SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

DIPLOMA IN ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

MODURE NAME: Domestic Installation Practice

MODURE CODE: ELE-DIP-121

YEAR: One

SEMISTER: Two

SUBMITTED TO: Mr J.C Phiri

MEMBERS AND REGISTRATION No: Tarsizio Kapalamula

(DEEE/23/PE/018), Evidence Muyatso (DEEE/23/PE/028), and Gift Kachala
(DEEE/23/PE/015)

①
LAB WORK 1:
Measuring Instruments: Connection and Record Taking

INTRODUCTION

To become familiar with some of the electrical instruments, to learn how to make
basic electrical measurements (voltage, current and resistance) and to gain experience
by wiring a simple electrical circuit and gain better understanding of Ohm’s law and
the relationship between current and voltage.

OBJECTIVE

From this experiment, we learned how to read the resistor colour code to get the
nominal values of the resistors. How to connect voltmeter (multimeter) in a circuit to
measure voltage. How to connect an ammeter (multimeter) in a circuit to measure
current.

MATERIALS/COMPONENTS

 Resistors 5 (1k, 1.5k, 1.8k,3.2k and 5.6k ohm)

 Multimeter

 Breadboard and wires

THEORY

Ohm's Law states that the current through two points on a conductor is directly
proportional to the potential difference across the two points and inversely
proportional to the resistance between them (Bird, 2007).

②
 Figure 0.1 showing the relationship of voltage resistance and current (V=IR)

V is the voltage drop of the resistor, measured in Volts (V)

I is the electrical current flowing through the resistor, measured in Amperes (A)

R is the resistance of the resistor, measured in Ohms (Ω)

Measuring current with an ammeter (multimeter)

To measure the current through a device or component the ammeter is placed in series
with the device or component. A series connection is used because objects in series
have the same current passing through them.

Figure 0.2: (a) When an ammeter is used to measure the current through two resistors

connected in series to a battery, a single ammeter is placed in series with the two
resistors because the current is the same through the two resistors in series. (b) When
two resistors are connected in parallel with a battery, three meters, or three separate

③
ammeter readings, are necessary to measure the current from the battery and through
each resistor. The ammeter is connected in series with the component in question.

Measuring Voltage with a Voltmeter (multimeter)

To measure voltage across components a voltmeter is connected in parallel with
whatever device it is measuring. A parallel connection is used because objects in
parallel experience the same potential difference

Figure 0.3: To measure potential differences in this series circuit, the voltmeter(V) is
placed in parallel with the voltage source or either of the resistors. Note that terminal
voltage is measured between the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the
battery or voltage source. It is not possible to connect a voltmeter directly across the
emf without including the internal resistance r of the battery.
PROCEDURE

1. Resistor identification

i. Checking the resistors using the color code chert to determine nominal values.

ii. Verify the resistance value using multimeter

2. Circuit assembly

④
i. Place the resistors on the breadboard according to the circuit diagrams in fig
below

ii. Connect the wires to form a complete circuit

a b c

Figure 0.4: current measured for a ,b , c in series

3. Voltage measurement

i. Place the multimeter probe on the voltage source to set the correct voltage at the
outlets as in the fig

4. Current measurement

i. Connect the multimeter in series with the resistors to measure the current flowing
through.

ii. Record the readings for each resistor and circuit built.

RESULTS

The figures below shows current reading when the multimeter was connected first in
series with the resistor as well when connected in parallel for both the simulator
application and trial on breadboard

⑤
Figure 0.5: showing recorded measurements when multimeter is connected in series
with resistors to measure current in circuit

⑥
 Color code Measured
Resistor Ω
value Ω value Ω

1k 998.87

1.5k, 1476.89

1.8k 1786.67

3.2k 3201.71

5.6k 5674.01

Figure 0.6: table showing resistor values with the first column having values given
and second showing values found by color code and third values after measuring with
multimeter.

DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS

 Accuracy of measurement

 Compare the measured resistance values with the nominal values obtained from
the color code

 Ohms law verification

 Verify ohms law by comparing the calculated resistance values using (R=V/I)
with the nominal values.

CONCLUSION

In this experiment, we successfully learned how to use a multimeter to measure

voltage and current in a circuit. We also gained practical experience in identifying
resistors using the color code and verifying Ohm’s Law. The experiment helped us
understand the relationship between voltage, current, and resistances in electrical
circuits.

⑦
Lab work 2:
Rectifier Circuits: Building, Testing and Observing Signal Output on
Oscilloscope.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE

• Becoming familiar with the functionality of a diode in circuits(as a one way

switch device). Construction of the half and full wave rectifier with the given
equipment's. Understanding the behavior of circuits constructed. Testing and
signal observation on Oscilloscope(observing the dc output current of each
circuit build). Building circuits on a virtual instrument and automated
measurement program. For a diode connected to AC current one side (positive
or negative) of the wave is observed at the output.

MATERIALS/COMPONENTS

• Diodes 4 (1N4001)

• Capacitors (450 µF polarized, 10 nF non-polarized)

• Transformer (9v output, input 230v)

• Resistor(1k ohm)

• Breadboard, wires, multimeter, oscilloscope

THEORY

Diode: This component offers an extremely low resistance to current flow in one
direction and an extremely high resistance to current flow in the other (Bird,2007).
Making current to flow in the direction with the low resistance that's from anode to
cathode when connected in forward-bias.

⑧
 Figure 0.7: Showing a diode with part a as anode and part k as cathode

Rectifiers: A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (ac) to

direct current(dc), process known as rectification (Bird,2007). Rectification can be
achieved by the use of diodes (signal diodes).

Half-wave rectification: In half wave rectification, either the positive or negative

half of the AC wave is passed, while the other half is blocked. Because only one half
of the input wave form reaches the output, it is very inefficient if used for power
transfer. Half-wave rectification can be achieved with a single diode in a one-
phase(AC) supply (Bird,2007).

A B

Figure 0.8: Part A shows half-wave rectifier circuit with filter and B with no filter

Full wave rectification: In full-wave rectification, both halves of the AC

waveform are utilized. This is achieved by using multiple diodes in a bridge
configuration or a center-tapped transformer with two diodes. Full-wave rectification
is more efficient than half-wave rectification as it provides a higher average output
voltage and smoother DC output.

⑨
A B

Figure 0.9: shows a full wave bridge rectifier circuit

PROCEDURE

Test and calibrate the materials and components given to make sure they are in good
working condition as well as they are of the collect values e.g. measure the diodes,
resistor,capacitors and check for wire continuity using the multimeter.

A. Building the half-wave rectifier circuit

1. Using the figure 0.8 build the half wave circuit with the materials/components
values given in the section.

2. Connect the transformer to the AC supply.

3. Connect one end of the secondary winding of the transformer to the anode of
the diode.

4. Connect the cathode of the diode to one end of the polarized capacitor (450
µF).

5. Connect the other end of the capacitor to the other end of the secondary
winding of the transformer.

B. Building the full-wave rectifier circuit

1. After disconnecting the first circuit for the half wave rectifier.

⑩
 2. Build the full-wave rectifier shown in figure 0.9 by connect four diodes in a
bridge configuration.

3. Connect the AC input to the two opposite corners of the bridge.

4. Connect the load in the remaining two corners of the bridge.

C. Testing and Signal Observation

1. Measure the input voltage at the secondary of transformer voltage, as well also
measure the voltage at the (450 µF capacitor) terminals and the output voltage
of the circuit.

2. Power on the transformer and observe the output wave-forms on the

oscilloscope.

3. For the half-wave rectifier, observe that only one half of the AC waveform is
present at the output when no capacitors are added in the circuit.

4. For the full-wave rectifier, observe that both halves of the AC waveform are
present at the output, resulting in a smoother DC output.

RESULTS

A. Half-Wave Rectifier Circuit

The oscilloscope displayed a pulsating DC waveform with only the positive half of
the AC signal (when no capacitors where added and a straight line dc voltage when
capacitors are added) as shown in the figure 1.0 below. When different terminals
where measured the results are as shown in the table.

⑪
a b

Figure 1.0: showing oscilloscope readings of the half wave circuit with (a) without
capacitors and (b) with capacitors connected.

B. Full-Wave Rectifier Circuit

The oscilloscope displayed a continuous pulsating DC waveform with both halves of

the AC signal (When capacitors where not added ) as shown in the figure 5.0 below.

a b

Figure 1.1: showing the full wave rectifier circuit on an oscilloscope with (a) without
capacitors connected and (b) capacitors connected.

⑫
DISCUSSION/ ANALYSIS

Half-Wave Rectifier: The half-wave rectifier is simple to construct but inefficient

for power transfer as it only uses one half of the AC signal. The output contains a
significant amount of ripple, which can be reduced by adding a filter capacitor ( it
might need large capacitors or multiple capacitors connected in parallel).

Full-Wave Rectifier: The full-wave rectifier is more efficient as it utilizes both

halves of the AC signal. The output has less ripple compared to the half-wave rectifier,
making it more suitable for power supply applications. Adding a filter capacitor
further smooths the output, providing a more stable DC voltage.

CONCLUSION

The experiment successfully demonstrated the construction and testing of half-wave

and full-wave rectifiers. The oscilloscope observations confirmed the theoretical
behavior of the rectifiers. Full-wave rectification is more efficient and provides a
smoother DC output compared to half-wave rectification.

⑬
REFERENCES:

(HTTP://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/University_Physics/University_Physics_(O
penStax)/University_Physics_II__Thermodynamics_Electricity_and_Magnetism_(Op
enStax)/10%3A_Direct-
Current_Circuits/10.05%3A_Electrical_Measuring_Instruments)

Electrical and electronics principles. John Bird (2007),third edition