Electronic Instrumentation

Instrumentation
- the development and use of
precise measuring equipment.

Three basic functions of

instrumentations:
indicating
recording
controlling

Probable Board Question 1:

The attraction or repulsion between two

electrically charged objects is called

A.

Electromagnetic deflection

B.

Electrostatic force

C.

Magnetic force

D.

Electroscopic force

Probable Board Question 2:

The change in direction of a compass

needle, when a current-carrying wire is
brought near, is called

A.

Electromagnetic deflection

B.

Electrostatic force

C.

Magnetic force

D.

Electroscopic force

Probable Board Question 3:

Suppose a certain current in a

galvanometer causes the compass needle
to deflect by 20 degrees, and then this
current is doubled while the polarity stays
the same. The angle of the needle
deflection will
A. decrease
B. Stay the same

C.
D.

increase
Reverse direction

Probable Board Question 4:

One important advantage of an

electrostatic meter is the fact that

A.

It measures very small currents

B.

It can handle large currents

C.

It can detect and indicate ac

voltages as well as dc voltages

D.

It draws a large current from a

power supply

Probable Board Question 5:

A thermocouple

A.

Gets warm when dc flows through it

B.

Is a thin, straight, special wire

C.

Generates dc when exposed to

visible light

D.

Generates ac when heated

Probable Board Question 6:

An important advantage of an
electromagnet type meter over a
permanent-magnet meter is the fact that
A. The electromagnet meter costs
much less
B. The electromagnet need not be
aligned with the earths magnetic field
C. The permanent-magnet meter has a
more sluggish coil

D.

The electromagnet meter is more

rugged

Probable Board Question 7:

Ammeter shunts are useful because

A.

They increase meter sensitivity

B.

They make a meter more physically

rugged

C.

They allow for measurement of

large currents

D.

They prevent overheating of the

meter movement

Probable Board Question 8:

Voltmeters should generally have

A.

High internal resistance

B.

Low internal resistance

C.

The greatest possible sensitivity

D.

The ability to withstand large

currents

Probable Board Question 9:

In order to measure the power-supply

voltage that is applied to an electrical
circuit, a voltmeter should be placed

A. In series with the circuit that works from the

supply
B. Between the negative pole of the supply and
the circuit working from the supply
C. Between the positive pole of the supply and
the circuit working from the supply
D. In parallel with the circuit that works from the
supply

Probable Board Question 10:

Which of the following will not normally

cause a large error in an ohmmeter
reading?
A. A small voltage between points
under test
B. A slight change in switchable
internal resistance
C. A small change in the resistance to
be measured
D. A slight error in the range switch
position

Probable Board Question 11:

The main advantage of a FETVM over a

conventional voltmeter is the fact that the
FETVM

A.
B.

Can measure lower voltages

Draws less current from the circuit

under test

C.

Can withstand higher voltages

safely
D. Is sensitive to ac voltage as well as
to dc voltage

ECE Board April 2000

To increase the capacity of an ammeter,

what should be added to the circuit.

A.

a shunt resistance in
parallel with the meter
B. a shunt capacitance in
parallel with meter
C. a series inductance
D. a series resistance

ECE Board April 2001

In voltmeter the purpose of series resistor

is to _____
A. increase speed of the meter movement
B. decrease the voltage range
C. decrease the current range
D. increase the voltage range

ECE Board November 2002

_________ is the amount of current

necessary to cause a full scale deflection
(maximum reading) of the ammeter.
A. Ammeter sensitivity
B. Maximum value
C. Maximum reading
D. Ammeter selectivity

ECE Board April 2003

_______ is the material used as meter
pointers.

A.
B.
C.
D.

Aluminum
Copper
Gold
Silver

ECE Board April 2004

A _____ is an instrument used to

measured small amounts of currents and
is based on the electromagnetic principle.

A.
B.
C.
D.

Watt meter
Ammeter
Multi-meter
Galvanometer

Electronic
Instrumentation

Electronic Instrumentation
Instrumentation
- the development and use of
precise measuring equipment.

Three basic functions of

instrumentations:
indicating
recording
controlling

Electronic Instrumentations

Outline

LECTROMECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS
1. DC - Ammeter*Voltmeter*Ohm-meter
2. AC - Voltmeter (Half-wave & Full-wave)
3. MULTIMETER / BRIDGES

LECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS
1. Common Electronic Instruments
2. Signal Generators & Analyzers
3. Medical & Chemical Instruments

ELECTROMECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS

DArsonval meter or PMMC

ELECTROMECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS

DArsonval meter or PMMC

Important parameters:
Ifs , S , & Rm

Ammeter

rrors in Ammeter reading

due to INSERTION effect

Voltmeter

rrors in Voltmeter reading

s due to LOADING effects

Ohm-meter

rors in Ohmmeter is due

BATTERY VOLTAGE DECAY

AC Voltmeter Half wave

AC Voltmeter Full wave

MULTIMETER
is a single meter
that combines the
functions of:
a dc ammeter,
a dc voltmeter,
an ac ammeter,
an ac voltmeter,
and
an ohmmeter.

MULTIMETER
is a single meter
that combines the
functions of:
a dc ammeter,
a dc voltmeter,
an ac ammeter,
an ac voltmeter,
and
an ohmmeter.

BRIDGES
Bridge circuits are
instruments for making
comparison
measurement, they are
used to measure:
resistance (R), inductance
(L), capacitance (C), and
impedance (Z).

Wheatstone Bridge

Wheatstone Bridge
Is a DC type bridge which can
accurately measure resistances.
It consists of two parallel resistances
with each branch containing two series
elements, usually resistors.
A dc voltage source is supplied across
the resistance network and a null
detector, usually a galvanometer is
connected between the parallel
branches to detect a condition of

Wheatstone Bridge
Ratio
Arm

Standard
Arm
or Balance
Arm

Null
Detector

Slide-Wire Bridge

Other BRIDGES
Kelvin Bridge a modified version of the
Wheatstone bridge.
This bridge is deigned to measure very low
resistances, from 1 to about 1 with a
high degree of accuracy.

Other BRIDGES

AC Bridges
AC bridges are basically a Wheatstone
bridge, with arms that are impedances
instead of purely resistance. They are used
to measure capacitance, inductance, and
impedance.

Other BRIDGES - AC
Similar-Angle Bridge is used to measure
the impedance of a capacitive circuit. This
is sometimes called the capacitance
comparison bridge.

Other BRIDGES - AC
Opposite-Angle Bridge is used to
measure the impedance of an inductive
circuit. This is sometimes known as Hay
bridge.

Other BRIDGES - AC
Maxwell Bridge is used to measure
inductance using a capacitance as
standard. This is sometimes called a
Maxwell-Wien Bridge.

Other BRIDGES - AC
Wien Bridge is used to measure either
the equivalent-series components or the
equivalent-parallel components of an
impedance.

Other BRIDGES - AC
Radio-Frequency Bridge is used to
measure the impedance of both capacitive
and inductive circuits at higher
frequencies.

Other BRIDGES - AC
Schering Bridge is used to measure
capacitance. This bridge is also often used
to measure insulating properties.

Other BRIDGES - AC
Schering Bridge is used to measure
capacitance. This bridge is also often used
to measure insulating properties.

Guessing

TIME

ECE Board November 1997

How does an ohmmeter behave if its

positive lead is connected to the cathode
of a diode while negative to anode?

A.
B.
C.
D.

has infinite high resistance

has unstable resistance
has very low resistance
has decreasing resistance

ECE Board April 1998

For the greatest accuracy, what should be

the input impedance of a VOM be?

A.
B.
C.
D.

1,000 ohms/V
50,000 ohms/V
as large as possible
as small as possible

ECE Board November 1999

What is a VOM?

A. A combination ohmmeter,
milliameter, and voltmeter
B. A voltage only meter
C. A combination voltmeter and ohmmeter
D. A measurement of the movement
of a meter's pointer

ECE Board April 2004

What do you call the medical instrument

designed to record the electrical activity
of the brain?
A. Electrocardiograph (ECG)
B. Spectrum analyzer (SA)
C. Electroencephalograph (EEG)
D. Electroneurograph (ENG)

ECE Board April 2004

The study of electrical activity of muscles

at rest and during contraction to diagnose
diseases of muscles, peripheral nerves
and spinal cord
A. electromyography (EMG)
B. electroencephalography (EEG)
C. electrocardiograph (ECG)
D. fluoroscopy

ELECTRONIC
INSTRUMENTS

ement of Electronic Instruments

Common Electronic Instruments

EVM ( Electronic Voltmeter ) are
voltmeters that use active devices such
as Vacuum tubes, Transistors or Opamps.
EVMs have the advantage of having very
high input resistance.

Common Electronic Instruments

VTVM ( Vacuum-Tube Voltmeter ) EVM
that uses vacuum tubes as its
active device.
TVM ( Transistor Voltmeter ) EVM that
uses transistors as its active device.
FETVM ( Field-Effect Transistor Voltmeter )
EVM that uses field-effect
transistors as its active device.

Common Electronic Instruments

Analog EVM- EVM that uses deflection type
display.
Digital EVM EVM that uses numerical type
display.
VECTOR VOLTMETER measure voltages with
both magnitude and phase.
VECTOR IMPEDANCE METER- measure
impedances with both magnitude and
phase.

Common Electronic Instruments

OSCILLOSCOPE - electronic display device
containing a cathode-ray tube (CRT).

Common Electronic Instruments

Reflectometers used to measure the
reflected waves in a transmission lines.

OTDR (Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer)

used to measure and analyze the
reflected light energy in a fiber optic
system, it will help determine the
existence and location of breaks in fiber,
losses at splices and connectors.

Common Electronic Instruments

Reflectometers used to measure the
reflected waves in a transmission lines.

OTDR (Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer)

used to measure and analyze the
reflected light energy in a fiber optic
system, it will help determine the
existence and location of breaks in fiber,
losses at splices and connectors.

Signal Generators

Sine-Wave Generator
Audio-Frequency (AF) Generators
Radio-Frequency (RF) Generators from about 30
kHz to nearly 3 GHz.
Pulse and Square-Wave Generators
Function Generators generators with several
output waveforms.
Sweep-Frequency Generators can be varied
smoothly and continuously over an entire
frequency band.

Signal Generators

Sine-Wave Generator
Audio-Frequency (AF) Generators
Radio-Frequency (RF) Generators from about 30
kHz to nearly 3 GHz.
Pulse and Square-Wave Generators
Function Generators generators with several
output waveforms.
Sweep-Frequency Generators can be varied
smoothly and continuously over an entire
frequency band.

Signal Analyzers
Distortion Analyzers measure distortion
Wave Analyzers measure relative
amplitudes of single-frequency
components in a complex waveform.
Frequency-Selective Wave Analyzer wave
analyzer used in lower frequency.
Heterodyne Wave Analyzer wave analyzer
used in megahertz range.

Signal Analyzers
Spectrum Analyzers an instrument that
simultaneously displays the amplitude
of several signals having different
frequencies.
Fourier Analyzers an enhancement of
spectrum analyzer,
- it uses ( DSP ) digital signalprocessing
- is based on the calculation of the
discrete Fourier transform using an
algorithm called the FFT or fast

Signal Analyzers
Spectrum Analyzers an instrument that
simultaneously displays the amplitude
of several signals having different
frequencies.
Fourier Analyzers an enhancement of
spectrum analyzer,
- it uses ( DSP ) digital signalprocessing
- is based on the calculation of the
discrete Fourier transform using an
algorithm called the FFT or fast

Elect. Inst. - Medical Applications

Echoencephalography method for

detecting abnormalities within the

cranial cavity.
Based on the reflection of highfrequency sound pulses delivered to the
head through a probe held firmly to the
scalp.
The reflected pulses from the skin,
brain, skull, and other head structures
are recorded and amplified with a
cathode-ray oscilloscope, giving a

Elect. Inst. - Medical Applications

EEG (Electroencephalogram) - is a record of
electrical activity of the brain recorded
by 8 to 16 pairs of electrodes attached
to the scalp.

Echocardiography - diagnostic technique

that uses ultrasound (high-frequency
sound waves) to produce an image of
the internal structures of the heart.

Elect. Inst. - Medical Applications

ECG (electrocardiogram) - is a graphic
recording of the electrical activity of the
heart detected at the body surface and
amplified. For many years it was called
an EKG after the German
Elektrokardiogramm. It was invented by
the Dutch physiologist Willem Einthoven
(18601927)

Elect. Inst. - Medical Applications

EMG (Electromyography) - the process of
graphically recording the electrical
activity of muscle on a cathode-ray
oscilloscope. The visual recording, called
an
electromyogram,
or
EMG, is
customarily accompanied by auditory
monitoring with a loudspeaker.

Elect. Inst. - Medical Applications

CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography)
- method of obtaining cross-sectional
images in three dimensions of internal
bodily structures;
- also called Computed Tomography
- a computer enhancement of
tomography.

Elect. Inst. - Medical Applications

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) the
application of NMR in the field of
medicine, used to visualize soft tissues
of the body.

NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) is

used to measure nuclear magnetic
moments, the characteristic magnetic
behaviour of specific nuclei.

Elect. Inst. - Medical Applications

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) the
application of NMR in the field of
medicine, used to visualize soft tissues
of the body.

NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) is

used to measure nuclear magnetic
moments, the characteristic magnetic
behaviour of specific nuclei.

Elect. Inst. - Chemical Applications

Instruments to monitor chemical properties
Refractometer - measures the bending of a
beam of light as it passes from one
material to another; such instruments
are used, for instance, to determine the
composition of sugar solutions or the
concentration of tomato paste in catsup.
Infrared analyzers - can identify substances
by the wavelength and amount of
infrared radiation that they emit or

Elect. Inst. - Chemical Applications

Chromatography - a sensitive and swift
method of chemical analysis used on
extremely tiny samples of a substance,
relies on the different rates at which a
material will adsorb different types of
molecules.

pH sensors - measure the acidity or

alkalinity of a solution.

Elect. Inst. - Chemical Applications

Hydrometer measure the density (weight
per unit volume) or specific gravity
(weight per unit volume compared with
water).
Turbidimeter measure turbidity, or
amount of particulate matter in a
solution, which measures how much
light of one particular wavelength is
absorbed by a solution.

Elect. Inst. - Chemical Applications

Spectroscope - analyzes by wave length the
light radiation given off by incandescent
substances. Is used to identify the
composition of chemical substances and stars.

Mass Spectroscopy - analytic technique by

which chemical substances are identified by
the sorting of gaseous ions in electric and
magnetic fields according to their mass-tocharge ratios.

Mass spectrometers and Mass spectrographs the instruments used in mass

Elect. Inst. - Chemical Applications

Spectroscope - analyzes by wave length the
light radiation given off by incandescent
substances. Is used to identify the
composition of chemical substances and stars.

Mass Spectroscopy - analytic technique by

which chemical substances are identified by
the sorting of gaseous ions in electric and
magnetic fields according to their mass-tocharge ratios.

Mass spectrometers and Mass spectrographs the instruments used in mass

Guessing

TIME

ECE Board November 2004

A low dosage x-ray of the breast to
detect tumors in women too small to
be felt by hand.
A. electrocardiograph
B. polygraph
C. thermograph
D. mamograph

ECE Board November 2004

A low dosage x-ray of the breast to
detect tumors in women too small to
be felt by hand.
A. electrocardiograph
B. polygraph
C. thermograph
D. mamograph

END OF SESSION

Cranial Cavity