AEE 311L – INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, LAB

EXPERIMENT 1
FILTERS

OBJECTIVES:
 Design electronic filters using passive components such as resistors,
capacitors, and inductors.
 Plot frequency response graphs (Bode plots) of the amplitude and the phase.

INTRODUCTION:
An electronic filter works by allowing only designated frequencies to pass
through. For example, a radio isolates a certain frequency by being tuned to a
particular station. Out of the hundreds of broadcasting stations, the filter chooses the
one the listener wants to hear.
Signals that occur naturally are composed of many frequencies. For example,
the human voice is composed of frequencies ranging from 0–4kHz. A signal consists
of a primary frequency, called a base frequency, and additional multiples of that
frequency with different loudness called harmonics. Different devices will have
different harmonics. This is why when a trumpet and clarinet both play the same
musical note they sound different — their harmonics are different. The base frequency
and the harmonics of these instruments are audible. Similarly, radio waves have a
base frequency, and the audible information is contained in adjacent frequencies
called sidebands.
Voltage, or electromotive force, and frequency are the building blocks of an
electrical signal. Electrons are propelled through a medium by voltage. Electric charge
moving past a specific circuit point in a unit of time is known as current. The pace at
which a signal repeats itself is known as its frequency. The ratio of a circuit's output
power to input is known as gain. The gain cannot be positive for items like the filters
in this lab that don't generate energy. To produce positive gain, equipment such as
transistors and other amplifiers are required.
A filter is a circuit that shapes and controls the bandwidth of a signal;
bandwidth is the range of frequencies that the filter allows to pass. For example, when
the bass of an audio amplifier is turned up, that operates a filter that passes the low
frequencies more than the high frequencies. Also, when a radio is tuned, it is using a
filter that allows the base frequency and the sidebands of the desired station to pass,
but not other stations.
To produce a graphical representation of the characteristic behavior of a circuit
being analyzed, it is necessary to graph the gain of the circuit versus the frequency of
the electrical signal. Gain is a measure of the power produced by the circuit, measured
in decibels (dB), and is calculated using the formula in Equation 1.

Equation 1. Gain Formula

A 3dB drop of signal power is the point at which the signal power is half of its
original value. The frequency corresponding to this -3dB point is also the cutoff
frequency of the filter. Note that since the filters built in this lab only contain passive
components, the output voltage cannot be greater than the input voltage so the gain
will never be a positive number because the logarithm of a number less than or equal
to one is taken.
In Equation 1, for the gain to be -3dB, VOUT must be VIN divided by √2 = 1.414,
or more easily written as VOUT = VIN / √2. The -3dB point of a circuit is the frequency
that causes the output voltage to be 0.707 times the input voltage.
Filters can be made using combinations of resistors, capacitors, and inductors.
The cutoff frequency of these filters can also be calculated using the following
equations.

Equation 2. RC Filter Cutoff Frequency Formula Equation 3. RL Filter Cutoff Frequency Formula

Equation 4. LC Filter Cutoff Frequency Formula

 There are several types of filters: low pass filter, high pass filter, bandpass filter,
and band stop filter. A low pass filter passes the low frequencies while blocking the
higher ones. This is done because unwanted noise frequently occurs at components
with high frequencies. A high pass filter works opposite that of a low pass filter
wherein it passes the high frequencies, but blocks the low ones. On the other hand, a
band pass filter allows a certain range of frequencies to pass through and blocks all
other frequencies. The band stop filter or notch filter rejects a specific range of
frequencies and passes the others. This is the opposite of a band pass filter. Notch
filters are frequently used to remove interference from a signal but will not be used in
this lab.
The low pass filter shown in Figure 1 has a gain that drops to -3dB at 1590 Hz,
which is its -3dB point and corresponding cut-off frequency. The filter has a bandwidth
of 0Hz to 1590Hz and it only allows frequencies from 0Hz to 1590Hz to pass through.
A trend line showing the response of the filter is also shown. Note that for low
frequencies, the gain is 0dB, meaning that the output equals the input. The filter
suppresses high frequencies, as shown by the trend line on the right.

Figure 1. Low Pass Filter Characteristics

The -3dB point for the high pass filter shown in Figure 2 is 160Hz. This is
determined using the same method used for the low-pass filter. This filter has a
bandwidth of 160Hz to infinity and that the filter only allows frequencies greater than
160Hz to pass through.
 Figure 2. High Pass Filter Characteristics
In a band pass filter, the frequency of the highest response point is called the
resonant frequency and for an ideal filter will be 0dB. This type of filter has two -3dB
points, one above the resonant frequency and one below it, and so two cutoff
frequencies. The difference in these two cutoff frequencies is the bandwidth of the
band-pass filter. The band pass filter shown in Figure 3 has a resonant frequency of
approximately 500Hz and -3dB points with cutoff frequencies of approximately 400Hz
and 600Hz. The bandwidth of this filter is approximately 600Hz to 400Hz, or 200Hz.

Figure 3. Band Pass Filter Characteristics

PROCEDURE:
Low Pass Filter

Figure 4. Low Pass Filter Circuit

1. Using Multisim, build the circuit in Figure 4. The XBP1 element is a Bode Plotter.
2. Double-click on the bode plotter and run the simulation.
3. Adjust the bode plotter settings to properly show the bode plot.
4. On the bode plot, locate the cut-off frequency and compare this with the
theoretical value solved from equation 2.

High Pass Filter

Figure 5. High Pass Filter Circuit

1. Using Multisim, build the circuit in Figure 5. The XBP1 element is a Bode Plotter.
 2. Double-click on the bode plotter and run the simulation.
3. Adjust the bode plotter settings to properly show the bode plot.
4. On the bode plot, locate the cut-off frequency and compare this with the
theoretical value solved from equation 2.

Band Pass Filter Design

1. Using Multisim, design your own band pass filter. That is, build the circuit
complete with its corresponding components value.
2. Run the simulation to show its bode plot. Adjust settings if necessary.
3. In the bode plot, locate its lower and higher cutoff frequencies.
4. Compare this with the mathematical values.
5. Compute also its corresponding bandwidth.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS:

(with screenshots and calculations)

CONCLUSION:
(with documentation)

FIGURES 1-3 SOURCED FROM:

https://manual.eg.poly.edu/index.php/Electronic_Filters