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School Of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, NUST

ME-327 Instrumentation & Measurement Lab (Spring 2023)

Experiment 2: Wheatstone Bridge Measurement

Objectives:

1. To determine the resistance of an unknown resistor using a Wheatstone bridge circuit.

2. To understand the principle of a Wheatstone bridge and its working mechanism.
3. To study the relationship between the resistances of the four arms of the Wheatstone
bridge circuit and the voltage difference across them.
4. To develop problem-solving skills by analyzing the circuit and making adjustments to
achieve a balanced bridge.
Learning Outcomes:

 Understanding of the Wheatstone bridge circuit and its working principle.

 Knowledge of the relationship between resistance and voltage in a circuit.
 Ability to measure the resistance of an unknown resistor using a Wheatstone bridge circuit.
 Understanding of Ohm's Law and its application in electrical circuits.
Apparatus:

1. SMT-3215 Transducer and Instrumentation Trainer

2. Connecting Leads

Figure 1: SMT-3215 Trainer

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Wheatstone Bridge:

The Wheatstone bridge is a type of electrical circuit used for the measurement of resistance. It was
invented by Samuel Hunter Christie and later improved by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1843. The circuit
consists of four resistors arranged in a bridge configuration, with a known resistor and an unknown
resistor forming two opposite arms of the bridge. When a small voltage is applied to the circuit, the
balance of the bridge can be disturbed, and the resistance of the unknown resistor can be determined
by measuring the voltage difference across the arms of the bridge. The Wheatstone bridge is widely
used in electrical engineering and physics for resistance measurements and remains a popular
educational tool for demonstrating the principles of electrical circuits.

Figure 2: Wheatstone Bridge

Balanced Condition:

If current I1 flows in R1 & R3 and current I2 flows in R2 & R4,

I1R1 = I2R2..........................(1)

I1R3 = I2R4........................(2)

Divide Eq (1) with Eq (2)

I1R1/ I1R3 = I2R2/ I2R4

R1/R3 = R2/R4

R4 = (R2 x R3) / R1

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Procedure:

Figure 3: Initial Setup

1. Connect the meter and amplifiers as shown in Fig 3 with the + & - inputs to the Differential
Amplifier short circuited so that the input is zero. Set the Amplifier #2 GAIN COARSE control
to 10 and the GAIN FINE to 1.0.
2. Switch the power supply ON and adjust the OFFSET control so that the moving coil meter
indicates approximately zero. Then set the GAIN COARSE control to 100 and re-adjust the
OFFSET control for zero output precisely.

Figure 4: Wheatstone Bridge Connections

3. With the switch on the Wheatstone bridge circuit set to IN (connecting the unknown resistor in
circuit) set the Amplifier #2 GAIN COARSE control to 10 and connect the circuit as shown in
Fig 4.

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 4. Adjust the control of the 10-turn variable resistor so that the moving coil meter reading is
approximately zero, then set the GAIN COARSE control to 100. Finally adjust the 10-turn
resistor control accurately for zero meter (null) reading to balance the bridge.
5. Set the Wheatstone Bridge switch to OUT to remove the unknown resistor Rx from the circuit.
Connect the 10kΩ Slide variable resistor terminals A & B to the Wheatstone Bridge circuit
connections C & 0V.
With the 10kΩ resistor control set to maximum, measure its resistance as follows:-
6. Check that the amplifier offset is set correctly and adjust if necessary.
7. With Amplifier #2 GAIN COARSE control set to 10, obtain an approximate balance by
adjusting the 10-turn resistor.
8. 3. Set Amplifier #2 GAIN COARSE control to 100 and obtain final balance. Note the dial
reading and enter the value in table.
9. Repeat the procedure to measure the resistance of the 10kΩ resistor for all settings from 9
through 1, recording the dial readings at balance in table.
10. Calculate the resistance corresponding with each reading, recording the results in table. R2 is
still 12kΩ.
11. Switch OFF the power supply.

Readings and Calculations:

Dial Reading = 200

Resistance R3 = 2000 (Ω)
Resistance R1 = 8000 (Ω)
Resistance R2 = 12000 (Ω)
Unknown Resistance Rx = 3000 (Ω)

frdFor External 10kΩ Slide Resistor:

10 kΩ Resistor Dial Reading at R3 R1 Rx=(R2×R3)/R1

Setting Balance (10xDial) (10 kΩ-R3) (Ω)
(Ω) 4dxze
10 449 4490 5510 9778.584
9 428 4280 5720 8979.021

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 8 400 4000 6000 8000
7 366 3660 6340 6927.445
6 335 3350 6650 6045.113
5 292 2920 7080 4949.153
4 237 2370 7630 3727.392
3 188 1880 8120 2778.325
2 131 1310 8690 1808.976
1 078 0780 9220 1015.184

Results and Discussion:

A power source, a variable resistor, two set resistors, and the unidentified resistor were used to build the
Wheatstone bridge. By changing the variable resistance until there was no longer any current flowing
through the galvanometer, the circuit was balanced. The unknown resistance was calculated using the
ten distinct set resistors. The resistance values of the unidentified resistors were ascertained after
adjusting the variable resistor until the bridge was balanced.
When utilizing a Wheatstone bridge to collect measurements, there are a number of possible sources of
mistake. Here are several examples:
Resistance of connecting wires: The circuit's connecting wires have some resistance, which might
influence the measurement's accuracy. The computed resistance of the unknown resistor may be off if
the wires' resistance is much higher than that of the other resistors in the circuit.
Galvanometer non-linear response: The galvanometer used in the Wheatstone bridge could not have a
linear response across its whole range. As the galvanometer reading may not vary proportionally to
modest changes in resistance, the measurement's accuracy may be impacted.
Temperature variations: Especially if the circuit incorporates components produced from materials
with temperature-dependent resistance, changes in temperature might have an impact on the values of
the resistors in the circuit. Measurement inaccuracies may result from this.
Variation in power supply voltage: Errors in the computed resistance of the unknown resistor may
result from fluctuations in the power supply voltage during the measurement.
Variation in resistor values: Both the fixed and variable resistors employed in the circuit may have
resistance values that differ from their nominal values. The predicted resistance of the unknown resistor
may be inaccurate as a result.
Human error: Measurement errors may be the result of mistakes made during the design of the circuit
or the reading of the galvanometer.
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Conclusion:
Overall, by using the following methods the possible measurement errors made by a Wheatstone bridge
can be minimized up to a certain level:
Use low-resistance connecting wires: The impact of wire resistance on the measurement can be reduced
by using low-resistance connecting wires.
Employ a galvanometer with a linear response to decrease mistakes brought on by the device's non-
linear response. A good galvanometer should have a linear response over its entire operating range.
Temperature control: The experiment can be carried out in a controlled setting with a steady
temperature to reduce the impact of temperature changes on the measurement. Moreover, low
temperature coefficient of resistance resistors can be selected for the circuit's resistors.
Employ a stable power source: To reduce mistakes caused by voltage fluctuations, use a stable power
source, or monitor the voltage as you measure to assure stability.
Use precision resistors: Precision resistors can reduce mistakes brought on by changes in resistor values.
Precise resistors have low tolerance values; thus, their nominal resistance and real resistance are quite
similar.
Take numerous readings: It's crucial to take several readings and determine the average value in order
to reduce inaccuracies brought on by random or human error.

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 Task 1: What are the potential applications of the Wheatstone bridge circuit
in industry and how has it evolved over time?
 Application In Measuring Strain:

When the resistance varies in proportion to the strain present in the device, strain gauges are usually used.
In practice, the resistance range is from 30 ohms to 300 ohms. Since the change in the value of resistance
may be a fraction of the full-scale value thus the Wheatstone bridge is the best suitable for higher
precision.
For this application, the strain gauge replaces the unknown resistor. Here R 2 and R4 would have the same
value and R3 is adjustable. Therefore, without disturbing anything else, a rheostat is varied until the
galvanometer shows a null deflection. This null deflection implies that the bridge is in a balanced
condition and no strain is there on the gauge.
 Light Detector Application:

Light Detecting sensors use the Wheatstone Bridge. Likewise, in this application also one edge consists
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of the two fixed resistances and the other edge has photo resistive sensors (LDR) and a potentiometer
(Variable resistor). The resistance of LDR does vary as the intensity of light varies, and with the help of
potentiometer, one can, therefore, observe that at what intensity of light the balance point is achieved.
There is another advantage where one can note, before and after what amount of light the current flows in
a positive as well as in a negative direction from one edge to another.
Other Applications:

 For measuring the changes in the pressure.

 Used for the sensing of mechanical and electrical quantities.
 Also, photo resistive devices use this circuit.
 Thermometers also use Wheatstone bridges for the temperature measurements which need to be
accurate.
 Values like capacitance, inductance, impedance, etc. can be measured with some variations in the
Wheatstone bridge circuit.

Marks Distribution:

Readings & Results & Conclusion Task 1 Total

Calculations Discussion
3 3 2 2 10

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