De Montfort University

Electrical and Electronic Principles (ENGD1103)

Lab 1 – Introduction, Ohm’s Law
Time allocated: 3 hours

Objectives:
1. To introduce multimeter, breadboard/terminal board, power supply, resistors.
2. To become familiar with the operation of an ohmmeter, a voltmeter, an ammeter, and a
power supply unit.
3. To learn about resistor colour codes
4. To investigate Ohm’s Law

Introduction:
a) Multimeter
A multimeter is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several functions in one unit.
The most basic instruments include an ammeter, voltmeter, and ohmmeter. Analogue
multimeters are sometimes referred to as "volt-ohm-meters", abbreviated as VOM. Digital
multimeters are usually referred to as "digital-multi-meters", abbreviated as DMM.
A multimeter can be a handheld device useful for basic fault finding and field service work or a
bench instrument which can measure to a very high degree of accuracy. Such an instrument will
commonly be found in a calibration lab and can be used to characterise resistance and voltage
standards or adjust and verify the performance of multi-function calibrators.
Current, voltage, and resistance measurements are considered standard features of multimeters.
AVO multimeters, a manufacturer of early multimeters, derived their name from amperes, volts,
and ohms, the units used for the measurement of current, voltage, and resistance respectively.

b) Measuring Voltage – must be in parallel

Voltage is one of the most common quantities measured. That's because many other variables -
for example temperature - are measured by generating a voltage with a sensor. So, in order to
measure temperature you might need to measure a voltage and then convert the voltage reading
into temperature reading using appropriate conversion rules.
Voltage is measured using a voltmeter. Digital multimeters (DMMs) and oscilloscopes - that
display and measure voltages can be used as voltmeters. Irrespective of the instrument used, if
the quantity measured is voltage then it is called a voltmeter.

c) Measuring Current – must be in Series

Current is measured with an ammeter. While voltage is a more common measurement, it is often
necessary to measure current. When measuring current, it is important to remember that current
is a flow variable. Current flows through electrical elements and therefore in order to measure it
we need to connect the ammeter in series with the element so that the flow is the same in both
the ammeter and the element through which the current is flowing.
ENGD1103 EEE Lab 1 Dr. Vijay Pakka
d) Breadboards

 Breadboards are bases for constructing simple electronic circuits for temporary use. The
component leads can be inserted into appropriate holes on the board and connecting
wires used to connect various components to form the complete circuit.
 A simple board usually has 4 sets of power rails (red and blue) with the holes near to red
lines connected to positive of power supply and the blue holes connected to the
negative/ground of the supply.
 The board is divided horizontally by a ridge, thereby electrically dividing the board into two
halves.
 Vertical holes in each half of the board are electrically connected, while being electrically
isolated in the horizontal direction.
 For example, holes of same number but different letters (ABCDE) are electrically connected
underneath, but holes of same letter but different numbers are electrically isolated. This is
applicable to the second half of the board as well (FGHIJ).
 This configuration is therefore useful if we want to use four different supply voltages on
the same breadboard


*https://www.baldengineer.com/electronics-introduction-to-breadboards.html

ENGD1103 EEE Lab 1 Dr. Vijay Pakka

ENGD1103 EEE Lab 1 Dr. Vijay Pakka
Equipment:
 DC power supply
 Digital multimeters (DMMs), connecting cables
 Resistors
 Insulated wire leads
 Breadboard

Part 1: Resistors
Analysis:
1- To identify the value of a resistor using the colour code, we have four colour bands printed
on the end of the resistor. The bands are always read from the end that has the band
closest to it.
-The first and second bands represent the first and second digit respectively.
-The third band indicates the power of 10 multiplied by the first two digits
(i.e. the number of zeros that follow the second digit.)
-The fourth band is tolerance, the precision with which the resistor was manufactured

For example, if we have a resistor with the following codes (red, black, and brown, brown):
- First band : red, which means that the first digit = 2
- Second band: black, which means that the second digit = 0
- Third band: brown, which means that the number 20 is multiplied by 10
- Fourth band: brown, which means that the tolerance = 1%

Resistor colour code

* http://www.learnabout-electronics.org/Resistors/resistors_06.php

ENGD1103 EEE Lab 1 Dr. Vijay Pakka

2- We can compare the expected values (found by reading the colour code) with the measured
values (measured using DMM) by finding the experimental error using the following equation:

Experimental Error % = Measured value - Expected value x 100%

Expected value

Procedure:
1. Read the colour code of each resistor.
2. Measure the resistance of each resistor using the DMM by making the probe tips touch the
ends of the disconnected resistor, and reading the value displayed.
3. Compare the measurements with the nominal values and see if the nominal values lie
within the tolerance.
4. Tabulate the results.

Measured
No Expected value
Colours value Error (%) Acceptable?
. (with tolerance)
(DMM)

1 150(Ω )+-5% 147.0Ω 2% Acceptable

B,G,BG

2 B,G,R,G 1500(Ω )+-5% 1468Ω 2.13% Acceptable

3 R,V,R,B 1700(Ω )+-1% 1697Ω 0.1% Acceptable

Measuring the value of body resistance (5 min)

Procedure:
Body resistance can be measured using the DMM by the following steps:
1- Turn on the multimeter and select the proper function (which is the resistance function (V,
Ω).
2- Hold one probe between the thumb and the forefinger of each hand.
3- Read and record the value.

ENGD1103 EEE Lab 1 Dr. Vijay Pakka

Part 2: Ohm’s Law
In order to produce an electric current in a circuit, some sort of power supply such as a battery is
required to provide the necessary voltage. George Ohm was the first to determine experimentally
that the current in a circuit is proportional to the potential difference. The exact amount of current
that flows in a circuit depends not only on the voltage, but also on the resistance of the circuit to
the flow of current. The current flow is inversely proportional to the resistance. The relationship
between potential difference, V, the current flow, I, and the resistance, R, is given by:

V = IR

This relationship is known as Ohm's law. For metal conductors, the resistance term is constant and
independent of the potential difference. The unit of resistance is the ohm (Ω), which is equivalent
to a volt per ampere. Every electric device offers resistance to the flow of current. In this
experiment you will study the principles of Ohm’s law by examining the basic relationships of
electric potential, current and resistance in an electric circuit.

1. First setup a circuit with a resistor and a power supply as shown in figure below.
2. You will then vary the output voltage of the power supply and measure the resulting
voltage across the resistor and the current through the circuit.
3. Finally, you will plot the results and verify Ohm's law.

Hints for a successful lab:

 Be sure all connections between the electrical components are secure.
 Use the multimeter to measure voltages, not just taking voltage readings on the power supply.
 It is acceptable to use the ammeter on the power supply to measure the current in the circuit.

Setup circuit:
1. Measure and record the resistance of the 1.8KΩ resistor given, using DMM.
2. Connect the ends of a 1.8kΩ resistor to wire leads on the breadboard.
3. Connect the power supply to the wire leads as shown in Figure below. Be sure the power
supply is turned off.
4. Set the multimeter to voltmeter mode.
5. Connect the probes of the multimeter to the ends of the resistor as shown in Figure.

ENGD1103 EEE Lab 1 Dr. Vijay Pakka

Make voltage and current measurements:
1. Turn on the power supply and adjust the output voltage to 2V.
2. Measure the (i) voltage across the resistor and (ii) the current through the resistor, and record
on the data worksheet.
3. Increase the output voltage by 1V and repeat the measurement procedure each time.
4. Continue until 10 more measurements are taken.
5. Turn off power supply.

Power Supply Voltage across Current

Current reading Power
Voltage (V) R reading
I (A) P=VI (W)
V (V) I (mA)
2 2.077 1.392 1.392e-3 2.89 x10^-3

3 3.008 2.039 2.039e-3 6.133 x10^-3

4 4.040 2.743 2.743 e-3 0.011

5 5.036 3.420 3.420 e-3 0.017

6 6.022 4.089 4.089 e-3 0.024

7 7.013 4.765 4.765 e-3 0.034

8 8.041 5.468 5.468 e-3 0.044

9 8.997 6.12 6.120 e-3 0.055

10 10.013 6.816 6.816 e-3 0.068

11 10.995 7.490 7.490 e-3 0.082

12 12.000 8.183 8.183 e-3 0.098

Analysis:
Provide answers to the following questions using complete sentences.

1. Make a plot of your data on a linear graph paper, plotting the voltage in volts (y-axis) v/s
current (x-axis) in amperes.

ENGD1103 EEE Lab 1 Dr. Vijay Pakka

2. What conclusion can you draw from the plot of your data?
As the Voltage increases, so does the current, therefor proving ohms law (V=IR), forming a
linear graph.
3. The 1.5KΩ resistance value given for the resistor used in the experiment is only approximate.
What is the resistance value determined from your data? Compare this with the measured
value.
From my data, the resistance is 1.4k. This is lower than the stated 1.5k, this could be due to the
resistance of other components (eg, the wires), the age of the resistor and the heat lost as current
runs through.
4. What would be the maximum current allowable if the resistor used has a power rating of
0.5W?

𝐼=
√
0.5 𝑊
1800 Ω
=0.016 𝐴

5. Assume the resistor in the experiment is replaced by a small light bulb. If the output voltage
of the power supply is 3.0V and the current measured in the circuit is 300 mA, what is the
resistance of the light bulb?
Resistance = 3.0v/0.3= 10Ω
6. Provide a picture (with appropriate labels) of the experimental setup as part of your
logbook entry.

Always clean up the table/desk after use:

ENGD1103 EEE Lab 1 Dr. Vijay Pakka

 1. Disconnect multimeter.
2. Disconnect the power supply.
3. Disconnect the resistor and wires from circuit board.
4. Put away circuit elements, multimeter and power supply.

ENGD1103 EEE Lab 1 Dr. Vijay Pakka