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PC221 Analog Electronics Lab



This page is being updated for Winter 2014.

This is the Physics 221 Lab page, created and updated by Terry Sturtevant.
Page last updated Monday April 29, 2013
**Items marked this way are not final.**

Introduction

Evaluation Methods

Course Material

Week of ... Lab Reference Material
[ white background indicates required reading;
gray background indicates optional reading]
Introduction
DC measurements
Introduction to analog simulation (ie. SPICE analysis)
Jan. 7

Some of this week's material should be familiar from PC/CP200.


Bench supplies in N2083


Breadboards [screencast of PDF]


Kirchhoff's laws [WLU February 16, 2010 ] w
Kirchhoff's laws example [WLU March 14, 2012 ]
Oscilloscope operation [WLU October 11, 2012 ]
LTspice tutorial (includes links to lots of other resources) [WLU 2008]
GREAT electricity animations! (includes examples) [Arizona State University 2002]
Kirchhoff's voltage law animation
Kirchhoff's current law animation


Current measurement


Kirchhoff's Law analysis using Maple


Operating point analysis in LTspice - Part I


Operating point analysis in LTspice - Part II


LTspice introduction video [WMV; Grand Valley State University]
Introduction to SwitcherCAD (another name for LTspice);
includes parametric and text commands, file descriptions [PDF; Petr Kropik]
LTspice introductory manual (adding components) [PDF; Aalborg University, October 2005]
SPICE overview (lots of detail) [University of Pennsylvania]
SWCADIII (Another LTspice tutorial) (very detailed) [PDF; Aalborg University]

Another Kirchhoff's law tutorial [Flash; flashscience.com]

AC and DC measurements with a digital meter
AC and DC settings on the oscilloscope
Amplitude and DC offset settings on the function generator
SPICE analysis (transient)
Jan. 14 Function generator operation [WLU October 11, 2012 ]
Intro to LTspice (lots of screen shots) [PDF; South Dakota School of Mines and Technology]
RMS voltage animation
RMS voltage explanation [University of New Brunswick]

Sketching AC waveforms [WLU April 19, 2011 ]

DC and AC voltage measurements with a digital multimeter - Version A


DC and AC voltage measurements with a digital multimeter - Version B


DC and AC voltage measurements with an oscilloscope


RMS voltages


Use of a function generator - Part I

Use of a function generator - Part II


AC and DC circuit analysis


Transient analysis in LTspice


Trace manipulation in LTspice - Part A


Trace manipulation in LTspice - Part B

Superposition Theorem [All About Circuits]
Jan. 21 Electrical Circuits Review [pdf 18pp; B. M. Fleischer] - sections B.1 and B.2.1 
Lab test: Converting measurements
Jan. 28
  • Lab Test 1: Converting measurements.
    You'll be given measurements from a digital multimeter, and have to sketch the corresponding scope trace, and use a scope trace to predict the corresponding digital multimeter readings.
Meauring capacitance
SPICE analysis (ac; phase and magnitude)
Feb. 4 Identifying Capacitor Polarity  [ February 4, 2013 ]

Identifying Capacitor Polarity [screencast of PDF]




AC analysis in LTspice
Charging and Discharging A Capacitor [© 1995-2003 M. W. Davidson and The Florida State University]


How Capacitors Work [© 1998 - 2003 HowStuffWorks, Inc.]
Meauring inductance
Resonant circuits
Feb. 11 tenma meter
TENMA meter manual (including inductance measurement on p. 17)   [ March 1, 2012 ]

MAKE Presents: The Inductor
     
Feb. 18 Reading Week - no lab  
     
Lab test
Feb. 25
Diodes
IV curves using scope and DC supply
SPICE analysis (DC sweep and adding models)
March 4 Adding a model in LTspice


DC sweeps in LTspice
LTspice SPICE models video [WMV; Grand Valley State University]
Physics of a Diode
[©2003 Marvin Casanova ]
MAKE Presents: The Diode
Video project Phase I
March 11
  • Video project Phase I
Video project introduction [ March 11, 2013 ]
Video project marking [ December 5, 2012 ]
Zener diodes
March 18
LTspice SPICE models video [WMV; Grand Valley State University]

Postlab mark replacement option:
Redo lab test 2 as a report;
  1. Fix all errors, remeasure if necessary.
  2. Put analysis first; explain whatever is necessary.
  3. Make sure all measurements can be easily compared- e.g. convert RMS to amplitude.
  4. Rationalize signs on voltages and currents.
  5. Whenever 2 graphs (or sketches) are supposed to be compared, put them on the same scale and make them the same size.
  6. Attach original test.
The goal is to show that if everything is done correctly, the reults of analysis, measurement, and simulation should be similar.

Exporting LTspice Data


Transient Analysis in LTspice (preliminary)


Exporting CircuitLab Data


Operating Point Analysis in CircuitLab


Transient (i.e. Time Domain) Analysis in CircuitLab


Resistance, Capacitance, and Inductance Measurements with Digital Meters
Video project Phase II
March 25
  • Video project Phase II
2N3904 datasheet [© Fairchild Semiconductor]
April 1
  • Continuing analysis
  • Lab evaluation

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