THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
LABOROTORY REPORT
NAME................................................…: KAPEMBWA MULENGA
C/N…………………………..…………: 2021378594
TITLE……...………………………..…: LABORATORY FUNDAMENTALS
LAB PARTNERS ……………………. : LUPUPA KALUMBA
…………………..... : MUSOKA MUFUTA
DATE……………………………...……: 27TH MARCH, 2023.
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INTRODUCTION
The laboratory fundamentals of Electrical and Electronics Engineering are essential for any
student pursuing a degree in the field of Engineering. It provides hands-on experience in working
with various electrical and electronic components, understanding circuit behavior, and testing
circuits. This report aims to document the experiments conducted on the laboratory fundamentals
topic.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the laboratory fundamentals topic in Electrical and Electronics Engineering is to
provide hands-on experience to students in working with various electrical and electronic
components. The topic aims to help students understand the behavior of circuits and how to test
them using various instruments. It is designed to enable students to apply theoretical concepts
learned in the classroom to practical problems encountered in real-world situations. The topic
also aims to develop students’ analytical and problem-solving skills by providing them with
opportunities to design and analyze circuits and troubleshoot faults. Ultimately, the objective of
the laboratory fundamentals topic is to prepare students for more advanced courses in Electrical
and Electronics Engineering and equip them with the necessary practical skills to succeed in their
future careers.
EQUIPMENT USED
NI ELVIS STATION
6 Resistors
DMM
THEORY
The laboratory fundamentals topic in Electrical and Electronics Engineering provides students
with a solid understanding of the basic concepts and principles of electrical and electronic
circuits. The topic covers the fundamental theories and applications of electronic components
such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors, and introduces students to various laboratory
instruments such as multimeters, function generators, and oscilloscopes.
The theory covered in the laboratory fundamentals topic is based on the laws and principles of
electricity, including Ohm’s Law, Kirchhoff’s Laws, and the laws of capacitance and inductance.
Students learn how to use these laws to analyze and design electrical and electronic circuits, and
how to identify and troubleshoot faults in circuits. The topic also covers the properties of various
electronic components, such as resistance, capacitance, and inductance, and how they affect the
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behavior of circuits. For example, students learn how to calculate the time constant of a capacitor
in a charging or discharging circuit, and how to use diodes to rectify AC voltage.
In addition, the laboratory fundamentals topic provides students with practical skills in circuit
construction, prototyping, and testing. Students learn how to use a breadboard to build and test
circuits, how to use a multimeter to measure voltage, current, and resistance, and how to use an
oscilloscope to visualize and analyze waveforms.
Overall, the laboratory fundamentals topic provides students with a strong foundation in the
theory and practice of electrical and electronic circuits, and prepares them for more advanced
courses in the field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
PROCEDURE
Part (1) resistor measurement
The first part of the experiment involved identifying the resistance value of each resistor using
the colour codes and later compare the values with those obtained from the DMM.
6 resistors of different colour codes were provided. Resistance of each resistor was calculated
using the colour bands. The colour bands were read from left to right to which right is the end
part of a resistor with a colour band far away from other bands which is used for calculating the
tolerance value. Colour bands represent the significant digits, multiplier and tolerance value.
The first three stripes give the value of the resistance in Ω (ohms) according to the formula.
AB×10C
Where A is the first stripe’s value, B is the second stripes value and c is the third stripe’s value
which is also used as a multiplier in resistors with four colour bands.
After resistance values were determined using colour codes we later used the NI ELVIS Board
and the DMM to determine the resistance values and compared the two results.
The NI ELVIS WORKSTATION was turned on. Two banana were taken to the alligator plug
wires (one red and one black) and the red wire’s banana end was connected to the hole marked Ω
on the Multimeter on NI board, and the black wire’s banana end to the hole marked Ground or
Common on the NI board. The wires coming resistors were connected to the end of the alligator.
Using an auto ranging Multimeter we were able to see the value of the resistance as soon as the
wires were connected.
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Part (2) Voltage Measurements
R1
R2
V
A simple circuit was set as shown above. R1 and R2 was used to be 220Ω and 100Ω
respectively. Voltage source was set to be 10V. NI ELVIS STATION was turned on. Two lab
cables were connected to the banana ends respectively to the black and red terminals of the
multimeter on the NI board marked by a V.
An appropriate range of measurements was selected by choosing the next higher value of the
supplied voltage. Alligator ends were connected in parallel to the terminals of the resistor in the
circuit.
Voltage value were read and recorded across the resistor R1 and R2.
Part (3) Current Measurements
The above illustrated circuit was still used under this part. The NI ELVIS STATION was turned
on. Two laboratory cables were used to connect the banana ends to the black and red terminals of
the multimeter marked by A respectively.
The appropriate range of measurements was selected by choosing the next higher value to get a
value on the display.
After all cables were successfully connected we were able to read the current from
LCD/Computer screen.
OBSRVATIONS AND DISCUSSION
Part (1) Resistor Measurements
Two values of resistance were calculated for each of the six resistors, one value was from the
colour bands the other value came measurements of resistance using the DMM and the NI
ELVIS STATION.
For resistor 2 colour bands were as follows
Brown Red Brown and Gold giving us a tolerance range of ±5%
Using the formula AB×10C, we get
12×101 = 120Ω
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Using the ±5% tolerance range, we get the value of resistance to be from 114Ω to 126Ω. The
measured value of the resistor was 118.08Ω which is still in the range. The same result was
found for the remaining 5 resistors, all the measured resistance values were in the designated
limits.
Part (2) Voltage Measurements
We observed that in a series circuit, the total resistance is equal to the sum of individual
resistances, while in parallel circuit, the total resistance is less that of the smallest individual
resistance.
The voltages measured across the two resistors were,
VR1 = 6.5004V
VR2 = 3.118V
VTOTAL = 9.98V
Part (3) Current Measurements
Current through the circuit was measured, when taking current measurements, it is important to
make sure that the multimeter is connected in series with the component which is the resistor in
this case. The accuracy of current measurements can be affected by various factors such as the
resistance of the shunt resistor in the multimeter, the resolution and precision of the multimeter,
and the effect of the measurements on the circuit itself. The current through the circuit was
measured to be 0.03093A
CONCLUTION
In conclusion, the laboratory fundamentals topic provided hands on experience in working with
various electrical and electronics components, understanding circuit behaviour and testing
circuits. We learned how to identify the resistance value of a resistor using the colour codes and
build series and parallel circuits using resistors for current and voltage measurements. These
experiments helped us to gain a better understanding of the concepts learned in class and prepare
us for the future courses in EEE.
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