Passive Circuit Elements

Chapter # 05
Course Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz
2 Contents

 Resistors
 Resistor types
 Power rating
 Value tolerance
 Potentiometer & Rheostats
 Color Coding
 Inductors
 Capacitors
 Capacitance
 Factors effecting capacitance
 Capacitor types
 Connecting more than two capacitors

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

3 Difference b/w Active & Passive
Components
 Active Components: An active component is an electronic component
which supplies energy to a circuit. Active elements have the ability to
electrically control electron flow (i.e. the flow of charge).
 i.e., Voltage sources, Current Sources, Generators(AC & DC) etc.
 Passive Components: A passive component is an electronic component
which can only receive energy, which it can either dissipate, absorb or
store it in an electric filed or a magnetic filed. Passive elements do not
need any form of electrical power to operate.
 i.e., Resistors, Inductors, Capacitors, Transformers

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

4 What is Resistor ?

 It is the property of a substance which offers opposition to the flow of

current
 Resistor always resists or oppose the flow of current through it
 In resistors, current is directly proportional to the applied voltage (Ohm’s
Law)
 Resistors have no polarity, so can be connected in either direction
 Uses:
 Establish proper values of voltages
 Limit current
 Provide load

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

5 Resistor Types

Mainly two types of resistors, they can be either of fixed or of variable value
1. Wire wound resistors
2. Carbon resistors
 Carbon-composition type
 Carbon-film type
 Cermet-film type
3. Metal thin-film resistors

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

6 Wire wound resistors

 Constructed from a long wire (nickel-chromium) wound on a ceramic core

 Resistance is determined from the length of wire and its resistivity
 𝟏 𝒐𝒉𝒎 to 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝒌 𝒐𝒉𝒎
 Used where
 Large power dissipation is required
 Precise and stable resistance values required
 Available in power rating
 𝟓𝑾 to several hundred watts

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

7 Other Types:
 Carbon Composition Resistors: Made of finely-divided carbon mixed with
powdered insulating material
 Available in power ratings of 𝟏/𝟏𝟎, 𝟏/𝟖, 𝟏/𝟒, 𝟏/𝟐, 𝟏, 𝟐 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒕
 Resistance values ranging from 1 Ohm to 20 Mega Ohm
 Carbon Film Resistors: Consists of high-grade ceramic rod or core, on which
deposited a thin resistive film of carbon
 Cheaper than carbon composition resistors
 Cermet Film Resistors: Consists of thin carbon coating fired on to a solid
ceramic substrate
 Main purpose is to have more precise resistance values and greater stability with
heat
 Metal Film Resistors: Referred as a thin film resistors. They have the high
resistance value, because of thinness of film
 Fusible Resistors: Wire-wound resistors. Used in Amplifiers and TV sets to
protect certain circuits. Have resistance of less than 15 Ohm. They burn out
whenever the current exceeds the certain value.

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

8 Power Rating, Tolerance & Variable
Resistors
 Power rating: Maximum wattage a resistor can dissipate without excessive
heat
 Power rating is a indication of the maximum current that a resistor can carry
 Power dissipation of a resistor is directly proportional to the surface area of
a resistor
 Tolerance: Possible variations from the nominal or marked value
For example, a 1000 ohm resistor with a tolerance of 10% will have actual value in-
between 900 ohm and 1100 ohm

 Variable Resistors: Resistance of these resistors can be changed between

zero and a certain maximum value
 Volume control of radio resistor

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

9 Potentiometer & Rheostats

 Potentiometer: is a type of variable resistor. They have carbon composition

resistance element.
 Variable resistors used in radios are also potentiometers (to control volume
or tone)
 Rheostats: it is a wire wound variable resistor. It can also be used as a
potential divider.
 Used to control relatively high currents
 They are larger in size because they possess much higher power rating

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

10 Resistor Color Code

 Fixed carbon composition resistors are color coded to indicate their

resistance
 The color bands are interpreted as follows
 First band indicates numerical value
 Second band also indicates numerical value
 Third band indicates the number of zeros(If black then do not add zeros)
 Fourth band gives resistance tolerance
If there is no fourth band, tolerance will be ±𝟐𝟎%, If Silver then ±𝟏𝟎%, if Gold
then ±𝟓%
 Fifth band indicates reliability level or failure rate

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

11 Inductors

 Inductor is a basic component used in electronic circuits. It stores energy in

a magnetic field
 Coil wound on a core of some suitable material
 Types:
1. Air-core Inductor: Wire wound on a ordinary cardboard. Least inductance
for a given number of turns and core length
2. Iron-core Inductor: Coil of wire is wound over iron core. Putting iron inside
the coil increases the inductance
3. Ferrite-core Inductor: Wire is wound on solid core made of highly
ferromagnetic substance called ferrite. Ferrite core has minimum current
loss.

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

12 Comparison & Uses

Air-core Iron-core Ferrite-core

1. No core losses even Losses are minimal at low Minimum losses
at high frequencies frequencies but increase
at high frequencies
2. Limited Inductance, Much larger inductance High inductance value
usually in 𝜇𝐻 or 𝑚𝐻 than that of Air-core

Uses
They are used to block AC while allowing DC to pass; inductors designed for
this purpose are called chokes. They are also used in electronic filters to
separate signals of different frequencies, and in combination with capacitors
to make tuned circuits, used to tune radio and TV receivers

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

13 Inductance of an Inductor
 Inductance (𝑳): Property of an electric conductor or circuit that causes an
electromotive force to be generated by a change in the current flowing
 Its unit is Henry (𝑯)
𝜇0 𝜇𝑟 𝐴 𝑁 2
𝐿=
𝑙
 Inductance (𝐿) depends upon
 𝝁𝟎 permeability of free space (𝝁𝟎 = 𝟒𝝅 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟕 )
 𝝁𝒓 relative permeability of the core material
 Core cross-sectional area
 Number of turns of coil
 Core length (𝒍)
 Radio broadcast band 𝟓𝟓𝟎 − 𝟏𝟔𝟓𝟎 𝒌𝑯𝒛 has inductance of about 𝟐𝟓𝟎𝝁𝑯
 Iron core inductors used for audio frequency have inductance 𝟏 to 𝟐𝟓 𝑯

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

14 Capacitors

 A device which can store a charge

 It stores electrical energy in a electric field
 Capacitors can opposes any change of voltage in the circuit
 Direct current can not be passes through the capacitors
 It consists of two parallel plates, separated by some insulating material
called a dielectric
 Due to the p.d between the two plates, electric filed is set up between the
plates
 Electric Field = Voltage applied / Separation b/w the plates
𝒗
𝑬=
𝒅

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

15 Capacitance

 It is the ability of a capacitor to store the charge

 Unit of capacitance is farad (𝑭)
𝑸
𝑪= OR 𝑪 = 𝒊/(𝒅𝒗/𝒅𝒕)
𝑽
If 𝑄 = 1𝐶, 𝑉 = 1 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐶 = 1 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑑
 One Farad: If one coulomb of charge given to the plates, produces a potential
difference of one volt between the plates of a capacitor.
One farad is also defined as the capacitance which will cause one ampere of
charging current to flow when the applied voltage across the capacitor changes
at the rate of one volt per second
 Farad is too large unit of capacitance, there exists much smaller units like
microfarad (𝝁𝑭 = 𝟏𝟎−𝟔 𝑭), nanofarad (𝒏𝑭 = 𝟏𝟎−𝟗 𝑭) and picofarad (𝒑𝑭 = 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟐 𝑭)

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

16 Factors Effecting Capacitance
Three factors effects the ability of a capacitor to store the charge
1. Area of the Plates: Capacitance increases with the increase in the area
2. Plates Separation: Capacitance increases with the decrease in separation
 Plates separation often equals to the thickness of dielectric used
3. Type of Dielectric: Capacitance is directly proportional to the relative
permittivity (𝜀𝑟 ) of the dielectric medium
Relative permittivity is the factor by which the electric field between the charges is
decreased relative to vacuum.
𝜺𝟎 𝜺𝒓 𝑨
By combining the above three factors 𝑪 = farad
𝒅
Where, 𝜺𝟎 =absolute permittivity of vacuum= 𝟖. 𝟖𝟓𝟒 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟐 𝑭/𝒎

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

17 Types of Capacitors
Capacitors

Fixed Variable

Non-
Electrolytic
Electrolytic

Mica Paper Ceramic

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

18 Voltage Ratings of Capacitors

 Maximum potential difference that can be applied across the plates of

capacitor without puncturing its dielectric
 High temperature results in lower voltage ratings
 Capacitor with higher voltage rating can be used in a low voltage circuit,
but not vice-versa.

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

19 Capacitor’s Combination
1.Series Connection:
 Charge on each capacitor is same
 P.d across each capacitor is different
 Sum of voltage across the capacitors is equal to the applied voltage
𝑽 = 𝑽𝟏 + 𝑽𝟐 + 𝑽𝟑 + ⋯ + 𝑽𝑵
 Combine(Equivalent) capacitance is given by the reciprocal formula
𝟏 𝟏 𝟏 𝟏 𝟏
= + + +⋯+
𝑪 𝑪𝟏 𝑪𝟐 𝑪𝟑 𝑪𝑵
 Capacitors are used in series to provide the higher voltage breakdown
rating. i.e., combine voltage rating of three equal 200V capacitors become
600V when in series. Overall capacitance reduced.
𝑪𝟏 𝑪𝟐
 Two Capacitors in Series: 𝑪=
𝑪𝟏 +𝑪𝟐
𝑪𝟐 𝑪𝟏
𝑽𝟏 = 𝑽. 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑽𝟐 = 𝑽.
𝑪𝟏 + 𝑪𝟐 𝑪𝟏 + 𝑪𝟐

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

20 Capacitor’s Combination
2.Parallel Connection:
 Charge across each capacitor is different
 P.d across each capacitor is same
 Sum of individual charges is equal to total charge supplied by source
𝑸 = 𝑸𝟏 + 𝑸𝟐 + 𝑸𝟑 + ⋯ + 𝑸𝑵
 Combine (Equivalent) capacitance is equal to sum of individual
capacitances 𝑪 = 𝑪𝟏 + 𝑪𝟐 + 𝑪𝟑 … + 𝑪𝑵
 Two Capacitors in parallel: Since V is same
𝑸𝟏 𝑸𝟐 𝑸𝟏 𝑸𝟐 𝑸𝟏 𝑪𝟏
𝑽= = 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 = 𝑶𝑹 =
𝑪𝟏 𝑪𝟐 𝑪𝟏 𝑪𝟐 𝑸𝟐 𝑪𝟐
𝑪𝟏 𝑪𝟐
𝑸𝟏 = 𝑸. ; 𝑸𝟐 = 𝑸.
𝑪𝟏 + 𝑪𝟐 𝑪𝟏 + 𝑪𝟐

Instructor: Engr. Amjad Riaz

21

END