元智大學電通學院 普通物理實驗講義

Lab1. Fundamental Circuitry

1. Objective

Learn the basic tools of circuit experiments: breadboard, and multimeter.

2. Introduction to the Instruments and parts

2.1 Resistor

Resistor is the most common component in a circuit. In non-precision circuit board

applications, the commonly used style is an axial-lead resistor, as shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 1. Appearance of the resistance element (with brown, black, yellow, and gold color circles)

The mechanism with resistance is the central cylinder painted with color ring codes. The
color ring codes can indicate the resistance value and error tolerance. The leads at both ends
have almost no resistance, which is equivalent to a wire. It can be bent according to the needs
of the circuit board, but the bending part doesn’t get too close to the resistor body to avoid
breaking. Beginners use fingers to bend the leads directly, while experienced engineers use
needle-nose pliers to fold beautiful angles. The meaning of the color circle code of the
resistance is as follows

Fig. 2. The definition of resistance color ring code

When reading the color code, put the gold/silver D ring on the right end. The first two
color rings A and B on the left represent a two-digit number, and the third color ring C

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indicates the multiplier telling you the power of ten to which the two significant digits must
be multiplied. Therefore, the resistance value can be presented as 𝑅 = (AB) × 10𝐶 Ω. The
error tolerance is represented by the D ring. Gold is ±5% tolerance, while sliver is ±10%
tolerance.

2.2 Breadboard

"Breadboard" is a board that can be use to implement any circuit, as shown in the figure
below.

Fig.3. Schematic diagram of breadboard practical application

There are many standard-size holes on the breadboard, which are convenient for
inserting and clamping the pins of the circuit components to obtain good conductive contact,
so the holes can be reused and the circuit components can be plugged and unplugged at will
without the need for welding guns and soldering tin. There are two ways to connect inside
holes, please refer to the figure below.

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Fig. 4. Schematic diagram of breadboard hole connection

There are two rows of holes along the long side of the breadboard (marked with a red
frame in Figure 4). The rows of holes are connected together. Here, the four rows are
equivalent to four independent electrical contacts. If there are several places in the circuit that
need to be in contact with the power terminal, these long rows of holes can be used to provide
power. The wire from the positive electrode of the battery is inserted into one of the long
rows of holes, and the entire row of holes is also in contact with the positive electrode of the
battery. So, it is called power rail or power bus.
Along the short side of the breadboard, five holes are as a group (marked with a green
frame in Figure 4). There are numerous pin units on the breadboard. If the pins of two parts
need to be connected together, the pins to be connected are inserted into the short row of
holes in the same unit. With hard core wires for connection, various circuits can be assembled.
Bread board ( 包板)
Figure 5 demonstrates the connection of parts in series, parallel, and with power supply.

R1 R2 R1 R1 R2

R2

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Fig. 5. Make series, parallel, and connect simple circuits on the breadboard

Therefore, the breadboard is very suitable for assembling experimental circuits.

2.3 Multimeter

The multimeter combines ammeter, voltmeter, and ohmmeter. If the display method is a
pointer, this is analog; if it is a number that directly displays the value, it is digital. Here is a
demonstration with a digital multimeter equipped in the classroom, as shown in Figure 6.

Fig. 6. Multimeter

The first thing that catches the eye is the central gear dial, it can determine the function
of the meter. At the top left of the turntable is the DC and AC mode switch (DC/AC). There
are three jacks on the lower edge of the meter, which are used to connect the probe wire of
the meter. When in use, the COM jack (common terminal) must be connected. It is customary
to connect the black probe wire. For general measurement, use the VΩA jack (voltage,
resistance, current) on the right for the other red probe wire; only use the jack on the left for
high current measurement (up to 10 A) to connect the red probe wire .
The V symbol in the upper left area of the gear wheel is a voltmeter, the A symbol in the
lower left area is an ammeter, and the blue scale in the right half is marked with an Ω symbol
for an ohmmeter. As for the BATT at six o'clock, it is a fast detection function for dry

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batteries, and the hFE at one o’clock is the gear for measuring the gain of the transistor. In the
commonly used V, A, Ω range, the number on the scale represents the maximum value that
the range can be measured, and also marks the unit magnitude represented by the single digit
of the number on the display. For example, if the gear is turned to the 20 k gear of the
ohmmeter, the maximum resistance value that can be measured cannot exceed 20 kΩ; if the
number on the display is 15.2, it means that the measured resistance value is 15.2 kΩ instead
of 15.2 Ω. If the value displayed in the V and A range is negative, it means that the potential
of the red probe is lower than that of the black one, but its absolute value is still the measured
value; you can also put the red probe and the black probe in the circuit The measurement
positions are swapped to obtain a positive measurement value. If the measured value obtained
in the V, A, Ω range is a number 1 displayed on the left alone, it means that the range is not
enough for use, and the level must be adjusted upwards.
When the voltmeter is in operation, the input impedance of the probe is almost infinite,
which means that the probe can be placed on any two points of the circuit under test in

How to apply a voltmeter

operation, and it will not draw current into the meter and affect the circuit under test, as
shown in Figure 7.
–
V
R1 R2 R1 R2 +

! V2 = ?

Fig. 7. Use a voltmeter on the circuit

On the other hand, the working principle of an ammeter is just the opposite. The input
impedance of the probe is almost zero. Plugging it into the circuitGeneral
under test and becoming
Physics LAB (II) a
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part of the circuit will not increase the resistance and affect the circuit under test; therefore, it
is measured by ampere. To measure the current in a certain section of the circuit, an ammeter
probe must be used to intercept the original current, that is, it must be connected in series
with that section of the circuit, as shown in Figure 8.

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普通物理實驗講義

R1 R2 R1 R2 +
A
I=?

Fig. 8. Use a ammeter on the circuit

3. Experimental procedure

Please refer to the Section 2 and understand the operation ofGeneral Physics LAB
the resistance color(II)
code,
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breadboard, and multimeter.
1. Insert the resistors provided by the laboratory on the breadboard, record the color
code, and write down the resistance value. Use a multimeter to measure the
resistance value in a suitable gear.
2. Use the resistors provided by the laboratory to implement 200 Ω resistance network
on the breadboard. Use a multimeter to confirm the resistance value and record the
connection method.
3. Use the resistors provided by the laboratory to implement 333 Ω resistance network
on the breadboard. Use a multimeter to confirm the resistance value and record the
connection method.
4. Based on the resistors provided by laboratory, what other resistance values can be
achieved on the breadboard? (List at least three networks). Use a multimeter to
confirm the resistance value and record the connection method.
5. The variable resistor has three pins (assuming A, B, C). How does the resistance
value between A and B change with the knob? The resistance between A and C
with the knob change? The resistance between B and C with the knob change?

4. Discussion

A. How to measure the resistor R1 value of Figure 7 with a multimeter?

B. When measuring a resistor, if the finger touches the probe or the metal connecting
wire, will it affect the measurement result? Please explain the reason.

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C. What is the possible internal structure of the variable resistor?

5. 參考資料 (Reference)

[1] “Resistor color-coding,” in Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistor_color_code

[2] “E24 series,” in Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E24_series

6. 講義更改紀錄 (Revision Log)

⚫ 2014/2/16，第一版，配合本學期的實驗課時程，把前一年的「電流計、伏特計、歐姆計」講
義 (電機系李宇軒教授編寫) 縮減內容，並加入學期中檢定考試項目。光電系陳念波
⚫ 2014/2/25，修正第一版小錯誤，數據表格關於 𝐼⑨ 沒有明確說明如何從檢流計讀數換算，以
及 ②𝐼𝑇 應該也要設定下限，以免分流後進入檢流計的電流太小而感測不到。另外，數據表
格增加電阻色環的紀錄。光電系陳念波
⚫ 2015/2/8，第二版。由於 Lab 0 還需要介紹課程內容、大綱，實驗的時間有限，須縮減內容，
只留下麪包板、電阻串並聯、三用電錶量測電阻等項目。光電系陳念波

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