DC Voltage Measurement

Darell F. Calayag, Hannah Lee C. Domingo, Miguel Alberto C. Mercado voltages up to 1OV, that the resistance should be 10K. 10V/1mA = 10K The current passing in Rs and our 1mA movement is now Vu/10k. By KVL (Vu=10V), Vu = Rs(Vu/10K) + 69(VU/10K) Introduction Rs=9.931K For this experiment, we were given 2 variable DC voltage supplies, 1mA movement, a protoboard, potentiometer box, analog multimeter, resistors with different values, wires, and connector clips. These were used to demonstrate the different methods of making analog DC current measurements. Also, we were instructed to identify the degree of accuracy of any measurement that each method makes. I. Computing for the value of Rs in the 1mA to 10V voltmeter By creating a circuit with an unknown voltage in series with RS, which is in series with our 1mA movement, we made a setup for measuring 10v. We first measured the internal resistance in our 1mA movement and found it to be 69. Then, we assumed that since we were given a 1mA movement which should measure DC

Abstract Essential to this experiment is the knowledge of the internal resistance of the 1mA ammeter used in constructing the 10V voltmeter from the said 1mA movement. The aim of this experiment is to extend the measurement of the ammeter to an extended amount.

II. Predicting the accuracy of measurements in Procedure II Based on the calibration points in Table 1, these are the results we have obtained when we tested the 10V voltmeter setup:
Calibrati on Voltage (V) 2 5 8 1mA Movement Reading (Deflection)(m A) 0.24 0.56 0.87 Correspondi ng Reading of VU (V) Accura cy

2.4 5.6 8.7

83.33% 89.29% 91.95%

All the readings have a significant margin of error from the calibration voltage. The accuracy rate based on the three trials is 87.99%. This significant error may have been because of the human errors in reading

current and resistance measurements and the efficiency of the measuring instruments, they do not have 100% efficiency unlike an ideal measuring tool III. Predicting the accuracy of measurements in Procedure III These are the results obtained by our group:
R() Theoretical VX (V) Measured Vx (V) Diff. %accuracy

V. Advantages and Disadvantages When using the set-ups in procedures II and III, the advantage is that those set-ups are really simple and easy to construct and the process is really fast. The disadvantage is that those set-ups have the loading effect which makes the actual measurement values different from what you should have gotten, theoretically. With procedure IV, the one with the potentiometer bridge method, it is advantageous because it doesnt have the loading effect so, assuming that all the factors that may have caused errors are not present, the actual value measured is the same as the theoretical value that you should have measured. The disadvantage of using such method is that it is really complex and the process is long and the setting up the circuit is very tedious.

1k 10k 100k

7.14 5 1.25

7.7 5.9 1.4

0.56 0.9 0.15

92.73 84.75 89.29

IV. Proving that the measured voltage is equal to the unknown voltage (see data sheet for reference) In procedure IV, the circuit in figure 3 would be connected to the circuit in figure 4. Given that set-up, the current passing in the ammeter should be (Va-Vb)/(10k + Rm) Rm is the internal resistance of the ammeter But since we adjusted the potentiometer such that the current reading in the ammeter is 0, the current given by the equation above must be equal to 0. Since the current is 0, the voltage drop from Va-Vb is zero. So, Va = Vb. Removing the circuit in figure 3 from the set-up and measuring the unknown voltage, Vu, would just result in Vu = Va = Vb. Since there is no current flowing through the resistor and the ammeter the voltage drop across it is zero. The measured voltage would just be equal.