UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS DARTMOUTH
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
EGR 101 INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING THROUGH APPLIED SCIENCE I
PRACTICE SESSION #1
Using the Digital Multimeter to Measure and Adjust the voltages on the Powered
Breadboard
The powered breadboard that will be used in our lab experiments is shown in the photo below.
It consists of 3 independent power supplies providing a fixed +5 V and two adjustable +/-15 V
DC voltages.
A detailed view of the breadboard power connections as well as the ON/OFF switch and the
external power connector is shown on the next page. In addition, a view of the Digital
Multimeter (DMM) you will work with is shown.
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For this practice session, we will measure all of the power supply voltages and then adjust each
of the +/-15 V supplies. An example view of the connections needed to measure and adjust the
-15 V power supply is shown below.
Procedure/Results
Obtain a powered breadboard, an AC power cord, a DMM (with test leads), and some doublealligator leads from the front bench. Connect the AC power and turn the breadboard on using
the ON/OFF rocker switch. The red light behind the rocker switch should be on.
For each output, make the proper connections to measure the voltage. Record each of the
measurements in a short table. Is the +5 V output correct?
Set the connections to measure the +15 V output. Adjust the appropriate potentiometer
throughout its range and observe the voltage. Adjust the voltage to +10 V. Repeat the
procedure for the -15 V output and then adjust for a voltage of -10 V.
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