Pre-Lab (PDF)
Lab 5 Description (PDF)
The experience students obtained from the mechanical systems in the previous four labs can be applied to study electrical systems. Systems with masses, springs and dampers have their electrical equivalents with respectively inductors, capacitors and resistors. A major difference between electrical and mechanical systems is that with electrical systems you can achieve nearly ideal behavior far more easily. In this lab, the transfer functions of a few first order electrical systems, shown in figure 1, are measured. The students measure the circuit step response and frequency response functions.
Figure 1. Examples of simple first order electrical circuits.
The hardware we need for this lab consists of a signal generator, an oscilloscope and a breadboard to easily put together the electrical components as shown in figure 2.
Figure 2. The power amplifier is an Apex PA21 power op-amp in their EK21 evaluation kit.
Materials & Notes
Practical Info and Comments
- Electronic kits Electronic School Supplies, kits with electronic components (about $20 each)