Experiment

1
Voltage and
Current Sources
An ideal or perfect voltage source produces an output voltage that is independent of the
load resistance. A real voltage source, however, has a small internal resistance that produces
an IR drop. As long as this internal resistance is much smaller than the load resistance,
almost all the source voltage appears across the load. A stiff voltage source is one whose
internal resistance is less than 1/100 of the load resistance. With a stiff voltage source, at
least 99 percent of the source voltage appears across the load resistor.
A current source is different. It produces an output current that is independent of the
load resistance. One way to build a current source is to use a source resistance that is much
larger than the load resistance. An ideal current source has an infinite source resistance. A
real current source has an extremely high source resistance. A stiff current source is one
whose internal resistance is at least 100 times greater than the load resistance. With a stiff
current source, at least 99 percent of the source current passes through the load resistor.
In this experiment, the conditions necessary to achieve a stiff voltage source and current
source will be investigated. This experiment will also provide an opportunity to troubleshoot
and design both voltage and current sources.

GOOD TO KNOW
Even new components can be out of tolerance. It is a good habit to measure
the value of the resistors before use.

Required Reading Before measuring any voltage or current, the approxi-

mate value should be known so that the test equipment
Chapter 1 (Secs. 1-3 and 1-4) of Electronic Principles, can be set to the proper range. Examine Fig. 1-1 and
8th ed. estimate and record the load voltage for each value
of R1 listed in Table 1-1. It is important to be able to
Equipment estimate these rough values and to be able to calculate
exact values.
1 power supply: adjustable to 10 V
6 ½-W resistors: 10 V, 47 V, 100 V, 470 V, 1 kV,
10 kV R1 A
1 DMM (digital multimeter)
+ +
V1 RL
VL
Procedure 10 V – 10 kV –
VOLTAGE SOURCES
B
1. The circuit left of the AB terminals in Fig. 1-1 repre-
sents a voltage source and its internal resistance R1. Figure 1-1

1
 R1 TROUBLESHOOTING
1 kV A
5. Build the circuit of Fig. 1-1 with an R1 of 470  V.
+ Connect a jumper wire between A and B. Measure
V1
RL the voltage across the load resistor and record VL in
10 V –
Table 1-3. Record any observations next to Table 1-3.
6. Remove the jumper and open the load resistor by lift-
B ing one leg of the resistor from the breadboard. Mea-
Figure 1-2 sure the load voltage between the AB terminals and
record in Table 1-3. Record any observations next to
Table 1-3.
2. Sketch the circuit in Fig. 1-1. Measure and record the
value of each of the resistors used in this experiment.
Build the circuit in Fig. 1-1 using the values of R1 given CRITICAL THINKING
in Table 1-1. Measure and adjust the source voltage
7. Select an internal resistance R1 for the circuit of
to 10 V. For each R1 value, measure and record VL in
Fig. 1-1 to get a stiff voltage source for all load resis-
Table 1-1.
tances greater than 10 kV. Build the circuit of Fig. 1-1
using the selected design value of R1. Measure the load
CURRENT SOURCE voltage. Record the value of R1 and the load voltage in
Table 1-4. Record any observations next to Table 1-4.
3. The circuit left of the AB terminals in Fig. 1-2 acts like
8. Select an internal resistance R1 for the circuit of
a current source under certain conditions. Estimate
Fig. 1-2 to get a stiff current source for all load re-
and record the load current for each value of load re-
sistances less than 100 V. Build the circuit with the
sistance shown in Table 1-2.
selected design value of R1 and a load resistance of
4. Sketch the circuit in Fig. 1-2. Build the circuit of
100  V. Measure the load current. Record the value
Fig. 1-2 using the RL values given in Table 1-2. Measure
of R1 and the load current in Table 1-4. Record any
and adjust the source voltage to 10  V. For each RL
observations next to Table 1-4.
value, measure and record IL in Table 1-2.

GOOD TO KNOW
The key to troubleshooting a circuit is to under-
stand how the circuit should work and recognize
which component(s) are causing the error through
careful measurement and observation.

2
NAME DATE

Experiment 1
Lab Partner(s) ______________________________________________________________________________________

PARTS USED CALCULATIONS

Nominal Value Measured Value

10 V
47 V
100 V
470 V
1 kV
10 kV

SCHEMATIC TABLE 1-1. VOLTAGE SOURCE

R1 Estimated VL Measured VL
Multisim Actual
0V
10 V
100 V
470 V

SCHEMATIC TABLE 1-2. CURRENT SOURCE

RL Estimated IL Measured IL
Multisim Actual
0V
10 V
100 V
470 V

TABLE 1-3. TROUBLESHOOTING OBSERVATIONS

Measured IL
Multisim Actual
Trouble
Shorted Load
Open Load

TABLE 1-4. CRITICAL THINKING OBSERVATIONS

R1 Measured Quantity
Source
Type Multisim Actual

Voltage
Current

3
Questions for Experiment 1
1. The data of Table 1-1 prove that load voltage is: ( )
(a) perfectly constant; (b) small; (c) heavily dependent on load resistance;
(d) approximately constant.
2. When internal resistance R1 increases in Fig. 1-1, load voltage: ( )
(a) increases slightly; (b) decreases slightly; (c) stays the same.
3. In Fig. 1-1, the voltage source is stiff when R1 is less than: ( )
(a) 0 V; (b) 100 V; (c) 500 V; (d) 1 kV.
4. The circuit left of the AB terminals in Fig. 1-2 acts approximately like a current ( )
source because the current values in Table 1-2:
(a) increase slightly; (b) are almost constant; (c) decrease a great deal;
d) depend heavily on load resistance.
5. In Fig. 1-2, the circuit acts like a stiff current source as long as the load resistance is: ( )
(a) less than 10 V; (b) large; (c) much larger than 1 kV;
(d) greater than 1 kV.
6. Briefly explain the difference between a stiff voltage source and a stiff current source.

TROUBLESHOOTING
7. Explain why the load voltage with a shorted load is zero in Table 1-3. Consider using Ohm’s
law to support the explanation.

8. Briefly explain why the load voltage with an open load is approximately equal to the source
voltage in Table 1-3. Consider using Ohm’s law and Kirchhoff’s voltage law to support the
explanation.

CRITICAL THINKING
9. A design requires a current source that must appear stiff to all load resistances less than
10 kV. What is the minimum internal resistance the source can have? Justify this answer.

10. Optional: Instructor’s question.