ELEPRA1/101/0/2022

Tutorial letter 101/0/2022

Electrical Engineering I (Practical)

ELEPRA1

Year Module

Department of Electrical Engineering

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife email address and make sure
that you have regular access to the myUnisa module website, ELEPRA1-2022-Y,
as well as your group website.

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CONTENTS

Page

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 4
2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE............................................................... 4
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 4
3 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 4
3.1 Lecturers....................................................................................................................................... 4
3.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 5
3.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 5
4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 5
4.1 Prescribed books .......................................................................................................................... 5
4.2 Recommended books ................................................................................................................... 5
4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)................................................................................................. 5
4.4 Library services and resources information ................................................................................... 5
5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 6
6 STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................... 6
7 PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING..................................................... 8
8 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 8
8.1 Assessment criteria....................................................................................................................... 8
8.2 Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 8
8.3 General assignment numbers ....................................................................................................... 8
8.3.1 Unique assignment numbers ........................................................................................................ 9
8.3.2 Due dates for assignments ........................................................................................................... 9
8.4 Submission of assignments .......................................................................................................... 9
8.5 The assignments ........................................................................................................................ 11
Mentor Appointment ............................................................................................................................... 13
8.6 Other assessment methods ........................................................................................................ 31
8.7 The examination ......................................................................................................................... 31
9 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 31

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10 SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 31

11 IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 31
12 ADDENDUM ............................................................................................................................... 31

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1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student
Welcome to the subject Electrical Engineering I (Practical) (ELEPRA1) at UNISA. This
tutorial letter serves as a guideline to this subject. It provides you with general administrative
information as well as specific information about the subject. Read it carefully and keep it safe
for future reference. We trust that you will enjoy this course.

2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE

2.1 Purpose
The objectives of this module are as follows:

 To put theory in to practice (meaning to apply all principles learned in theory

component of the subject into practice
 To enhance analysis of basic engineering principles
 To boost students confidence in using electrical equipment
 To enable students to identify and utilize different electrical measuring
instruments.

2.2 Outcomes

On completion of this module, students are expected to be able to do the following:

 Be able to use measuring equipment in all its different scales and selections
 Be able to analyze measured results in relation to principles learned in theory.
 Understand safe precautions necessary when handling electrical machinery and
components.
 Be able to determine different parameters in AC circuits using measuring
instruments.

3 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

3.1 Lecturers
Your Lecturer for Electrical Engineering I is Mr. CS Shoba. He can be contacted at the following
number for any theoretical questions:

Contacts: 011 471 3141

Email: eshobac@unisa.ac.za
Contact hours: 08:00 – 16:00 Mondays and Wednesdays

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3.2 Department
Department of Electrical and Mining Engineering: electrical&mining@unisa.ac.za

3.3 University

If you need to contact the University about matters not related to the content of this module,
please consult the publication My studies @ Unisa that you received with your study material.
This brochure contains information on how to contact the University (e.g. to whom you can write
for different queries, important telephone and fax numbers, addresses and details of the times
certain facilities are open).Always have your student number at hand when you contact the
University.

4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES
4.1 Prescribed books

The same prescribed book used in theoretical part of the module.

4.2 Recommended books

There are no recommended books for this module.

4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)

There are no electronic reserves for this module.

4.4 Library services and resources information

For brief information, go to www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies
For detailed information, go to the Unisa website at http://www.unisa.ac.za/ and click on
Library.
For research support and services of personal librarians, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=7102.

The library has compiled a number of library guides:

 finding recommended reading in the print collection and e-reserves –

http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/undergrad
 requesting material – http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/request

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 postgraduate information services – http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/postgrad

 finding, obtaining and using library resources and tools to assist in doing research –
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_Skills
 how to contact the Library/finding us on social media/frequently asked questions –
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/ask

5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Important information appears in your my Studies @ Unisa brochure.

6 STUDY PLAN
Students' Experimental Study Plan for Practical Module ELEPRA1
Consult my Studies @ Unisa for suggestions about general time management and planning
skills.
This is a semester module offered over 15 weeks and requires at least 120 hours of study time.
This means that you will have to study at least 8 hours per week for this module.
Here is a suggested schedule that you could use as a guideline for studying this module.
Below is an example of how you could structure your study plan. Note that this study plan starts
on 15 January, to allow you to complete 120 hours for the module at a rate of eight hours per
week. If you start studying later, you would need to adapt the schedule and would probably
need to fit in more hours per week. If you are doing this module in the second semester, please
amend the dates accordingly.

ACTIVITY HOURS

Reading and re-reading Tutorial Letter 102 and 3

Introduction

Skimming study units and lab-manual, forming a 3

thorough general impression of the whole

Experimental study EXP 1: reading the lab manual, 10

going through simulation examples, completing the
experiment.

Experimental study EXP 2: reading the lab manual, 14

going through simulation examples, completing the
experiment.

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In-depth study of learning unit 03. study EXP 3 and 20

complete experiment 3.

In-depth study of unit 3-8 and complete EXP 4-7 (@ 36

12 hours per unit) and completing the activities

Technical report writing 2 of practical’s assignments 15

for marking.

ECSA Mentor’s evaluation report writing 16

Declaration of own work, final check and submission 3

through J router/post.

Total 120

Note: Practical workshops are scheduled at UNISA science campus in Florida. Should you
decide to do practical’s on your own, you can adopt the following activities on your study plan.

Activity (each week represents a minimum of 8 hours of study time)

 revise unit 01 and do Experiment 01 ( Approved standard industry software must be used)

 revise unit 02 and do Experiment 02 ( Approved standard industry software must be used)

 revise unit 02 and do Experiment 03 use electronic Kit or an approved standard industry
software.

 revise unit 04 and do Experiment 03 ( Approved standard industry software must be used)

 Complete and submit report to the mentor for review, depending on how you will submit
your report, allow sufficient time for the report to reach mentor on or before the due date)

 Complete unit 04 and start doing Experiment 04

 Complete Experiment 05 ( Approved standard industry software must be used)

 Complete experiment 06

 Complete experiment 07

 Start to prepare final portfolio

 Submit your portfolio to the mentor for final check and signature.

 Submit your final portfolio

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NB: Practical Workshops at a scheduled venue still need to be attended.

7 PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING

This module covers the practical part.

8 ASSESSMENT

8.1 Assessment criteria

Your final mark will be calculated by using a ratio of 10% year mark and 90% Portfolio mark.

8.2 Assessment plan

The assignments are as follows:
 Assignment 1: Registration Form for ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING I
(Annexure A)
 Assignment 2: Send in your portfolio or attend a practical workshop.

Submission of both assignments is compulsory.

The final mark is based on all the assignment marks obtained and their contribution
towards the final mark are as shown in the table below:

ASSIGNMENT NUMBER CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS FINAL SUBJECT

MARK
1 (Compulsory) 10 %
2 (Compulsory) 90%
TOTALS = 100 %

Submission of Assignment 1 “allows” you to complete a practical assignment, which is the

examination for this subject.

Ensure that you understand this principle. Failure to submit Assignment 1 by the due date, will
result in you being barred from handing in a practical assignment and you will have to reregister
for this subject. If in doubt, contact your lecturer before the submission date!!!!

8.3 General assignment numbers

Assignments are numbered consecutively per module, starting from 01.

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8.3.1 Unique assignment numbers

The unique numbers will be published with Assessment plan and will also be announced under
announcements on Moodle.
8.3.2 Due dates for assignments
THE CUT-OFF SUBMISSION DATES FOR THE ASSIGNMENTS ARE :

Assignment 1 (Annexure A- To be confirmed

Registration form) (Compulsory)

Assignment 2 – Results of experiments To be confirmed

Portfolio(Compulsory)
If you submit an assignment online, please submit in PDF-format.

8.4 Submission of assignments

A practical assignment must be submitted or a practical workshop must be attended. The
dates on which the workshops will be held will be included in tutorial letter 301. The
practical experiments, which much be completed if you do not attend a workshop, is
included in the practical guide. A mentor must be chosen and the mentor form must
accompany the assignment when it is sent in. (See ANNEXURE B)
If you have submitted your registration form without a date being selected, please
contact Ms L Nhlapo URGENTLY via e-mail nhlapld@unisa.za or 011 471 3053 with
a date, if a date is not provided you will NOT be scheduled for a workshop.

NO EXCEPTIONS OR CHANGES WILL BE MADE

WITHOUT A VALID PROOF AS TO WHY YOU COULD
NOT ATTEND THE WORKSHOP, AS EXAMINATION
RULES APPLY!!
Please make sure to write your student number in the space provided on the form.
For detailed information and requirements as far as assignments are concerned, see the
brochure my Studies @ Unisa that you received with your study material.

Your e-mail address should also be provided in clear and neat handwriting, as
communication might be sent to from time to time.

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Tutorial letter 301, with the workshop dates, will be uploaded onto myUnisa:
 Go to myUnisa.
 Log in with your student number and password.
 Select the module.
 Click on official study material
 Go to Tutorial letter 301.

To submit an assignment via myUnisa:

 Go to myUnisa.
 Log in with your student number and password.
 Select the module.
 Click on assignments in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.
 Click on the assignment number you wish to submit.
 Follow the instructions.

To complete a module both the theory and practical must be passed. You have the
following options available to do the practicals:

 You can attend the practicals arranged by UNISA. These are only available at
certain venues and you have to book a spot by submitting assignment 1 as
stipulated in the tutorial letter, or
 You can complete the practicals at your workplace or another suitable training
facility on your own, with a suitable mentor (preferably ECSA registered). You need
to submit a portfolio for assessment with the Mentor’s Form.

Assignment 1 must be submitted by all students, whether you want to attend a

workshop or not.

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8.5 The assignments

REGISTRATION FORM FOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING I PRACTICAL

WORKSHOP/COMPLETION OF PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENT
2021

PLEASE COMPLETE IN CLEAR BLOCK LETTERS & SEND IN AS A

NORMAL ASSIGNMENT

FROM Surname/Initials

STUDENT NUMBER

POSTAL ADDRESS

POSTAL CODE

TEL NO (WORK)

TEL NO (HOME)

MOBILE

e-mail

Indicate preference with an X:

I want to attend the practical workshop

I want to do the practical assignment on my

own

The date, according to the workshop

schedule, on which I will attend the _________________________________
workshop?

ONCE A STUDENT WAS ALLOCATED TO A SPECIFIC DATE, NO CHAGES WILL BE

MADE.
SIGNATURE OF LEARNER …………………….. DATE: ……………………

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ANNEXURE B

1. POLICY FOR PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENTS

a. All experiments have to be performed.

b. In order to receive a pass mark, the student need to receive a sub-minimum of 50%.

c. All students must have their own practical guide and components.

d. Every student must do his own practical, however students are allowed to receive help in a constructive
manner.

e. Practical experiments must be built by the student himself and the relevant answers supplied on the
respective answer sheet for that experiment.

f. Use standard symbols and notation, as used in the theoretical notes and practical guide, on the answer
sheet.

g. Where applicable, the construction of your practical assignment will be evaluated on the following criteria:
i) neatness;
ii) correct layout of components;
iii) correct wiring techniques;
iv) correct operation of circuit;
v) student's knowledge of the circuit; and
vi) insight into the practical work.

h. All the experiments need to be certified by the student's mentor (see the form attached), as the student's
own work. Refer to paragraph 3 for the very important information regarding the appointment of your
mentor.

i. Students need to take every safety precaution (especially where the experiment involves 220-V and 380-V
alternating current). UNISA cannot be held responsible for any damage to equipment or harm to any
person. In cases where the student is in doubt about any safety aspect, contact Unisa for assistance.

2. INTERACTION WITH THEORETICAL WORK

You are advised to conduct the experiments only after the relevant theory has been covered.

3. APPOINTMENT OF MENTOR

Your mentor plays a very important role in the successful completion of your assignment. The functions of your
mentor are the following:

(a) help you in a constructive manner and

(b) verify that it is your own work.

Your mentor should thus be appointed in order to fulfill the above mentioned task.

Your mentor must preferably be professionally registered with ECSA (Engineering Counsel of South
Africa) for us to accredit his authorisation of your work. If the person acting as your mentor is not registered
with ECSA, then someone who is professionally registered with ECSA, should also authorise your assignment.
The mentor must supply his particulars as requested on the authorisation form attached to each experiment,
for us to accept his authorisation.

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UNISA, Programme Group Engineering,

SUBMIT THIS FORM WITH THE RESULTS OF YOUR PRACTICAL

EXPERIMENTS

Electrical Engineering I - PRACTICAL

Mentor Appointment
Student number: ................................................
Student name: ....................................................
Employer: ..........................................................

Particulars of mentor:

Name: ...........................................
Address: ........................................
.........................................
.........................................
.........................................

Employer: .........................................................
Telephone number:.............................................. (W)
............................................... (H)

Qualifications:.....................................................................................
Capacity at work:................................................................................

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Experiment 1

Objective:
To familiarize the student with the resistors supplied in the kit, by establishing the resistor values
using color codes and the Multimeter.

Components required:
Various resistors supplied in the kit
Multimeter

Procedure:
Complete columns 1 to 8 of the table on page 16 by inserting the value of each color band using
your knowledge gained from page 10 - 11.
Then take the Multimeter and test the resistor and place the measured value in column 6.

Repeat this for all the different resistors in your kit. (NB, The blue 160Ω resistor does not
apply.)

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Results of Experiment 1

Name:

Student No.:

Date:

Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 % Color Code Multimeter

Tolerance Value Reading

To analyze the data taken in this experiment, the student should calculate the percentage difference
between the measured and colour-coded values of each resistor. This calculation will be performed in
the following manner:

Percentage difference (% Diff.) = colour-code value – measured value x 100%

measured value

Show your calculations for any one resistor here

Do the measured values fall within the values calculated with respect to the manufacturer’s tolerance?

(20)

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Experiment 2

Objective:

To familiarize the students with series and parallel resistor networks.

Components required:

160Ω resistor
220Ω resistor
330Ω resistor
AD2004 Analogue/Digital Trainer

Procedure:

Series circuit
Build the circuit as shown below:

The three resistors are connected in series due to the interconnections on the breadboard. Note
the vertical boxes show how the resistors are connected internally on the breadboard.

Calculate the total resistance and complete table 1 on page 19

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Now take your Multimeter and measure the resistance between points A and B as shown on the
diagram above.
Parallel circuit
Build the circuit as shown below:

Note the jumper wires used between the top two resistor and the 330Ω resistor. This is due to
the fact that there is no connection in the breadboard between the top half and the bottom half.

Calculate the total resistance and complete table 2 on page 19

Now take your Multimeter and measure the resistance between points A and B as shown on the
diagram above.

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Results of Experiment 2

Name:

Student No.:

Date:

Series Circuit

TABLE 1

Calculated Resistance Measured % Difference

Resistance

Are your results within % tolerance?

Parallel Circuit

TABLE 2

Calculated Resistance Measured % Difference

Resistance

Are your results within % tolerance?

(10)

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Experiment 3

Objectives:

To use a Multimeter to measure voltage and current and confirm Ohm’s Law.
To investigate the effect of the temperature in a resistance of the Lamp

Components needed:

4 Volt lamp
AD2004 Analogue/Digital Trainer
Multimeter

Procedure:

Build the circuit as shown below:

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3V

The lamp is called a 4V lamp because 4V is the maximum voltage it can handle without a
limiting resistor in series with it. You are required to use a power supply of 4V across the lamp.
Note the 4V power supply can be obtained from the AD2004 Analogue/Digital Trainer. Refer to
diagram on page 7. It may be necessary to adjust the voltage to get exactly 4V.
Ensure that you have selected D.C. volts on your meter and confirm that the voltage across the
globe is 4V. If not adjust the voltage until you get 4V.
Now measure the current as shown in the diagram below:

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3V

Ensure that you move the one probe from the voltage socket to the current socket and select
D.C. current on your meter. Complete the table on the next page.

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Results of Experiment 3

Name:

Student No.:

Date:

Measured Resistance of the Lamp

(Before the experiment)
Measured Voltage

Measured Current

Calculate the resistance of the

Lamp using ohm’s law

Measured Resistance of the Lamp

(After the experiment) to see the
effect of change in temperature.
Difference in measured Resistance
(Before and After)

Note: Calculate the resistance of the lamp using Ohm’s law and the measured
voltage and current, then take the lamp out of circuit and measure the
resistance using your meter.

Can you explain the difference?

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Experiment 4

Objectives:

To demonstrate voltage dividing and current dividing laws on a combined series parallel circuit
To Investigate Kirchhoff’s Law current law and voltage law.

Components required:

R1 Brown-Red-Black-Silver
R2 Brown-Gray- Brown-Gold
R3 Brown-Black-Red-None
R4 Red-Red-Brown-Red
R5 Brown-Red-Red-Gold

AD2004 Analogue/Digital Trainer

Multimeter

Procedure:

Voltage dividing law

Build the circuit below then complete table 1 on page 35

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R1
I1

I3 I5

R3

E = 5V
I4 R5

R4
R2

I2

Calculate and measure the voltage across each resistor and then complete table 1 on page 35

Current dividing law

Build the circuit below then complete table 2 on page 36

Calculate and measure the current through each resistor and then complete table 2 on page 36
NB, Only having one ammeter you will have to take the current readings one at a time.

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Results of Experiment 4

Name:

Student No.:

Date:

Voltage dividing law:

TABLE 1

Calculated Measured
Voltage Voltage
Voltage 1 V V

Voltage 2 V V

Voltage 3 V V

Voltage 4 V V

Voltage 5 V V

Total Voltage V V

Prove,

E = V 1 + V 2 + V 3 + V4 V V

E = V1 + V2 + V5 V V

Does the sum of volt drops equal total applied voltage? =

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Current dividing law:

TABLE 2

Calculated Measured
Current Current
Current 1 mA mA

Current 2 mA mA

Current 3 mA mA

Current 4 mA mA

Current 5 mA mA

Total Current mA mA

Prove,

I1 = I 3 + I 5 mA mA

I2 = I 4 + I 5 mA mA

Does the sum of branch currents drops equal total current? =

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Experiment 5

Delta - Star transformations.

Objective:

To take a delta circuit and build the equivalent star circuit.

Procedure:

Build the circuit below:

Now measure the resistance as shown in the diagram.

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Now do a transformation on delta ABC and calculate the values of star R a, Rb and Rc.

We now need to use potentiometers to get the values of resistors Ra, Rb and Rc, calculated. A
potentiometer is basically a variable resistor. The diagram below left shows the physical
appearance and on the right a schematic view of a variable resistor. Please note that points A,
B and C on the potentiometer below are not related to points A, B and C of the delta-star
transform above.

To adjust the resistance we insert a screw driver in the top and turn the dial. From the
schematic we can see that between points A and C the resistance remains constant.
However as we turn the dial, point B moves and resistance AB and BC vary. If resistance AB
increases resistance BC decreases and vice versa.
We will need three potentiometers. One for Ra, one for Rb and one for Rc. Once we have set
the potentiometers to the correct value we must insert them into the correct place for Ra, Rb and
Rc as in the circuit at the top of the page and measure the total resistance as shown.

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Results of Experiment 5

Name:

Student No.:

Date:

The original measured total resistance was Ω

Calculate the following values:

Ra = Ω

Rb = Ω

Rc = Ω

After conducting a Delta to Star transformation, the new resistance is Ω

Calculate the difference between the resistances before and after the transformation.

(10)


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8.6 Other assessment methods

None

8.7 The examination

Use your my Studies @ Unisa brochure for general examination guidelines and examination
preparation guidelines.

9 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The my Studies @ Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide of the most relevant study
information.

10 SOURCES CONSULTED
None

11 IN CLOSING
Please ensure that you have all the tutorial letters and prescribed book available before starting
with your studies.

12 ADDENDUM
None

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