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Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology

Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering

Lab Report
Course No : EEE-1204
Course Title : Electronics I sessional

Experiment No: 04
Experiment Name: Design, construction and testing of zener
diode based voltage regulator circuit.

Submission Date: 1/06/2024

Submitted by Submitted to
Mahathir Mohammad Siam Sarjana Shabab
Roll: 2201121 Assistant Professor
Section: C Department of EEE
Group: 01 RUET
Department of EEE
RUET, Kazla, Rajshahi-6204
Experiment Name: Design, construction and testing of zener diode based
voltage regulator circuit.
Objectives:
(i) To understand the principle of operation and characteristics of a
Zener diode as a voltage regulator.
(ii) To study the voltage regulation characteristics of the Zener diode by
measuring the output voltage across a variable resistor (load) at
different input voltage levels.
Theory:
A Zener Diode, also referred to as a breakdown diode, is a specially doped
semiconductor device engineered to function in the reverse direction. It is
designed to reliably allow current to flow "backwards" when a specific
reverse voltage, known as the Zener breakdown voltage, is reached. In a
Zener diode voltage regulator circuit, the Zener diode is placed in parallel
with the load to maintain a stable output voltage. When the input voltage
exceeds the Zener breakdown voltage, the Zener diode conducts, limiting
the voltage across the load. This ensures that variations in input voltage or
changes in load resistance do not affect the output voltage, providing a
constant and regulated voltage supply. This property makes Zener diodes
essential in power supply and voltage regulation applications.
Required Apparatus:
Equipment Range
1. Variable DC source 0~15V
2. Resistor 220 Ω & 470
3. Potentiometer 10k Ω
4. Zener Diode -
5. Multimeter -
6. Connecting wires -
Circuit diagram:

Fig 4.1: Zener diode based voltage regulator with variable

source.

Fig 4.2: Zener diode based voltage regulator with variable load.
Data table:
Table 1: Data for Zener diode based voltage regulator with variable source.
Sl No. Input Voltage Zener Current I
Voltage Vin across Diode (mA)
(V) resistor VR Voltage VZ
(V) (V)
1 0.48 0 0.48 0
2 1.52 0 1.52 0
3 2.14 0 2.14 0
4 3.69 0 3.69 0
5 4.54 0.02 4.51 0.07
6 5.49 0.44 5.04 1.06
7 6.28 1.20 5.06 2.91
8 7.80 2.68 5.09 6.50
9 10.00 4.88 5.10 11.82
10 11.00 5.88 5.10 14.24
11 12.06 6.92 5.11 16.76
12 13.60 8.48 5.12 20.53
13 15.00 9.86 5.12 23.90

Table 2: Data for Zener diode based voltage regulator with variable load.
Sl Resistance of Total Voltage Voltage Current
No. potentiometer Resistance across across through
Rpot (kΩ) RT (kΩ) 220Ω load VL load IL
resistor (V) (mA)
V220 (V)
1 0 0.22 4.93 4.97 22.60
2 0.26 0.47 2.34 5.10 10.71
3 0.92 1.14 0.96 5.11 3.65
4 2.41 2.63 0.41 5.12 1.95
5 4.50 4.72 0.22 5.12 1.08
6 5.93 6.15 0.17 5.12 0.83
7 7.00 7.22 0.15 5.12 0.71
8 8.50 8.72 0.12 5.12 0.59
9 10.15 10.37 0.10 5.12 0.49
Observation: The graph indicates that the voltage across the Zener diode
matches the input voltage up to 5.1V. When the input voltage exceeds
5.1V, the voltage across the diode remains constant at 5.1V, demonstrating
the Zener diode's regulation capability. This behavior confirms that the
Zener diode effectively maintains a stable output voltage despite changes
in the input voltage. The ability to keep the voltage constant beyond the
breakdown voltage highlights the diode's usefulness in voltage regulation
applications.

Discussion and conclusion: From the observations made during the

experiment, it is evident that the Zener diode exhibits a distinct voltage
regulation behavior. The graph clearly demonstrates the transition from the
forward-biased region to the reverse-breakdown region, where the voltage
across the diode stabilizes at a constant value of approximately 5.1V,
known as the Zener voltage. This constant voltage drop of 5.1V,
irrespective of further increases in the input voltage, is the fundamental
principle that enables the Zener diode to function as an effective voltage
regulator.
The experimental results validate the theoretical concepts of Zener diode
operation and its suitability for designing simple voltage regulator circuits.
By incorporating a Zener diode in the appropriate circuit configuration,
along with a series limiting resistor and optional filtering capacitors, a stable
and regulated output voltage can be obtained. This feature finds
widespread applications in various electronic circuits and systems that
require a consistent and reliable voltage supply.
Caution:
 Care was taken when measuring voltages and currents.
 Short-circuiting a diode was avoided, as it would have created a
direct path for a large current to flow, which could have destroyed the
diode.
 Continuous current flow through a diode for an extended period was
not allowed, as it could have increased the depletion region and led
to unstable resistance in the diode.