Electrical Engineering
MSc full-time course
Practice no. 1
Analysis of DC circuits
Practice teacher:
Gábor BÉRCESI, assistant lecturer
bercesi.gabor@gek.szie.hu
1
Circuit network calculation methods
• Kirchhoff equations method
• Resistor network transformation
• Theorem of replacement generators (Thèvenin
and Norton)
• Superposition
• Mesh current method
• Node voltage method
Resistor network transformation
• We can simplify complex resistor network by
transforming.
• In order to determine the resulting resistance,
we need to look for serial and parallel partial
circuits. They can be replaced by their resultant.
• If no resistors are connected in series or in
parallel, then we must perform a star-triangle
(star-delta, Y-Δ) conversion on any part of the
network.
Star-triangle (star-delta) conversion
1 2 1 R12 2
R1 R2
R3 ≡ R13 R23
3 3
𝐺𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟 = 𝐺1 + 𝐺2 + 𝐺3 𝑅𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑎 = 𝑅12 + 𝑅13 + 𝑅23
𝐺1 ∙𝐺2 𝑅12 ∙𝑅13
𝐺12 = 𝑅1 =
𝐺𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟 𝑅𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑎
1 𝐺1 ∙𝐺3 𝑅12 ∙𝑅23
𝐺= 𝐺13 = 𝑅2 =
𝑅 𝐺𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟 𝑅𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑎
𝐺2 ∙𝐺3 𝑅13 ∙𝑅23
𝐺23 = 𝑅3 =
𝐺𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟 𝑅𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑎 4
Types of sources
• Sources are used to provide energy for operation of
electrical circuits.
• Ideal voltage sources providing constant voltage,
• ideal current source providing constant current
regardless of load (resistance) connected to them.
Types of sources
• Real sources (e.g. battery) are not able to provide
constant values under any load.
• Practical voltage source: series connection of an ideal
voltage source and an internal resistance.
• Practical current source: parallel connection of an ideal
current source and an internal resistance.
Theorem of replacement generators
• Any linear electrical network containing only voltage
sources, current sources and resistances can be replaced
at terminals A-B by an equivalent combination of a real
voltage source, the Thèvenin equivalent circuit, or a real
current source, the Norton equivalent circuit.
• Thesis: When a generic linear network is replaced by a
Thèvenin or a Norton equivalent circuit in two arbitrary
states (for example: open and short-circuit), it is
replaced in all other states.
A A A
≡ ≡
+
B B B
Thèvenin Norton
Thèvenin equivalent circuit conversion to
a Norton equivalent circuit
A A
≡
+ RTh
Vth INo RNo
B B
𝑉𝑇ℎ
𝑉𝑇ℎ = 𝐼𝑁𝑜 ∙ 𝑅𝑁𝑜 𝐼𝑁𝑜 =
𝑅𝑇ℎ
𝑅𝑇ℎ = 𝑅𝑁𝑜
Thèvenin equivalent circuit, exercise I
Determine the parameters of Thèvenin equivalent
circuit for the following circuit between A and B
points. Calculate the voltage of N1 and N2 nodes.
R1 N1 R3 N2 A
+
Vs
R2
R4
B
Data:
Vs = 10 V
R1 = 1 kΩ; R2 = 10 kΩ; R3 = 10 kΩ; R4 = 1 kΩ
VN1 = ? VN2 = ? VT = ? RiT = ?
R1234 = RAB = RbT = 916 Ω
VCS1 = 8.396 V; VN2 = VAB = VT = 0.763 V
Thèvenin equivalent circuit, exercise II
Calculate the current of resistor Rload
+
A
AM1
R1
R3
VS1 2.5
R5 8k
+
Vs
R Load
A B
R2
R4
Data:
Vs = 10 V
R1 = 3 kΩ; R2 = 5 kΩ; R3 = 5 kΩ; R4 = 3 kΩ Rload = 8 kΩ.
Re = RiT = 3750 Ω; VRt = 1.7 V; IRt = 0.2127 mA
Thèvenin equivalent circuit, exercise III
Determine the parameters of Thèvenin equivalent
circuit for the following circuit between A and B and
C and D points.
R1 R3
A C
+
Vs
R2
R4
B D
Data:
Vs = 12 V
R1 = 3 MΩ; R2 = 1 MΩ; R3 = 200 Ω; R4 = 1.4 kΩ.
VAB = 3 V; RiT AB = 750 kΩ; VCD = 10.5 V; RiT CD = 175 Ω
Superposition principle
• The superposition principle can be applied when there
are several generators in a linear circuit network.
• The effects of each source (generator) are then examined
individually, and the individual results are added
together.
• IMPORTANT: The superposition principle cannot be
applied to power!
• The ideal voltage source is replaced by a short circuit and
the ideal current source is replaced by a open circuit. In
the case of a practical source, is replaced by their internal
resistance.
Vs Is
R1
V1
R2
V2
R Load
R1 R1
+
V1
Superposition example
R2 R2
+
V2
R Load R Load
Superposition exercise I
Clculate the currents and a voltage drop of a resistor
in the following circuit. Use Kirchoff’s Laws first and
then superposition principle. R1
Data:
V1 = 5 V V1
V2 = 5 V
R1 = 5 kΩ R2
R2 = 5 kΩ
R3 = 1 kΩ
R3
V2
I1 = ? I2 = ? I3 = ? VR3 = ?
I1 = 1.572 mA; I2 = 0.572 mA; I3 = 2.139 mA; VR3 = 2.139 V
Superposition exercise II
Clculate the currents and a voltage drop of a resistor
in the following circuit using superposition principle.
Data:
V1 = 5 V
R4
R1
V2 = 7 V
R3
R1 = 4 Ω R5
R2 = 1 Ω V1 V2
R3 = 2 Ω
R4 = 6 Ω
R5 = 4 Ω R2
I1 = ? I2 = ? I3 = ? VR1 = ?
I1 = 0.2 A; I2 = 1.49 A; I3 = 1.67 A; VR1 = 0.8 V
Mesh current method
R1
R2
R Load
I1 I2
+
+
V1 V2
𝐼1 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑝: 𝑉𝐼1 = 0 = −𝑉1 + 𝐼1 ∙ 𝑅1 + 𝐼1 ∙ 𝑅2 + 𝑉2 − 𝐼2 ∙ 𝑅2
𝐼2 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑝: 𝑉𝐼2 = 0 = −𝑉2 + 𝐼2 ∙ 𝑅2 + 𝐼2 ∙ 𝑅𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 − 𝐼1 ∙ 𝑅2
Node voltage method
A
I1 I2 IL
R1
R2
R Load
+
+
V1 V2
= 0V
𝑉1 − 𝑉𝐴 𝑉2 − 𝑉𝐴 𝑉𝐴
𝐼𝐴 = 0 = 𝐼1 + 𝐼2 − 𝐼𝐿 𝐼1 = 𝐼2 = 𝐼𝐿 =
𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑
𝑉1 − 𝑉𝐴 𝑉2 − 𝑉𝐴 𝑉𝐴
𝐼𝐴 = 0 = + −
𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑
