Simulab Activity 3.

1
Ammeter, Voltmeter, and Ohmmeter
Technological Institute of the Philippines Quezon City
EE 001 - Basic Electrical Engineering
ME21S3

Group 3
Dizon, Jerald
Eranista, Angelyn
Gadiana, Gabby
Gamba, Albert
Lacbayen, Jerome
 Technological Institute of the Philippines – Quezon City
Cubao, Quezon City
EE 001 – Basic Electrical Engineering
Simulab Activity 3.1. Ammeter, Voltmeter, and Ohmmeter

I. Load Resistance Measurements using Ohmmeter

Procedure:
a. Using Multisim, select three resistors value and measure their resistances
individually through an ohmmeter.
b. Connect these three (3) resistors based on the load configuration then measure and
record the load resistance of the load using Table 1.

Table 1 – Load Resistance Data Summary

Measured
Given Load Resistance,
Load Configuration Resistance,
(Ohm)
(Ohms)

R1 = 50
R1 50
R2 = 100 R1 // R2 33.333
R3 = 150
R1 // R2 // R3 27.273

Figure 1: Individual resistances measured

Figure 2: Load resistance with only R1

Figure 3: Load Resistance with R1||R2

 Figure 4: Load resistance with R1||R2||R3

II. Resistance using Voltage and Current Measurements

Procedure:
a. Using multisim, connect the ammeters and voltmeters such that the current and
voltage can be measured each resistor accordingly.
2.2 Turn ON the power supply of the source then adjust gradually the source voltage
and set desired voltage to be applied for the load/circuit. (The maximum voltage is
12V).
2.3 Then measure and record the voltage and current drawn in resistive load 1,
resistive load 2, and resistive load 3 accordingly based on Table 2.
2.4 Turn OFF the main switch.
2.5 Calculate the resistance based on measured voltage and measured current and
record the values.
 Table 2 – Load Voltage and Current Data Summary

Measured
Resistance,
Measured Resistance,
Measured Ohms
Load Configuration Current, Ohms
Voltage, Volts (Based on measured
Amp (Based on
V&I)
Ohmmeter)

R1 12 .239999 50 50

R1 // R2 12 .359999 33.3334 33.333

R1 // R2 // R3 12 .439999 27.2728 27.273

Figure 5: Voltage and current drawn by resistive load R1

 Figure 6: Voltage and current drawn by resistive load R1||R2

Figure 7: Voltage and current drawn by resistive load R1||R2||R3

 Figure 8: Resistance of circuit with load R1

Figure 9: Resistance of circuit with load R1||R2

 Figure 10: Resistance of circuit with load R1||R2||R3

Figure 11: Measuring the load resistance with external voltage source
connected.
Questions:
1. Suppose I were about to measure an unknown voltage with a manual-range voltmeter.
This particular voltmeter has several different voltage measurement ranges to choose
from:
500 volts
250 volts
100 volts
50 volts
25 volts
10 volts
5 volts
What range would be best to begin with, when first measuring this unknown voltage with
the meter? Explain your answer.
Begin by setting the voltmeter to its highest range: 500 volts. Then, see if the
movement needle registers anything with the meter leads connected to the circuit. Decide
to change the meter range based on this first indication.

2. Ideally, should a voltmeter have a very low input resistance, or a very high input
resistance? (Input resistance being the amount of electrical resistance intrinsic to the
meter, as measured between its test leads.) Explain your answer.

Ideally, a voltmeter should have the greatest amount of input resistance possible.
This is important when using it to measure voltage sources and voltage drops in circuits
containing large amounts of resistance.
3. What will happen to the function of this ammeter circuit, if the wire marked in the
illustration were to fail open?

If the wire were to fail, the ammeter would not respond at all to any amount of
input current.

4. What will happen to the function of this ammeter circuit, if its resistor were to fail open?

If the resistor were to fail open, the ammeter would become much more sensitive.
 5. Some ohmmeters have a range where the measurement is expressed in units of siemens
(usually microsiemens, or μS). What is a “siemens,” and how does it relate to the unit of
the “ohm”?

The unit of the siemens is a measurement of conductance, the reciprocal of

resistance G = 1/R where:
G = conductance, in siemens
R = resistance, in ohms

Conclusion:
The load resistance of the circuit that was simulated containing resistors in parallel
configuration were found to decrease with the addition of resistors in parallel. The total load
resistance was also found to be lower than that of the resistor with least resistance in the three
different configurations.
When measuring load resistance, an ohmmeter measures resistance using its own voltage
supply, and working out the resistance from the current consumed. Measuring the load
resistance with the simulation software requires the external voltage source to be disconnected
as it produces an invalid resistance reading. The other way to measure load resistance is to
measure the load voltage, then insert an ammeter in series with the load and measure load
current. Then use Ohm’s Law equation R = E/I, where we see the same results.