Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Faculty of Engineering (FE)

American International University- Bangladesh (AIUB)

Laboratory Reports Booklet (mid-term)

Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Semester: Spring 2023-24

Group Members
Group No. ID Name
1.
2.

? 3.
4.
5.
6.

Marking Rubrics for Laboratory Report (to be filled by Faculty)

Marks Marks
Unsatisfactory Good Excellent
(1) (2-3) (4-5) Exp Ex Exp Ex Exp Exp
Criteria
1 p2 3 p4 5 6
Experimental circuit Partial circuit results All the experimental
diagrams are not are included in this results are included
Experimental
included in this report. report. Also, part of in this report with
Circuits and
Results are also the results seems appropriate circuit
Results
inconclusive. irrelevant and/or diagrams.
incorrect.
Cannot reach Can extract most of Can extract all
meaningful the accurate data. relevant data from
conclusions from Answers to the report measurement. All the
Comparison
experimental data; questions are report questions are
between
Cannot summarize or partially correct; correctly answered.
experimental
compare findings to Summarize finding in Summarize complete
and
expected results. an incomplete way. findings with logical
theoretical
The report questions The answers of the recommendations.
results
are incorrect/not report questions are All the report
answered properly. partially correct. questions are
correctly answered.
Comments Assessed by (Name, Sign, and Date)
Total
(out of 10)
Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

1 List of Lab Experiments

For Mid Term

Experiment # Name of the Experiment

Exp 1 Measurement of Passive Elements using Highly Precise Instruments.
Exp 2 Measurement of Medium Resistance using Ammeter-Voltmeter Method.
Exp 3 Measurement of High Resistance using Loss of Charge Method.
Exp 4 Experiment on the determination of characteristics of optical transducers
(part-1)
Exp 5 Experiment on the determination of characteristics of optical transducers
(part-2)
Exp 6 Open Ended Lab-1

For Final Term

Experiment # Name of the Experiment

Exp 7 Experiment on the Determination of the Characteristics of a Strain Gauge
Transducer Circuit in Weight Measurement Application.
Exp 8 Experiment with Different Thermal Transducers (Thermistor, RTD, Etc.)
for Temperature Measurement.
Exp 9 Experiment with a Proximity Sensor (LVDT) for the Measurement of
Small Displacement.
Exp 10 Measurement of Inductance Using AC Bridge Circuits (Maxwell, Hay’s)
Exp 11 Experiment on Data Acquisition System Using Arduino Microcontroller.
Exp 12 Open Ended Lab-2

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

2. Instructions for lab reports preparation & submission

(a) Fill all the data inside every table using pa en/pencil. So take the printout of this documents.
(you need to take printout of this document (except the Section B of every experiment (report
question section)

(b) The report questions section must be prepared in MS Word. All the graphs must be drawn using
MS Excel.
(once this section is ready, take print out and include them in respective section of every
experiment.
(c) Before submitting to the course teacher, have a proof read by every member of the group.
(d) For quick preparation of this report, each experiment must be distributed to different member of
the group but this is completely your choice.
(e) Fill the cover page using MS Word.
(f) Do not forget the write the Group number on the cover page.

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

3. Experiment-1: Measurement of Passive Elements (L, C & R) using Highly Precise

Instruments.

Abstruct:
In the field of electrical engineering measuring electrical quantity is a very common practice.
Acceptance of measured value is highly dependent on accuracy of instruments. Research
includes searching the accurate method/instrument of measurement. LCR meter can provide
good result while measuring inductance, capacitance or resistance. There are different
techniques for measuring R/C/L for different range. This experiment provides the idea of
measuring R/L/C by LCR meter.

The objective of the Experiment:

The main objectives of this experiment are as follows:
1. To measure the value of unknown resistance (R), inductance (L) & capacitance (C)
using highly precise instruments like LCR meter and Multimeter.
2. To identify the factors that affect the accuracy of the measurement.

Pre-Lab Homework:

List of Apparatus:
1. LCR meter, Model: GW Instek 816 / 6000 series (1)
2. Multimeter (1)
3. Different values of R, L & C

Description:

What is an LCR meter?

An LCR meter is an electrical test instrument used to measure inductance (L), capacitance (C),
and resistance (R) of components and circuits at various frequencies. Besides displaying these
electrical characteristics, LCR meters can also typically display impedance (Z), phase angle
(θ), dissipation factor (D), quality factor (Q), and equivalent series resistance (ESR). Some
LCR meters display admittance and its components, conductance and susceptance.
The LCR meter measures the impedance of the component or circuit at its terminals. This is
usually done by applying a sinusoidal waveform at a specified frequency and measuring the
resulting sinusoidal current along with the phase difference between the applied voltage and
the resulting current. The meter then calculates the impedance from these measurements. Other
electrical characteristics can be calculated from the components of the impedance.
As electrical components and circuits come in a variety of forms, various leads and fixtures are
needed in conjunction with the LCR meter to allow a physical connection between the device
under test (DUT) and the LCR meter. As these leads/fixtures also have impedance, it is
important to compensate for them to know the true impedance of the DUT.

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Advantages of using LCR meter:

 Measure the impedance of a circuit and help you troubleshoot or characterize existing
circuits.
 Identify unmarked components and sort components into bins with specified tolerances.
 Battery-operated, handheld LCR meters are convenient to carry into the field for testing
away from the bench.
 Measure AC characteristics of a component as a function of frequency and amplitude to
help you predict the AC behavior in a circuit.
 Characterize motors by inductance measurements and inductance as a function of rotor
angle.
 Identify the coil leads of an unmarked relay by measuring the inductance.
 Select components for passive filters, then measure the filter's impedance at various
frequencies.
 Measure components in-circuit. In particular, find capacitors with high ESR.
 Estimate the winding ratio of a transformer via inductance measurements.
 Measure the Q of coils. Sometimes a lossy inductor is desired and the LCR meter can
tell you if you've made it correctly.

Dissipation factor (D) and quality factor (Q):

The dissipation factor D is a dimensionless quantity representing the ratio of the real part of the
impedance to the imaginary part.
D = R/X where Z = R+ jX
"Pure" components have low values of D. Here, "pure" means the impedance has a small real
part. For a capacitor, the dissipation factor D relates the series model's capacitance Cs to the
parallel model's capacitance Cp:
Cs = Cp (1+D2)
For values of D near zero, you can see that Cs and Cp are nearly equal. The series and parallel
capacitances are equal to within 0.1% when D is less than 0.032. From equation (14), we have
for the series model that:
Rs = ESR = equivalent series resistance = D/(ꞷ Cs)

For a fixed frequency and the series capacitance model, the equivalent series resistance is small
when D is small. As the ESR dissipates real power in a circuit, a small ESR is desirable for
efficiency, so capacitors with low D are desirable, especially in power circuitry. Physically,
there is no resistance in series with a pure capacitor; the ESR is an abstraction representing the
complicated distributed behavior of leakage, dielectric losses, lead resistance, and other
physical effects.

For inductors, it is conventional to use the quality factor Q, which is the reciprocal of D.
High-Q inductors are often desired. From equation (15), we have for the series model that:
Rs = ESR = (ω Ls)/Q

Thus, a high-Q inductor has low equivalent series resistance and loses little power to this ESR.
High-Q and low-D components can be desirable in circuitry because they can allow efficient
transfer of energy between capacitors and inductors in resonant circuits, and efficiently store

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

energy with little loss to waste heat. D for a capacitor will typically rise nonlinearly with
frequency and temperature. When using an LCR meter to measure D for a component that is
nearly a pure reactance, D can be a small number, perhaps in the range of 0.0001 to 0.0010.
Since Q is the reciprocal of D, you can have the meter display Q instead and take the reciprocal
to get more significant figures in the measurement of D.

Main Specifications & Features of LCR meter:

a) Accuracy & Front panel interface with display

GW Instek 816: 0.05% basic measurement accuracy

GW Instek 6000: 0.05% @ SLOW & MEDIUM speed;

0.1% @ FAST speed

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

b) Equivalent circuit: Series or Parallel

c) Probe Connections for measurement

The LCR meter uses a four-terminal measurement configuration that provides easy,
accurate and stable measurements and avoids mutual inductance, interference from

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

measurement signals, noise and other factors inherent with other types of connections.

!!! Precaution !!!

Do not apply DC voltage or current to the UNKNOWN terminals. Applying a DC voltage
or current may lead to device failure. Connect the measurement sample (DUT) to the test
port (or the test fixture, cables, etc. after the DUT has been completely discharged.

d) Suggested Test Conditions for Component Measurement

Inductor:
Inductors have always traditionally been measured in series equivalent circuits. For large
inductors, a lower test frequency yields a more accurate result. For small
inductors, higher frequencies are more accurate.

Capacitor:
Capacitors are usually measured in series except for extremely small capacitance. Like
with inductors, larger capacitors should be measured with low frequencies. Small
capacitors with high frequencies.

Resistor:
A series inductance circuit is the best equivalent circuit for low resistance (<1kΩ) and a
parallel capacitance circuit for high resistances (>10MΩ).

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Find below the summary for the suggested test conditions for L, C & R:

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

The following two sections need to be filled up/prepared/answered by the students

Section A: Results
Table 1: Result of unknown inductances measurement with LCR meter
SL Measured Value True Value Quality Factor (QL) Relative Error
# [mH] [mH] (%)
1
2
3
4
5

Table 2: Result of unknown capacitances measurement with LCR meter

SL Measured Value True Value Dissipation Factor (D) Relative Error
# [µF] [µF] (%)
1
2
3
4
5

Table 3: Result of unknown resistances measurement with LCR meter

SL Measured Value True Value Quality Factor (QR) Relative Error
# [Ω] [Ω] (%)
1
2
3
4
5

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Section B: Report Questions

Q1: What are the impacts of the Open Circuit Test and Short Circuit Test while working with an LCR
meter?
Answer:

Q2: For what type of resistance (low/medium/high), the relative error became high and why?
Answer:

Q3: Which capacitance (out of all measurements) represents the best quality? Justify that.
Answer:

Q5: List the outcomes of this experiment #1.

Answer:

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

4. Experiment-2: Measurement of Medium Resistance using Ammeter-

Voltmeter Method.

The following two sections need to be filled up/prepared/answered by the students

Section A: Circuit Diagrams & Results

Circuit Diagram of the Ammeter-Voltmeter Method- 1
(a figure is given below for example)

Figure 4.1: Experimental circuit diagram of AV-1 method.

Results of the Ammeter-Voltmeter Method- 1

Table 4.1: Results of resistance measurement with AV-1 method
SL# Voltage Current Resistance reading Unknown Relative Error
Reading (Vm) Reading (Im) (Rm) resistance (Rx) (RE-1)
(measured value) (True value)
(Rm=Vm/Im)
[V] [mA] [Ω] [Ω] (%)

** Record the data in ascending order (low resistance in SL#1 --- > higher resistances)

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Circuit Diagram of the Ammeter-Voltmeter Method- 1

Figure 4.2: Experimental circuit diagram of AV-2 method.

Results of the Ammeter-Voltmeter Method- 2

Table 4.2: Results of resistance measurement with AV-2 method

SL# Voltage Current Resistance reading Unknown Relative Error
Reading (Vm) Reading (Im) (Rm) resistance (Rx) (RE-2)
(measured value) (True value)
(Rm=Vm/Im)
[V] [mA] [Ω] [Ω] (%)

** Record the data in ascending order (low resistance in SL#1 --- > higher resistances)

Measure the internal resistance of all available ranges of ammeter and voltmeter given to you.
You need this readings for analysis of the experiment and answering the report questions.

Voltmeter internal resistance (for all available scales)

Ammeter internal resistance

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Section B: Report Questions

Q1: Draw the following response in a graph (together)
(i) SL# vs RE-1 (from table 1)
(ii) SL# vs RE-2 (from table 2)

Answer:

Figure 4.3: SL# vs RE responses

Q2: Based on the results of the two graphs from Q1, correlate the two AV methods with
respect to the value of the unknown resistances and its relative error.
Answer:

Q3: How does the sensitivity of the voltmeter change with respect to the change in scale?
Answer:

Q4: How does the sensitivity of the ammeter change with respect to the change in scale?
Answer:

Q5: How does the sensitivity of the instrument (ammeter, voltmeter) affect the accuracy of the
measurement in this experiment?
Answer:

Q6: Based on your answer in Q5, suggest actions that would improve the accuracy of the
resistance measurement using AV methods.
Answer:

5. Experiment-3: Measurement of High Resistance using Loss of Charge

Method.

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Theory:
In this method, we utilize the equation of voltage across a discharging capacitor to find the value of
unknown resistance R. Figure 3.1 below shows the circuit diagram for this experiment.

Figure 3.1: Circuit diagram for the loss of charge method.

The capacitor discharging through a resistance can be represented by the following equation:
− ( tτ ) ………(1)
V c ( t ) =V c e
i

where,
V c ( t ) = capacitor voltage at any time instant (t)
V c = Initial voltage of the capacitor just before discharging period
i

τ =R x ×C = Time constant of the circuit

Solving equation (1) for unknown resistance R x results the following equation.

0.4343 t
R x=
C log 10
( )
V c ………..(2)
V c (t)
i

Apparatus:
Unknown resistances, R x1 ≅ 300 kΩ & R x2 ≅ 1 MΩ, C ≅ 1000 μF , DC source voltage, V c =20 V
i

Experimental Procedure:
1) Measure the unknown resistances and capacitances using an LCR meter and record it
in Table 3.1 as true value.
2) Construct the experimental circuit as Figure 3.1 with the switch in the open position.
3) You need to measure the instantaneous voltage of the capacitor at specific time
intervals as mentioned in Table 3.1. Use a timer (mobile timer) for this purpose.
4) Close the switch position and start the discharge period within a short interval (5~10
seconds) by opening the switch position.
5) Take the capacitor voltage readings from the multimeter and record data in Table 3.1
6) Calculate and fill up Table 3.2 and Table 3.3

The following two sections need to be filled up/prepared/answered by the students

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Section A: Circuit Diagrams & Results

Circuit Diagram of the Loss of Charge Method- 1

Figure 5.1: Experimental circuit diagram of loss of charge method.

Results of the Loss of Charge Method- 1

Table 5.1: Results of loss of charge method for high resistance measurement
SL Rx-1 C Vci Vc(t) Vc(t) Vc(t) Vc(t) Vc(t)
(True) (True) (to=0s) (t1=120s) (t2=240s (t3=360s) (t4=480s) (t5=600s)
[kΩ] [µF] [V] [V] ) [V] [V] [V]
[V]
1

Rx-2 Vc Vc Vc Vc Vc
(True) (t=40s) (t=80s) (t=120s) (t=180s) (t=200s)
[kΩ] [V] [V] [V] [V] [V]
2

** You may correct the timing value (t=XX s) according to the actual timing during your
experiment.

Table 5.2: Results of relative error of Rx-1 with respect to the results at different time
intervals during the discharge of the capacitor used.
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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
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Rx-1 Rx-1 Relative error

(True) (measured) VC i
of Rx-1
(using equation w.r.t V C (t) measurement
different time interval) (RE-1)
[kΩ] [kΩ] [%]

Table 5.3: Results of relative error of Rx-2 with respect to the results at different time
intervals during the discharge of the capacitor used.

Rx-2 Rx-2 Relative error

(True) (measured) VC i
of Rx-2
(using equation w.r.t V C (t) measurement
different time interval) (RE-2)
[kΩ] [kΩ] [%]

Section B: Report Questions

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Q1: Plot the following two responses (during capacitor discharge period) in a single graph
(i) Capacitor voltage (VC) vs time for Rx-1 (starting from to - t5)
(ii) Capacitor voltage (VC) vs time for Rx-2 (starting from to - t5)

Answer:

Figure 5.2: Capacitor voltage during discharge time

Q2: Based on the graphs plotted in Q1, justify that the Loss of Charge method is not suitable
for the measurement of low-value resistances.
Answer:

( )
Q3: Identify the impact of the
VC i

V C (t)
ratio on the accuracy of the high resistance

measurement by plotting ( )
VC
V C (t)
vs ℜ-1 (use data from table 5.2)
i

Answer:

Figure 5.3: ( )
VC i

V C (t)
vs ℜ-1 response

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

6. Experiment-4: Experiment on the determination of characteristics of

optical transducers (part-1: photoconductive cell & photovoltaic cell)

The following two sections need to be filled up/prepared/answered by the students

Section A: Results
Photoconductive Cell:
Table 6.1: Characteristics of photoconductive cell
Lamp Current through Voltage across Resistance of the
Filament input photoconductive cell photoconductive cell Photoconductive cell
voltage (Vi) (I) (V) (Rpc)
[V] [Ω]

Photovoltaic (PV) Cell:

Table 6.2: Characteristics of PV cell
Lamp PV cell short circuit PV cell open circuit
Filament input output current (ISC) output voltage (VOC)
voltage (Vi)
[V]

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Section B: Report Questions

Q1: Plot Vi vs RPC response of photoconductive cell. (from table 6.1)
Answer:

Figure 6.1: Characteristics of photoconductive cell

Q2: Comment on the characteristics of the photoconductive cell you have used in this experiment
(based on the figure 6.1)
Answer:

Q3: Plot the following two responses of PV cell in two different graphs. (from table 6.2)
(i) Vi vs ISC
(ii) Vi vs VOC
Answer:

Figure 6.2: ISC Characteristics of photoconductive cell

Figure 6.3: VOC Characteristics of photoconductive cell

Q4: Comment on the characteristics of the PV cell based on the figures in Q3.
Answer:

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

7. Experiment-5: Experiment on the determination of characteristics of

optical transducers (part-2: photodiode & photo transistor)

The following two sections need to be filled up/prepared/answered by the students

Section A: Results

Photodiode:

Table 7.1: Characteristics of photodiode

Lamp PIN Photodiode DC PIN Photodiode buffer
Filament input amplifier output amplifier output
voltage (Vi) voltage (VO_DC Amp) voltage (VO_Buffer)
[V]

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Phototransistor:

Table 7.1: Characteristics of phototransistor

Lamp Phototransistor output State of the
Filament input voltage (VO) Phototransistor
voltage (Vi) (ON/OFF)
[V] [V]

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Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Section B: Report Questions

Q1: Comment on the characteristics of Photodiode.
Answer:

Q2: Comment on the characteristics of Phototransistor.

Answer:

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