Exercise Objectives

When you have completed this exercise, youll be able to measure voltage, current and impedance by using an oscilloscope. You will verify your results with information found in this text.

Discussion
Unlike multimeter, the oscilloscope can directly measure voltage. Current and impedance measurements, however, must be obtained from a reference voltage and Ohms Law. Many of the FACET circuits are equipped with a current sensing resistor. These current sensing resistors are placed in series with the circuit under test and are small enough (10 ohms or 100 ohms) not to affect circuit performance. To find the circuit current, simply measure the voltage drog across the current sensing resistor and divide it by the value of the resistor (Ohms Law). I = Vrsensing / Rsensing For example, the circuit in Figure 2 5 uses 10 ohm resistor R2 as the current sensing resistor. R2 is shorted out with a two post connector; you should remove it only when you take a current measurement. (L1 and L2 are devices known as inductors. Inductors are common in AC circuit and will be examined in detail in the next unit.) Suppose the voltage across R2 is 50 mVpp. Perform the following calculation to determine the circuit current. = 50 mApp

With the circuit current known, you can calculate the total circuit impedance by dividing the source voltage by the circuit current (Ohms Law). Z= The source voltage (Vgen) of the circuit in the Figure 2 5 is 10 Vpp. The toal circuit impedance is determined as shown.

Z=

= 2k ohm

Measuring the voltage drop across a component with a multimeter is simply a matter of connecting the leads across the component and taking the reading. This procedure cannot be used with the oscilloscope. For reasons of safety, the oscilloscope, generator, and power sources have a common ground reference, as shown in Figure 2 6. This means that the ground clip on the oscilloscope input and the generator ground are virtually the same point. Placing the oscilloscope input directly across a component, as illustrated in figure 2 7, shorts out the components that follow. To prevent this, a measurement technique called the ADD INVERT method is used.

The ADD INVERT methos employs two scope probes and the channel 1 and channel 2 inputs. Refer to figure 2 8. To use the ADD INVERT method, connect the channel

1 input to the side of the component having the greatest potential with respect to common, or ground, and connect the channel 2 input to the other side. Connect the ground clips to the generator ground (black lead). Both channel attenuators must be on the same setting. Invert channel 2 and switch the vertical mode to ADD to display the voltage drop across the component on the oscilloscope. If one end of a component is tied to ground, as R2 is in Figure 2 8, you can measure the voltage drop directly across the component.

PROCEDURE
1. Turn off the power sources. Insert the AC 1 Fundamentals circuit board into the base unit. Turn on the power sources. 2. Locate the Inductance/ Inductive reactance circuit, and connect the circuit shown in Figure 2 9. If your generator output impedance is not 50, connect the generator buffer between the generator and the circuit. Use a two post connector to short out R2. Adjust Vgen for 10 Vpp at approximately 1 kHz. Which component in the circuit is the current sensing resistor? R2

3. Use the oscilloscope to measure the peak to peak voltage across R2, and record your result. Then calculate and record the total circuit current (I). 18.6 mA

4. Replace the two post connector across sensing resistor R2. With the information acquired in step 3, calculate and record the total circuit impedance. Z= 483.62 ohms

5. Connect both X10 probe ground clips to the generator ground. Connect the channel 1 probe to the side of R1 that is closest to the red (+) output lead of the generator. Is this side of R1 the side with the higher voltage? YES.

6. Connect the channel 2 probe to the other side of R1. Is this channel 2 probe connected to the side of R1 with the lower potential? YES.

7. Set both channel attenuators to 0.2 V / div. Select the channel 2 INVERT function on the oscilloscope. Set the vertical mode to ADD. Record the amplitude of the waveform displayed. Input: 600 mV, Output: 152 mV

8. Turn off power to all equipment, and remove all circuit board connections.

CONCLUSIONS
In this experiment we had discovered the other function of an osciloscope.We learned that we can calculate current and impedance with oscilloscope voltage measurements. The experiment also instructed us to determine circuit current by, first measure the voltage across the current sensing resistor and then divide the voltage by the value of the resistor. On the other hand,to determine circuit impedance, dicide the qource voltage by the measured circuit current.

We also learned that we cannot measure the voltage drop across an individual circuit component by simply connecting the oscilloscope probe across the component because ground connections short out components in the circuit. We use the ADD INVERT methos to measure the voltage drop across an individual component in a system with common grounds.

The experiment is quiet difficult for a certain part of it, instructions are not clearly stated and laboratory equipments are less in count,thus, we experienced to wait for our turn to perform the experiment. Overall, we used the other function of oscilloscope and verified the results with informations in this experiment.

REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. The oscilloscope measures a) Voltage only b) Voltage and current only c) Voltage, current, and impedance d) Current only

2. The oscilloscope ground clip and the generator ground

a) Are independent of one another b) Are of opposite polarity c) Are virtually the same point d) Cannot be connected together

3. When you measure the voltage drop across a component (not at ground reference) with the oscilloscope a) Place the probe directly across the component being measured. b) Use the ALT INVERT method c) Place the probe in series with the component being measured. d) Use the ADD INVERT method

4. You can determine circuit current with an oscilloscope by a) Using a current measuring inductor b) Placing the probe in series with the circuit c) Using a current sensing resistor d) Dividing the source voltage by generator impedance

5. You can determine circuit impedance by a) Dividing the source voltage by the measured circuit current. b) Direct measurement with a multimeter c) Dividing the source voltage by the generator impedance d) Assuming it is always a constant 50 ohm

National University
551 M.F Jhocson St. Sampaloc, Manila College of Engineering

Experiment no. 3 MEASURING AC VOLTAGE, CURRENT, AND IMPEDANCE WITH AN OSCILLOSCOPE

Date Performed: December 3, 2011 Date Submitted: December 10, 2011 Submitted by: Macawile, Remson Mark C. Submitted to: Dr. Delia Fainsan