Ammar Al-Halaseh 20162203025 Energy engineering

Experiment 6
• Objectives
Understand Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits.
Apply, measure and draw Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits.
Demonstrate the maximum power transfer.

• Introduction
The tests are designed to introduce 2 ways to simplify circuits
and maximum power transfer.

Thevenin's Model:
Using Thevenin's theorem, it is possible to obtain an
equivalent circuit of any linear circuit composed of an
independent voltage source in series with a resistor.
How to obtain it:
1. Measure the voltage at the open circuited terminals of
the circuit, this is VTH .
2. Replace all voltage sources with short circuits and
all current sources with open circuits, then measure
the resistance between the terminals of the network.
This is R TH .

Omar Al-Harahsheh 20132203001 Energy engineering

Ammar Al-Halaseh 20162203025 Energy engineering

Norton's Model:
Using Norton's theorem, it is possible to obtain an
equivalent circuit consisting of an independent current
source in parallel with a resistor.
How to obtain it:
1. Measure current flowing between short circuited
terminals of network. This is IN .
2. Replace all voltage sources with short circuits
and all current sources with open circuits, then
measure the resistance between the terminals of
the network. This is R TH .
Maximum Power transfer occurs when R L = R TH .

• Procedure:
Part 1:

Connect R1 to the positive terminal of E1 and to node 1, at

node 1 connect R 2 . Connect the other end of R 2 to node 2,
at node 2 connect R 4 and R 3 , connect R 3 to the positive
terminal of E2. Connect the negative Terminals of E2 and E1
to the other leg of R 4 .

Between node 1 and the node between R 3 and E2 measure the

voltage and current for VTH and IN .
Replace E1 and E2 with short circuits, then measure the
resistance between node 1 and R 3 (not the side connected to
R 2 ).
Part 2:

Connect the POT at node 1 and at the node between R 3 and E2.

Omar Al-Harahsheh 20132203001 Energy engineering

Ammar Al-Halaseh 20162203025 Energy engineering

Data:
Part 1:
Actual Data:

𝑽𝑻𝑯 3.82 Volt

𝑹𝑻𝑯 0.970 K ohm
𝑰𝑵 3.94 mA

Calculated Data:

𝑽𝑻𝑯 3.89 Volt

𝑹𝑻𝑯 0.9777 K Ohm
𝑰𝑵 3.92 mA

How they were calculated:

𝑹𝑻𝑯 : ( (𝑹𝟑 // 𝑹𝟒 ) + 𝑹𝟐 ) // 𝑹𝟏

𝑽𝑻𝑯 :

1. Find V0 (node connecting R 2 , R 3 and R 4 )

Vo −17 Vo −7 Vo
2. + + =0
3.6 0.68 0.68
3. Vth can be found by applying mesh analysis to the mesh
that has R 2 , R 3 and the open circuit. The voltages of R 2 & R 3
can be found by using the calculated Vo to find their
currents and then using those values the voltages can
be found.

Part 2:
Actual:

𝑹𝑳 (K ohms) 𝑽𝑳 (Volts) 𝑷𝑳 (mW)

0.5 1.27 3.23
0.75 1.651 3.630
1 1.985 3.940
2 2.792 3.898
3.5 3.0 2.57

Calculated:

Omar Al-Harahsheh 20132203001 Energy engineering

Ammar Al-Halaseh 20162203025 Energy engineering

𝑹𝑳 (K ohms) 𝑽𝑳 (Volts) 𝑷𝑳 (mW)

0.5 1.2970 3.36
0.75 1.6640 3.69
1 1.940 3.76
2 2.570 3.31
3.5 2.996 2.56

𝑉𝐿 is found using voltage division.

(𝑉𝐿 )2
𝑃𝐿 =
𝑅𝐿

The Drawn Circuits and the Excel graphs can be found in separate
page.

Conclusion:
In this lab we learned:
1. What a Norton Equivalent circuit is.
2. What a Thevenin Equivalent circuit is.
3. How to measure for Norton and Thevenin Equivalent Circuits.
4. How to find the load the should be used to find the maximum
power transfer.

Discussion:
Discussion:
Most of the values were very close to the calculated ones(
𝑉𝑇𝐻 calculated is 3.89V and the actual was 3.82V), but one was far
off.

In part 2 the calculated PL for 2K ohm is 3.31 mW while the

actual is 3.898 mW this is where the highest percentage error
was found, this and other smaller errors could be due to a
multitude of reasons, such as:
1. The values of the resistances are usually not the same as
the advertised. Their resistance is usually x ohm +- y%,
this y% represents the percentage error that each resistor
has since the manufacturer can’t make a perfect resistor.
For example, the 2.2k ohm was measured to be 2.177k ohm

Omar Al-Harahsheh 20132203001 Energy engineering

Ammar Al-Halaseh 20162203025 Energy engineering

2. The voltage source might not have been exactly the voltage
we needed, since it uses an analog dial to set its value,
which introduces a great deal of error, and it usually
rounds the value of the voltage to 1 decimal place.
3. The resistance of the POT wasn’t exactly the value we
needed, since it is hard to accurately set an analog knob
to a value you need.

Omar Al-Harahsheh 20132203001 Energy engineering