UNIVERSIDAD DEL NORTE

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERINGS

Practical sessions at laboratories

Pre-Lab: Understanding instruments

Luis Torres, ltorres@uninorte.edu.co
Luis Lopez, llopeza@uninorte.edu.co
I. Objective
• Digital Clamp Meter (Fluke 302+ or
similar)
The purpose of this lab session is to make
practitioners aware of the capabilities of lab
instruments, their limitations and comparison to
low-cost devices. Engineers should learn how to
appropriately select instruments and understand
their readings, avoiding deception. This session is
focused more on measuring voltage than current,
but the intention applies to both types of
measurements.

II. Devices needed

Get from our labs:

• Low impedance (Low-Z / Utility Multi-
• Signal generator (BK Precision 4040A or meter) DMM (Fluke 113, or similar)
similar)

• Digital Multi Meter (DMM) (Fluke 115,

17B, 179, or similar, capable of measuring
“True RMS” for voltage and current AC
and DC)

• Oscilloscope (Tektronix TDS1000,

TDS2000 or similar)

Get yourself:
• One cheap DMM (any brand around
$30.000 pesos, AC/DC)
III. Using signal generator.
Get the signal generator produce a 500 Hz
sinusoidal voltage with a DC level. Choose both
to be similar and as high as possible without
causing distortion of the waveform.
Observe the signal with the oscilloscope. Set the
DC vs. AC coupling and see the difference. Vary
the DC level and amplitude a little and see the
effect. Also, set different gains (x1, x10) at the
probe without changing the internal setting in the
oscilloscope and see the effect.
• How can you tell that there is a probe gain
mismatch just by looking at the screen?
• What coupling (AC or DC) do you prefer,
and why? Give examples when you
specifically need AC coupling? And DC
coupling?
With the signal generator at 500Hz and with
sinusoidal output and DC level (as high as
possible) do the following:
• Measure the output voltage in AC and DC
with the DMM Fluke-115, then with the
clamp meter Fluke 302, the Fluke 113, and
finally with the cheap DMM and see the
differences. (Note that Fluke 113 does not
have AC/DC selection. What do you think
about it? Discuss)
• Are the instruments giving the right
measurement? Are there any differences?
Why?
• Use the oscilloscope to evaluate the RMS
value of the waveform you have. Try to
understand the relation among average (or
DC) value, AC RMS value and the total
(overall) RMS value of a waveform. How
do you get these from the oscilloscope?
And how from the DMMs?
• What can a DMM measure and what
cannot? What is the main difference if you
set it to AC with respect to DC? Take into
account that the voltage you have has
both, a non-zero average level and an
alternating part.
Change now the signal generator to produce a
square-wave with a DC level.
• Repeat the measurements with all
instruments.
• Compare and discuss.
IV. Instrument impedances and test voltages.
It is said that voltmeters have large impedance.
This is in general a desirable property. Find out
(measure) the impedance of the DMMs when
measuring voltage AC/DC. All you have to do is
set the device under measurement in Volts DC
and use another DMM set as ohmmeter and
measure resistance. Then do it for Volts AC.
Doing these tests you will have two observations:
the resistance of the instrument playing as
voltmeter (read at the ohmmeter) and the test
voltage of the instrument playing as ohmmeter
(read at the voltmeter, if it is in DC). Also, notice
how there are perhaps different resistances when
selecting different volt scales (if this is possible).
• Do it for the Fluke 115, Fluke 302 (the
ones you commonly use), the Fluke 113
(called utility meter) and your cheap
DMM. Try different combinations for who
plays the role of the ohmmeter and who
that of the voltmeter. In both AC and DC.
(Notice that Fluke 113 has no option
 AC/DC). What do you think about the
results? Compare, discuss, understand.
• Pay attention to Fluke 113! How can this
DMM affect your measurements at a
protoboard in one of your projects? What
is the intended use of this DMM? (Hint:
ghost voltages)
V. Discussion of experiences
After doing all tests, each group should discuss
about the instruments: DMMs, oscilloscope,
signal generator. What can they do and what
cannot. The group should acknowledge that good
instruments, such as the Fluke DMM, are
expensive, and that we must take care of them.
Cheap instruments cannot replace good ones,
because, among other reasons, they do not
measure the same thing and they do not usually
meet international safety standards for
instruments.
Be sure of having understood the following:
• DC coupling in oscilloscope is the
preferred way to start measuring. It will
give you the realistic view.
• DMM commonly have high resistances
when used as voltmeters.
• Low-Z DMM have resistances of some
kΩ that have advantages, but could also
introduce wrong measurements in your
circuits. For example, when measuring the
voltage at the output of a voltage divider
made of two 1MΩ resistors in series from
a 5V source, you would expect 2.5V at the
output. However, the Fluke 113 will show
a much smaller value!
• Only good DMMs can measure RMS
values of the waveforms. They have the
label “True RMS”. This feature makes
them expensive, but it is worth the money.
Cheap DMM assume you have a sinusoid
and give wrong values for non-sinusoidal
waveforms.
• Even good DMM don't know what you
want to measure: you have to tell them
that you want to get the average voltage
(DC setting) or the RMS of the alternating
component (AC setting). Therefore, when
using DMMs you don't get the RMS value
of the full compound waveform (AC +
DC). When you set the DMM into AC
measurement, they get capacitively
coupled! This means that DC components
cannot get through! As a result, you get
only the RMS value of the alternating part.
If you wish to get the total RMS value you
need the average value (measured with the
DC setting) and the RMS of the
alternating part (measured with the AC
setting):
TotalRMS = √ Average 2+ Alternating2RMS
• The most professional way to clarify the
handling of an instrument starts by reading
its manual and understanding it!
• Please watch the video from EEV blog
made by Dave Jones: EEVblog #75 -
Digital Multimeter Buying Guide for
Beginners:
https://youtu.be/gh1n_ELmpFI
VI. Contribution to the lab report and to oral
defense
The experience gained in this session need not be
directly mentioned in the written report of the first
lab. Therefore, the reviewers will not expect a
“section” devoted to this part. The purpose of this
lab session is to help students understand the
instruments and to successfully carry out the labs.
If you think there was something interesting you
learned in this session and want to mention it in a
future report, your are free to do it.
However, in the oral defenses of every lab,
reviewers can check whether you attained the
intended understanding of this lab session.