CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature

The availability of high power handling devices is of a great importance in the present power
electronics industry. These high power ratings can be achieved by connecting existing devices
in series or parallel depending on the application. The main problems associated with series
and parallel connections are unequal sharing of voltage and current respectively. The active
gate control techniques, snubber circuits and clamping circuits are some of the most common
methods used to minimise the problem of unequal sharing of voltage and current. The aim of
the paper is to review the available techniques to minimise the problems in series and parallel
connections of insulated gate bipolar transistors.

An electrical wiring installation trainer provides the students’ learning experience and
appreciation of the subject and course and for the professors’ demonstrations and evaluation of
students’ performance during laboratory time. This study utilized a developmental type of
research. The trainer board was 48 inches by 48 inches by ¾ inch marine plywood. It was cost-
effective, space-efficient and portable. It contained circuit breaker, plurality of utility boxes, a
plurality of junction boxes, a plurality of single switches, plurality of three-way switches, plurality
of convenience outlets, plurality of base plates, plurality of receptacles, a plurality of Light
Emitting Diode (LED) Bulbs, plurality of flexi-hoses, and plurality of u-clamps. All the devices
were totally exposed for easy installation and familiarization. It was equipped with a low current
circuit breaker to facilitate safe operations and eliminate damages to all the devices. It was
capable of handling a residential-like, commercial-like and industrial-like electrical wiring
installation, troubleshooting, and commissioning.

When there are two or more electrical devices present in a circuit with an energy source,there
are a couple of basic means by which to connect them. They can be connected in series or
connected in parallel. Suppose that there are three light bulbs connected together in the
samecircuit. If connected in series, then they are connected in such a way that an individual
chargewould pass through each one of the light bulbs in consecutive fashion. When in series,
charge passes through every light bulb. If connected in parallel, a single charge passing through
theexternal circuit would only pass through one of the light bulbs. The light bulbs are placed
withina separate branch line, and a charge traversing the external circuit will pass through only
one ofthe branches during its path back to the low potential terminal. The means by which the
resistorsare connected will have a major effect upon the overall resistance of the circuit, the
total currentin the circuit, and the current in each resistor.In this lab we study general methods
for analyzing such networks, including how to findvoltages and currents of circuit elements.
We‟ll learn how to determine the equivalent resistancefor several resistors connected in series
or in parallel. For more general networks we need tworules called Kirchhoff’s rules.
One is based on the principle of conservation of charge applied toa junction.We will look at two
recurring resistor combinations, series combinations and parallelcombinations. Resistors turn
up in all kinds of circuits, ranging from hair dryers and spaceheaters to circuits that limit or
divide current or reduce or divide a voltage. Such circuits often contain several resistors, so it‟s
appropriate to consider combinations of resistors. A simple example is a string of light bulbs
used for holiday decorations; each bulb acts as a resistor, andfrom a circuit-analysis
perspective the string of bulbs is simply a combination of resistors.