveforms over a wide range of frequencies. Some of the most common
waveforms produced by the function generator are the sine, square, triangular and saw tooth
shapes etc of varying frequencies as shown in figure. Block diagram of basic function
generator is given below. It has following features –
1) It is a source of different signals i.e. waveforms.
2) Its output frequency can be adjusted from 1 Hertz to few hundred KHz.
3) The amplitude of waveform can be changed from 0.2V to 20V. However, this value can be
changed as required.

1) Frequency control knobs – this block generates waves. Its frequency is controlled by
frequency control knob. There is a provision for fine and coarse variations.
2) Amplitude control knobs – this controls the amplitude. Generally we have -20dB and -
40dB.
3) Frequency selector knobs – helps in selecting frequency from Hz to MHz.
4) Offset – Helps in inserting or deleting offset from the generated waveform.
5) Waveform selector – The switch is used change in the output wave like square, triangular
or sine wave.
 Fig. 6 The function generator and its block diagram

LAB EXCERCISES:1

State the functions of the following terminals for a DMM- Digital Multi meter

1. V. mV.  measuring terminal

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2. COM Common input terminal

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A. mA measuring terminal

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5. A measuring terminal

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6. POWER Switch and FUNCTION Switch.

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7. RANGE button

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8. SELECT button

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9. DATA HOLD button

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B. DC Regulated Power Supply

Draw the block diagram of a DC regulated Power Supply

State the functions of the following knobs:

The power knob:

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The coarse voltage knob

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The fine voltage knob

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C. CRO- Cathode Ray Oscilloscope

Answer the following:

8. Power ON/OFF:
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9. Time/Div: ______________________________________________________________.
10. Trigger Input: ___________________________________________________________.
11. Volts/div: ______________________________________________________________.
12. DC-AC-Gnd: ____________________________________________________________.
13. Component Tester:
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14. CT: ____________________________________________________________________

17. Intensity: ________________________________________________________________

18. Focus: __________________________________________________________________
19. Trace rotation:
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20. X Pos: __________________________________________________________________
21. YPosI & II:
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22. XY: ____________________________________________________________________
23. X 5: ____________________________________________________________________
24. External:
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25. CalVariable:
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26. Mono/Dual:
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D. Function Generator

1) Frequency control knobs –

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2) Amplitude control knobs –

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3) Frequency selector knobs –

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4) Offset –
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5) Waveform selector –
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Fill in the following blanks:

1. The waveforms seen on the screen of a CRO shows the _______________ versus
______________.
2. How rapidly a waveform is produced is determined by the ________________ of the
waveform.
3. The ____________ value of a waveform is also known as the effective value.
4. A sine wave has a peak value of 100 V. Its average value is ____________, and the rms
value is ____________.
5. The period of a sinusoidal radiation from a station FM100 at 100 MHz is
_____________ seconds.

State whether the following statements are True or False and justify your answer:

1. The trigger circuit can be actuated only by a signal from internal oscilloscope circuits.
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2. A dc voltage cannot be measured with an oscilloscope.

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Answer in details

1. The DMM gives RMS value in AC mode. How can you change the RMS value into
(i) the peak value and (ii) the p-p value.

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2. How can you adjust the frequency of the output from the function generator?

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3. How can you adjust the amplitude of the output from the function generator?

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4. Why do we need to be careful with the probe grounds?

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5. Can the oscilloscope do addition/subtraction? How?

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1. For the figure1 given below:

If the Volts/Div control is set to 100 mV/Div, what is the peak-peak amplitude of
signal?
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What is the RMS value of the signal?

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The Time/Div control is set to 50 ms/Div. What is the time period of this signal?
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Based on this, evaluate the frequency of this signal.

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Figure 1 Figure 2

2. The Volts/Div control is set at 1V/Div for the figure 2.

What is it’s DC amplitude?

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Using the above what will be displayed if the Volts/Div control is changed to
500mV/Div
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What do you mean by CRO?

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Which component of CRO is the heart of the CRO?

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What is the function of function generator?

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How many signals can be simultaneously applied to the CRO?

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Why a DMM is called so?

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