Diode Familiarization

Experiment 1

I. Objectives
To observe how diodes behave under different voltage and current
values.
To learn how to use a multimeter.

II. Materials
Module EL-1-B
Power Supply
Two multimeters

III. Procedure
1. For each diode, draw a graph of current (y-axis) against voltage (x-axis). Do
not use in excess of 30 milliamperes (only 20mA for LED).
2. For the diode, D1, compute the DC and AC resistance at current levels of
2mA, 10mA, 20mA, and 30mA.
3. For the LED compute the power at current levels of 2mA, 10mA, and 20mA.
IV. Data & Circuit Diagram

1. Current vs. Voltage

D
I V
4.611mA 3V
8.578mA 5V
13mA 7V
17mA 9V
21mA 11V

ZD1
I V
4.062mA 7V
8.036mA 9V
12mA 11V
16mA 13V
20mA 15V

ZD2
I V
1.179mA 5V
4.63mA 7V
8.393mA 9V
12mA 11V
16mA 13V
 LED
I V
5.057mA 5.87V
7.261mA 7V
11mA 9V
15mA 11V
19mA 13V

Note: This LED diode blinks only when the current is exactly 5.0 mA.

Current vs. voltage graphs for D, ZD1, ZD2, and LED.

 2. For diode D, compute DC and AC resistance at current 2, 10, 20, 30mA.

DC

I V R
2mA 1.68V
10mA 5.71V
20mA 10.49V
30mA 15.5V

AC

I V R
2mA 2.38V
10mA 9.75V
20mA 18.48V
30mA 27.73V
 3. For the LED, compute the power at current levels of 2, 10, and 20 mA.

I E P

2mA 4.27V 8.54mW

10mA 8.4V 84mW

20mA 13.2V 264mW

Joule’s Law: Where;

P = I2R P = power (W)

P = IE I = current (A)
P = E2/R
R = resistance (Ω)

E = voltage (V)