Electrical Circuit-I Laboratory ©Dept.

of EEE, CUET

CHITTAGONG UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING,
CHITTAGONG-4349, BANGLADESH.

COURSE NO.: EEE 112

Experiment No. 1
FAMILIARIZATION WITH MEASURING INSTRUMENTS

PRELAB WORK:

 Read this laboratory manual carefully before coming to the

laboratory class, so that you know what is required.
 Try to follow the lecture notes of EEE 111.
 DONOT copy others blindly!!!
 Submit your lab report before the roll call.

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of this experiment is to get familiar with the measuring instruments Ammeter,
Voltmeter, Multimeter and DC power supply.

APPARATUS:

1. Ammeter
2. Voltmeter
3. Multimeter
4. DC power supply

THEORY:

Current and potential differences are most often determined by reading them directly from the
scales of indicating instruments known, as ammeters and voltmeters. The basic principle of the
ammeter and of the voltmeter is the same. The moving element is actuated by current in either
case. In the ammeter, the element is actuated by the current we wish to measure or a certain
fraction of that current. In the voltmeter, the moving element is actuated by a current, which is
proportional to the potential difference we wish to measure, since the current through the
instrument is

IV = V/R

Ammeter: The ammeter, since it measures current, is connected in series with the circuit under
test. Because there is only one current path in a series circuit, all of the circuit current flows through
the meter. However, the ammeter must introduce minimum additional resistance into the circuit.

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Electrical Circuit-I Laboratory ©Dept. of EEE, CUET

ALWAYS
CONNECT
AMMETER IN
SERIES

Figure 1: Ammeter Connection

Current flow in a series circuit varies with the total resistance of the circuit so, if the total resistance
is increased, circuit current will decrease and the ammeter will not indicate the true circuit current
value. Of course, an ammeter will always add some series resistance to a circuit but the objective
of good meter design is to disturb the circuit being measured as little as possible. Therefore, the
ammeter resistance should be very low, preferably zero. To extend the range of the ammeter, we
must place resistance in parallel or shunt with the meter, creating a current path around the meter
for the excess current.
The ammeter used in the lab is of Chauvin Arnoux company of Japan, model C.A. 401. It can
measure both AC and DC current. The knob selector can be set to measure DC (white straight line)
or AC (red wavy line) and proper range according to circuit operation. There are ports for
connecting probes.

Ports

Display

Total
Scale

Selector Knob

𝐷𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑋 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟
Value= 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒

Figure 2: Ammeter and its various parts

Voltmeter: The dc voltmeter enables us to measure any value of dc voltage between two points
in an electric circuit within the capability of the meter. It is thus in parallel with the circuit or some
part of the circuit. To be used in this way, a voltmeter must have enough resistance so that it will
not be injured by the current that flows through it, and so that it will not materially affect the
current in the circuit to which it is connected. The dc voltmeter has a basic meter movement,
commonly called a moving coil or D Arsenoval type movement, and one or more series resistors
known as multiplier resistors. As the name implies, multiplier resistors increase, or multiply the
range of the basic meter movement.

ALWAYS
CONNECT
VOLTMETER
IN PARALLEL

Figure 3: Voltmeter Connection

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Electrical Circuit-I Laboratory ©Dept. of EEE, CUET

The moving coil meter requires a certain current passing through the coil to deflect the pointer to
full scale. The full-scale current may be anywhere from a few microamperes to several mill
amperes. If the meter requires very little current to give full-scale deflection, the sensitivity of the
meter is said to be high. Two factors, the full-scale deflection current and the resistance of the
moving coil, must be known before a multiplier resistor can be added in series with the meter
movement to increase the range.
The DC voltmeter in the lab is of Lutron company of USA, model DV-101. The meter has a range
selector switch and is capable of measuring upto a maximum of 200V. The display panel shows
the voltage being measured. There are two ports for connecting probes.

Ports

On/off switch

Range selector switch

Display panel

Figure 4: DC Voltmeter and its various parts

Multimeter: A multimeter, also known as a VOM (volt-ohm-milliammeter), is an electronic

measuring instrument that combines several measurement functions in one unit. A typical
multimeter can measure voltage, current, and resistance. Digital multimeters (DMM, DVOM) have
a numeric display. Digital multimeters are now far more common due to their lower cost and
greater precision, but analog multimeters are still preferable in some cases, for example when
monitoring a rapidly varying value.
The multimeter in circuit lab is of Sanwa brand of Japan, model CD800a. It is capable of measuring
voltage (AC & DC), current (AC & DC), resistance, capacitance, frequency and so on. The
maximum voltage and current rating are 600V (AC & DC) and 400mA (AC & DC), respectively.
The user is not required to manually select the voltage or current range. Rather, it is automatically
selected. However, the operator does need to select whether he wants to measure AC or DC voltage
or current.

Display

Probe (needle-type)

AC/DC selector switch

Selector Knob

Figure 5: Multimeter and its various parts

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Electrical Circuit-I Laboratory ©Dept. of EEE, CUET

DC Power Supply: A power supply is an electrical device that supplies electric power to an
electrical load. All power supplies have a power input connection, which receives energy in the
form of electric current from a source, and one or more power output connections that deliver
current to the load. The source power may come from the electric power grid, such as an electrical
outlet, energy storage devices such as batteries or fuel cells, generators or alternators, solar power
converters, or another power supply.
A DC power supply is one that supplies a constant DC voltage to its load. Depending on its design,
a DC power supply may be powered from a DC source or from an AC source such as the power
mains.
The DC Power Supply to be used in the lab is of GW Instek of Taiwan, model GPS-3303. It has
within it two independent power supplies (denoted by channel-1 and channel-2), each capable of
delivering a maximum of 30V and 3A. They can be connected in series or in parallel in cases
where the required voltage or current is more than 30V or 3A, respectively. There is a third channel
named channel-3 which is a constant 5V, 3A supply.

Figure 6: DC Power Supply

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