Electrical Testing Revision Notes

1. With resistors current is a linear function with V as V = IR

a. So v will increase if I or R inc. ( directly proportional)
b. R will decrease if I inc. ( inversely proportional)
2. The connection of component may by series or parallel
a. In series connection the sum of partial voltage is equal to total voltage (VT=
V1+ V2+V3) while the current is constant.
The partial voltage are proportion as the corresponding resistance values
(V1/R1 = V2/R2)
b. In parallel connection the same voltage is applied to each branch while the
total currents is equal to the sum of partial currents (IT = I1+I2+I3).
The partial currents are inverse proportion to the corresponding resistance
values (R1/R2 = I2/I1). The total resistance of a parallel connection is lower
than the lowest individual resistance.
3. Voltage divider: V2 = VT (R2/(R1+R2))
4. The potentiometer is a 3 terminal device which consists of a resistor that can take any
value adjusted by slider contact starting from zero.
5. The voltage divider may be loaded or unloaded. The loaded voltage divider consists
of a parallel connection R2 and RL while R1 is in series to them. The lower the load
resistance, the lower the voltage across RL will be.
6. Wheatstone bridge: parallel connection of two voltage dividers. The applied voltage is
divided into V1 V2 V3 and V4. At balance V1 = V3 & V2 = V4 (voltage drop across R2 &
R4 = 0) or R1/R2=R3/R4
7. The maximum power at load resistance is highest if the circuit resistance value is
equal to load resistance RI=RL. At this point the efficiency is 50% (PL/(Pi + PL)). The
higher the resistance value of the source the lower is the power given to the load
resistance.
8. Capacitor in DC

Note that: The higher R is the longer  we get. The capacitor blocks dc
9. Capacitor in AC:

10. Capacitors:

Series capacitors and resistors

11. Parallel R & C

12. Filters

Realistic Filters:

lowpass highpass
V0/Vi V0/Vi

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V0/Vi bandpass V0/Vi bandstop

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• Passband - range of signal frequencies that pass through filter relatively unimpeded.
• Stopband - range of frequencies that pass through filter and undergo a relatively
strong attenuation.
• Cut-off frequency - the end of the passband region. For the band-pass and band-reject
filters there are 2 cut-off frequencies.
• Cut-off (or half power) frequency - the frequency where the magnitude to of the
transfer function is 0.707 down from its maximum value.
• Passive filter – filter circuit without amplifier elements (no external power). The gain
for passive filters is always less than or equal to 1 for all frequencies.
• F=1/2RC for low and high pass filters
13. Resonance
At resonance Z= R pure resistance as the imaginary term is equal to zero

Parallel resonance

14. Transformers

15. Diodes

Half wave rectifier