Experiment Lab Report 

October Sixteenth, Two Thousand and Twenty 

San Marin High School 
 
 
 
 
 
Daniel Ford

Emma Rice

Derek Dela Cruz

James Wreden
 Table of Contents 

Introduction 2

Abstract 2

Experimental Overview 2

Apparatus 3

Procedure 3

Images 5

Results 6

Discussion 7

References 8

Appendix 9

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Introduction

In a technical sense, voltage refers to the electrical potential between two points. A common
example of this is the two ends of a battery. Voltage can be calculated via Ohm’s Law (V = IR)
and its unit is volts. When applied to audio engineering, voltage directly correlates with
amplification. When given an AC current, which is a sine wave, the amplitude is the voltage. The
initial voltage from a microphone is very low, usually ranging from 0.001V to 0.01V. This is
called mic level. In common microphone setups, preamps are devices used to amplify this
voltage to make it audible. This is called line level. In these circuits, transistors are primarily
used to accomplish the amplification. We also went on to test the eq of a bass amp and the effect
of different settings in order to prepare for our next step, the eq circuit. The purpose of this
experiment is to develop a deeper understanding of the inner workings of preamps and to apply
the knowledge to future work.

Abstract

This experiment is meant as a proof of concept for one of the two circuits necessary for our
products functionality. We tested the amplitude of the output signal as the input signal changes.
This shows that we now have a circuit that consistently amplifies the signal. We also changed the
resistance and measured the change in the amplitude of the output signal. This helps us identify
the adjustability of the scaling of amplification (The knob in our design). We also needed to have
a deeper understanding of EQ in order to move on to our next step. This included a test of the
functionality of EQ on a bass amp. The sound as each knob was turned up changed. This gives us
better understanding and perspective for our EQ circuit. Despite the challenges in getting a
circuit set up, our end result was very useful in gathering important data for our design process.

Experiment Overview

In this experiment, we will be setting up a preamp circuit and observe changes in multiple areas
of sound. We’ll be studying the changes in voltage and amplitude of a sine wave. The purpose of
this experiment is to understand what a circuit needs to function and how we can apply it to the

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broader scope of our product. We also need to create a deeper understanding of the other aspects
of our project. This is why we analyzed the effect of the EQ on the bass amp.

Apparatus

This experiment will be conducted using Tinkercad. The preamp circuit will be designed and
simulated virtually. For the preamp circuit, we will need four resistors and a 741 integrated
circuit. We will also need a 9 volt battery to power the circuit, an audio input, in this case a
function generator, and a method to measure the output voltage, in this case an oscilloscope. For
specific strengths of the resistors, capacitors and transistors you can see the sketch below. We
also use a Fender Rumble 15 amplifier and a Squier P Electric Bass as well as an iphone 8-plus
microphone.

Procedure:

Experiment Parts

Experiment 1: ​Changing the Amplitude

Constant​: Battery Voltage, Resistor Resistance
Independent Variable​: Signal Generator Amplitude
Dependent Variable​: Oscilloscope Amplitude

Experiment 2: Changing the Resistance

Constant​: Battery Voltage, Signal Generator Amplitude
Independent Variable​: Resistor Resistance
Dependent Variable​: Oscilloscope Amplitude

Experiment 3: Changing the EQ

Constant​: Notes, Phone Distance, Hardware
Independent Variable​: EQ
Dependent Variable​: Output Amplitude

1. Set up Circuit
a. This will take multiple hours of fiddling and will be the bulk of the work

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 b. These diagrams below help us to understand the signal flow and the components’
relationships to each other
2. Hook up Battery
a. We will use a 9V battery for the first experiment
3. Test Voltage at Input
a. We will use an oscilloscope to measure the initial amplitude of the signal
generator
4. Do 3 Trials by changing the amplitude of the signal generator
a. Use oscilloscope to compare the voltage to the input to see if it has been amplified
5. Repeat steps 1-4 but change the resistor instead of signal generator amplitude
a. The second experiment will keep the amplitude constant and change the resistor
connected to inverted input and output pins, we will see how changing the resistor
affects the amplitude
Experiment 3: Bass EQ
Constant​: Amp Volume, Bass Volume and Built in EQ, Notes being Played
Independent Variable​: Adjustment to EQ Knobs
Dependent Variable​: Tone of the Recording
1. Plug in Bass and Set Levels
a. Make sure that the bass volume and EQ are constant and set up
2. Set the EQ
a. Make a clear adjustment to the EQ knobs
3. Play the Riff
a. Play the riff exactly the same
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for each EQ setting (4 times)
a. Make sure the constants stay the same including what is played

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Images

These images above are the four settings we tested for Experiment 3, testing the bass EQ. We
used these settings to conclude our results and findings.

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This circuit amplifies a signal using an LM741 operational amplifier. The LM741 is an
integrated circuit that will be useful in the future. A power supply of 9V is used to power the
amplifier, and a signal generator sends AC current in the form of a sine wave to the LM741’s
non-inverting input. It is amplified by the LM741, outputted through the output pin, and recorded
using an oscilloscope.
Results

Experiment 1​: Amplitude

Battery: 9V
Resistor: 50kΩ
Input (amplitude) 0.001V 0.005V 0.01V

Output .05V 0.3V .5V

Experiment 2​: Resistor

Amplitude: 0.01V
Battery: 9V
Input (resistance) 5kΩ 25kΩ 50Ω

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 Output .06V .33V .5V

Experiment 3: ​Bass Amp

Link:
https://soundcloud.com/daniel-ford-5761447/derek-plays-open-strings-capstone-ampliteam

The following image shows amplitude measurements of the four different bass parts of the
experiment. The experiment involved playing the four open strings on a bass at different levels
of EQ. The three knobs we adjusted were bass, mid, and treble. The first section had the three
knobs turned all the way down. The next three had only bass turned up, only mid turned up, and
only treble turned up, respectively. The experiment shows that different notes became louder and
quieter depending on the equalization. This can further be heard in the actual recording in the
link above.

Uncertainties

The main uncertainty that we see come out of most of the experiments we conducted have the
issue of virtual vs reality. We used an online circuit, so many of the real life obstacles we usually
face were not applicable. We hope that we can have the opportunity to construct this circuit in
person, so we can have a physical prototype to work with and present. However, while this data
has been helpful in directing us and our future construction, it cannot be fully accurate due to it
being online.

Discussion

Our experiment has given us a much better understanding of the way these preamp circuits
function. We better understand different types of circuits, and the different ways a circuit can go
wrong. With this knowledge, we can better set up successful circuits and have a little more
control over our outcomes now that we know what will come out of the circuit. The voltage

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increased in a way that makes sense theoretically when the resistance increased, and the voltage
was amplified at a rate that was predictable. We also have a deeper understanding of EQ due to
our additional experiment on Bass Amp EQ.

Possible Errors

While we believe that our circuit worked very well, there is always a chance for errors in
creating and doing an experiment. Some errors that could have occurred include not using the
correct resistors, not closing the circuit, and using the wrong forms of measurement. These errors
explain the previous difficulties we had with running this experiment, but after we addressed
them we did not see issues with our results.

Conclusion

The preamp circuit we built amplifies signals by roughly 50 times with a 9V battery. This easily
crosses the threshold from mic level to line level, making it efficient. We also saw that increasing
resistance also increases amplitude. Using this knowledge, our next step is to incorporate
potentiometers, which are variable resistors that can change resistance. We can also use our new
knowledge of the effect EQ can now help us move forward in our project and the next circuit.

Future Work

In the future, we think there are a lot of different ways we can continue this investigation of
changes in voltage and amplitude of a sine wave. This can be done through studying the effect of
different battery voltages with similar circuits to ours, or changing the circuit we created and
altering it to produce different measurements we can study like another EQ circuit.
References

Chris Fehring​ - Equipment and Resource Mentor, Novato CA

hirechrisf@gmail.com ​

https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/opamp/opamp_1.html

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 ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_amplifier

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/small-amplifier-circuit/

http://www.zpag.net/Electroniques/Kit/Radio_Shack_-_Engineer%27s_Mini-Notebook_-_Op_A
mp_IC_Circuits.pdf

https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/rc/rc_1.html

​https://www.quora.com/How-would-one-know-when-to-use-a-capacitor-in-a-circuit
Appendix

This is an image we used for reference on how to construct our circuit.

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This is an image we used for reference on how to construct our circuit.

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