School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad

ME – 327 Instrumentation and Measurement Lab

Lab Report 02: Wheatstone Bridge Measurement

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Objectives:

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

2. To determine the voltage of an unknown voltage source using a Wheatstone bridge circuit.
3. To understand the principle of a Wheatstone bridge and its working mechanism.
4. To study the relationship between the resistances of the four arms of the Wheatstone bridge
circuit and the voltage difference across them.
5. 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.

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  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

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.

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 Figure 2: Wheatstone Bridge

Balanced Condition:

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

I1R1 = I2R2 ………… (1)

IIR3 = I2R4 …………(2)

Divide Eq (1) with Eq (2)

I1R1/ IIR3 = I2R2/ I2R4

R1/R3 = R2/R4

R4 = (R2 x R3) / R1

Procedure:

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 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.
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.

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 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 =
Resistance R3 =
Resistance R1 =
Resistance R2 =
𝑹𝟐 𝑹𝟑
𝑼𝒏𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑹𝒙 = =
𝑹𝟏

For External 10kΩ Slide Resistor

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 10 kΩ Resistor Dial Reading at R3 R1 Rx
Setting Balance (kΩ) (10 kΩ-R3)

To find unknown voltage:

A combination of different amplifier and amplifier was used to make op-amp. The op-amp was set to zero at first
and the purpose of its usage was to make results accurate up to 100 decimal places.

For 5 V Supply as an unknown Voltage source:

Gain 1 10 100
Voltage Balance at (V)

𝑹𝒕
𝑼𝒏𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 = (𝟏) =
𝑽

For 12 V Supply as an unknown Voltage source:

Gain 1 10 100
Voltage Balance at (V)

𝑹𝒕
𝑼𝒏𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 = (𝟏) =
𝑽

Results:

Discussion:

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Conclusion:

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

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