Gregory Lynn & Eran Brown - 1

Due 2/13//2014

BIOE 403
Instructor: Dr. Sal R. Riggio Jr., PhD, PE
Lab 2: Basic Electrical Circuits & Measurements
Purpose
The purpose of the first lab in BIOE 401 is to understand and utilize Kirchoffs laws in the interest of
solving circuits. Furthermore, the ability to design a resistor network with constraints and then analyze these circuits
is also a goal. Theoretical expectations for values based on these laws will be compared with measured values on a
protoboard circuit.

Materials

Agilent E3631A Triple Power Supply

Agilent 34401A Digital Multimeter
1 Proto board
1 Wire Jumper Kit (Various Wires)
2 10 k W Resistors
1 27 k W Resistor
1 10 k Potentiometer
Miscellaneous Resistors 1, 2, 8.2, 10, 15, & 27 k
Banana Clip Wires
Coaxial cables
Procedure

Model the circuits in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, and solve them for expressions of V1, V2, V3 in terms of Vs, R1, R2, R3.

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Use a graphing data program (Excel) to plot each of the voltages (V1, V2, V3) found above as Vs changes
from 0 to 5 V in increments of 0.5 V. Also plot the currents (I1, I2, I3) as Vs changes from 0 to 5 V in increments
of 0.5 V. Create a data table for Expected & Actual measurements for Vs, V1, V2, V3, & % Error and label it Table
1. Create a data table for Expected & Actual measurements for I1, I2, I3, & % Error and label it Table 2.
Measure and record the true resistance value for all resistor materials, and label the 10k resistors to
differentiate from each other. Set the supply voltage to 5 V using the digital multimeter. Using 5 V for Vs, record
the expected values for V1, V2, V3 computed earlier for the circuit of Figure 1 in Table 1. Do the same for I1, I2, I3
of the circuit in Figure 2 for Table 2. Ensuring that no power is supplied to the protoboard, construct the circuit in
Figure 1. Measure and record the actual voltages and record this data in Table 1. Compare these values with the
ones predicted and calculate the % Error in Table 1. Do the same for the circuit in Figure 2, recording values for I1,
I2, I3 in Table 2, and then comparing these values using % Error.

Take the potentiometer and measure the resistance between the two outer terminals. While the multimeter
is still attached, use a screwdriver to rotate the knob and observe how the resistance changes. Move one probe to the
center terminal and repeat this procedure. With the power supply off, disassemble the previous circuit and assemble
the circuit displayed in Figure 4 above. Turn the knob on the potentiometer so that Vout = 1 V. With the power
off, remove the potentiometer carefully and measure the resistance (do not turn the knob!) between the upper/center
terminals and lower/center terminals.

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The circuit in Figure 5 above needs to be designed so that the RLOAD resistor has a voltage drop of 1.5 V
with an error tolerance of +/- 5%. Design and describe rationale in documentation a combination of the above
circuits according to the following constraints. Each resistor costs 6 cents apiece. The design must cost less than 20
cents. (Assume all other components are free). Include all failed solutions, work, and brainstorming up to the final
solution. Construct the proposed circuit and verify that it meets the design criteria. Demonstrate the design to the
lab instructor for official verification.

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Observations & Data Analysis

(1)
(

(2)

Expected ()
Actual ()
Expected Voltage (V)
Actual Voltage(V)
Error %

Table 1
R1
R2
10000 27000

R3
10000

9890

9860

26930

Vs
5V
4.999
V

1.0638 2.8723 1.0638

1.058 2.882 1.055
0.1065 0.0678 0.0867

Table 2
R1
R2
R3
Expected Current (mA) 0.2891 0.7813 0.2109
Actual Current (mA)
0.2918 0.078 0.2137
Error %
0.141 0.403
0.09
The Potentiometer

When the two outside leads were connected, turning the knob did nothing to affect the total resistance.

When one outside lead and the center lead were connected, the resistance varied between zero and R tot
depending on the severity of the turn.

Vout = 0.9985 V when Rlower = 1910 and Rupper = 7442

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Design Problem

The brainstorming and work up to the final solution exists in the following pages, but the solution in a
simplified form is:
o

Two Resistors in Parallel

8.2 k

10 k

Voltage Drop Measured across RLoad:

% Error between 1.5 & Actual:

1.535 V

2.3653

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Conclusions
This lab successfully demonstrated the power and accuracy of Kirchoffs Voltage and Current Laws and the
theoretical data was able to match expected values as an astonishingly good representation of realistic data. Error
percentages for both voltage and current were consistently below one percent, and some of this error likely arose due
to the assumption of ideal resistors during calculations. Many of these resistors actually varied a fraction or two of
its labelled value.
The potentiometer showed in practice what was suggested in theory. A potentiometer has three leads, the
upper and lower leads, which exist across the entire resistance of the pot, and a variable resistance lead, which falls
somewhere along the length of the interior resistor. When a voltage is applied to the upper and lower leads, turning
the screw had no effect since these two leads exist at opposite ends of the resistor at all times. When the same is
done to the middle lead and either end, turning the screw can vary the total resistance anywhere between 0 and R tot.
The design problem was solved through trial and guesswork displayed on the attached pages, but the
general strategy was to put a couple larger resisters in parallel in the hope to reduce the voltage to the desired
amount. The target resistance was calculated by assuming a resistor with resistance X could exist in a circuit with a
voltage drop of 1.5 across the load circuit. The target voltage was: 6.67k A voltage drop of 1.535 V was recorded
with the 8.2 and 10 k resistors in parallel, which corresponds to a 2.37% variation from the target voltage of 1.50
V. This design was certainly the most ideal possible since only two resistors were used and the total cost was $0.12,
far beneath the price point of $0.18. Since no one resistor was near enough to 6.67k, two resistors would be the
minimum required for success.