Experiment No 5

Push Button, POT & Joystick

Objective:
In this experiment you will become familiar with push button and potentiometers (POTs).
You will also be using an oscilloscope to see electrical waveforms. Read this document to
get more information about this experiment. This experiment involves the use of VDR, and
KVL for theoretical calculations and is a pre-requisite for project 2 “Video Game Joystick
Controller”

Equipments:
Device Quantity How it looks

>= 1KΩ Potentiometer 3

Push Buttons 10

1
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
Motorbike Headlight
Bulb 1
With bulb holder

Joystick (Dual Axis)

1
Model: HW-504

Female to male 10
jumpers

2
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
Task 1:
1. Identify the two terminals of the push button which are connected to each other when
button is pushed and are disconnected when the button is de-pressed. For this purpose use
the “continuity test” option of the digital multimeter and connect its probes to the two
terminals of the push button. If you hear a beep it means there is a short circuit between the
two points otherwise not. See figure below
2. Patch the circuit as shown below. Patch the push button as shown in the figure below.
3. Turn the oscilloscope on and connect it across the push button. Set the oscilloscope
according to the table below.
4. A horizontal waveform will appear on the display. Press the push button for some time and
then press the RUN/STOP button on the oscilloscope. Doing so will pause the waveform on
the screen.
5. Now measure the voltage across the push button when pressed and not pressed. Use the
boxes on the display for this purpose.

3
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
6. Now measure the time duration the push button was pressed. Use the boxes on the display
for this purpose.
7. Attach picture of the waveform of the voltage across the push button when pressed and not
pressed.
8. Press the RUN/STOP button again to run the oscilloscope. Does your observation match
with the theoretical concepts?
9. Measure current using ammeter through the push button in pressed and de-pressed states.
10. In the oscilloscope set voltage scale 5V, time scale 1us, trigger mode Normal, slope Fall.
Press the push button and observe the waveform. Take its pic and attach below. Measure
the time duration of the oscillation.

Trigger Mode Auto

Channel 1 or 2
DC
Coupling

Voltage Scale 5V

Time Scale 500ms

4
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
 Table 1

Push Button Push Button Push Button Push Button Time in

Voltage Current Voltage Current pressed state
(Not Pressed) (Not Pressed) (Pressed) (Pressed)

Task 2:
1. Place the potentiometer on the breadboard as shown in figure 1. There are 3 terminals
numbered a, b and c.
2. Use ohmmeter to find the resistance between the terminals a and c.
3. Turn the knob in an anti-clockwise direction fully and set it at position 0 as shown in figure
2. Measure resistance between terminals a and b (Rab) and between b and c (Rbc).
4. Repeat step 3 after setting the knob at the midpoint 1.
5. Repeat step 3 after turning the knob fully in clockwise direction and setting it at position 2.
6. POT is represented in circuit diagram as shown in fig. 3

5
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
 Resistance Resistance Resistance
Rab + Rbc
Rac Rab Rbc
Knob at position 0

Knob at position 1

Knob at position 2

Figure 1 Figure 2

6
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
 Figure 3

Task 3:
1. Place the potentiometer on the breadboard as shown in figure 1.
2. Connect a voltage source of 10V between terminals a and c.
3. Use voltmeter to find the voltage between terminals a and c.
4. Turn the knob in an anti-clockwise direction fully and set it at position 0. Use voltmeter to
measure the voltage between terminals a and b (Rab) and between b and c (Rbc).
5. Repeat step 3 after setting the knob at the midpoint 1.
6. Repeat step 3 after turning the knob fully in clockwise direction and setting it at position 2.

7
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
 Voltage Voltage Voltage
V ab + V bc
Vac V ab V bc
Knob at position 0

Knob at position 1

Knob at position 2

Task 4:
1. Measure the resistance of the bulb in off state.
2. Patch the circuit shown below. Connect a low power, small size bulb (motorbike light bulb)
between points b and c of the potentiometer.
3. Measure voltage Vbc at different knob positions and fill the following table. Note: 0.5 is
midpoint between 0 and 1. Similarly 1.5 is midway between 1 and 2.
4. Plot and paste a graph between knob position along x-axis and voltage V23 along y-axis.

8
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
 Bulb Voltage
Resistance V bc
Knob at
position 0

Knob at
position 0.5

Knob at
position 1

Knob at
position 1.5

Knob at
position 2

Task 5:

9
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
Joystick is a device which consists of two potentiometers. One potentiometer moves along x-axis
and the other along y-axis.

1. Connect the joystick on the breadboard as shown in figure 2 below. Use male – female
jumper for connecting joystick to the breadboard. You can see in the figure below an orange
female-male jumper was used.
2. Connect voltmeter between pin VRx and pin GND. Use male-female jumpers.
3. Without changing the position of the stick, note down the voltage measured by the
voltmeter in figure 3.
4. Move the joystick to position 2 and hold it there. Note down the voltage measured by the
voltmeter in figure 3.
5. Move the joystick to position 1 and hold it there. Note down the voltage measured by the
voltmeter in figure 3.
6. Now connect voltmeter between pin VRy and pin GND. Use male-female jumpers.
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for position 0, 3, 4.

Figure 1

Figure 2

10
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
 11
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
 12
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
Task 6 :
1. Connect one probe of the oscilloscope between pin VRx and pin GND.
2. Connect another probe of the oscilloscope between pin VRy and pin GND.
3. Turn the oscilloscope on.
4. Press Display button. Set Type Vector, Format XY, Persist Infinite as shown below.
5. Move the joystick from position 0 to 2 and observe the waveform on the display. In which
direction did the waveform move.? Compare this with the observation in step 4, task 5.
6. Move the joystick from position 0 to 1 and observe the waveform on the display. In which
direction did the waveform move.? Compare this with the observation in step 5, task 5.
7. Repeat steps 6 and 7 when moving to position 3 and 4 from 0.
8. To refresh or reset the display, press F3 button once.

Challenge :
1. Use a joystick to write F on the oscilloscope’s display as shown.

13
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
Task 7:
1. Patch the circuit as shown below. This circuit is known as Wheatstone bridge.
2. Select Vs = 10V, RA = 470 Ω, RB= 330 Ω, RC = 330 Ω.
3. Vary Rx such that voltage Vx = 0 or close to 0.
4. Disconnect Rx from the circuit and measure its resistance.
5. Fill the table below. What can you conclude by looking at the ratio Ra/Rb and Rc/Rx ?
6. Theoretically, find Rx such that Vx = 0. Attach calculations below.

Resistance from Theoretical Rx

ohmmeter RA / R B RC / RX (Step 6)
Rx

14
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
 Tasks Performed Status

1 Task 1 – Push button

2 Task 2 – POT Res

3 Task 3 – POT Voltage

4 Task 4 – bulb + pot

5 Task 5 – Joystick

15
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering
6 Task 6 – XY Mode

7 Task 7 - Wheatstone

16
Prepared By: Rehan Naeem
Department of Electrical Engineering