Student Number: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Workshop Day and Time: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

Midsemester Test
12th September 2016

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks

This paper has 12 pages (not including the separate formula sheet )
The test is printed single-sided.

Authorised materials:
Only MSE-approved electronic calculators are permitted.

Instruction to students:
Attempt ALL questions.
The questions carry weight in proportion to the marks in brackets after the question numbers.
These marks total 100 marks. You must show your work in order to receive credit!
Write your WORKSHOP DAY and TIME at the top right where indicated.
Use the back of the previous page if you need more space for writing your work.

For examiners’ use only.

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 TOTAL
(/20) (/22) (/23) (/20) (/15) (/100)
ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Problem 1: (20 marks = 8 + 6 + 6 marks)

The breadboard circuit shown below contains 5 resistors. You are given the following information:

• Channel 1 of the DC power supply is connected, but the applied voltage is unknown.

• A voltmeter reads 2.4 V when connected with the + terminal at point A and the terminal
at point B.

• The resistor values are given as: R1 = R2 = R3 = 200 ⌦ , R4 = 400 ⌦ , R5 = 160 ⌦

(a) Determine the current flowing through R3 . Use the current reference direction as going from R3 ’s
left terminal to its right terminal. Show all of your work and reasoning.

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Question 1 (Continued)

(b) Determine the source voltage provided from Channel 1 of the power supply. Show your work.

(c) The voltmeter is removed and an ammeter is connected with the + terminal at point B and the
terminal at point C. Estimate the reading that the ammeter will give. Show all of your work and
reasoning.

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Problem 2: (22 marks = 8 + 4 + 10 marks)

Shown below is a black box consisting of resistances and independent DC sources connected to a
load network. The current-voltage relationship at the black box’s terminals is given by the following
equation:
v = 400 · i + 8

Black)Box

Load

(a) If the load network is just a 1000 ⌦ resistor connected across the output terminals, determine the
current and voltage at the output terminals. Show your work.

(b) Repeat (a) when the load network is just a 2 V DC voltage source connected across the output
terminals. Assume the source’s positive terminal is connected to the top output terminal, and its
negative terminal to the bottom output terminal.

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

(c) Now consider the circuit below which contains a nonlinear device. The device’s voltage-current
characteristic for the given sign convention is illustrated below.

Find the value of R so that the nonlinear device operates at 4 V.

You must show all of your work.
20 k R
i

+
+ Nonlinear
15 V = 30 k v Device
_

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Problem 3: (23 marks = 10 + 5 + 8 marks)

(a) Consider the below network that is to operate at sinusoidal steady-state with ! = 500 rad/sec.
Find the equivalent impedance Zeq seen at the input terminals. Show all of your work.

40

100

Zeq 40 µF

200 mH

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Problem 3 (Continued)

(b) Now consider the network from part (a) operating at steady state, where a sinusoidal voltage
source vs (t) with ! = 500 rad/sec is connected at the input terminals. Ch1 of the oscilloscope is
connected using probes as shown below.
Ch1+

be
40

p ro
100

+
vs (t) = 40 µF

Ch1 _ 200 mH

be
pro
The peak amplitude of the sinusoidal source voltage is unknown. Instead, a screen capture of the
oscilloscope showing Ch1 is given below. Ch1 has the setting VOLTS/DIV = 500 mV.

Estimate Ch1’s SEC/DIV setting value, as well as the peak amplitude of the capacitor’s voltage.

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Problem 3 (Continued)

(c) Assume the same information from parts (a) and (b). Ch2 of the oscilloscope has now been
connected to the circuit using probes as shown below. Assume Ch2’s VOLTS/DIV setting is the
same as Ch1’s.

The oscilloscope trace below shows Ch1 as in part (b). Sketch the trace of Ch2 on this image as if
both channels were captured simultaneously on the oscilloscope. You must justify your sketch using
reasoning and/or maths, as well as labelling the peak amplitude value and any important time or
phase di↵erences. Unjustified plots will be considered “guesses” and receive zero marks.

Note: if you make a mistake drawing on the below image, you may instead draw on the the screen
image on the previous page, but you must indicate this change on your test paper.

Ch1+
be

40
pro

100

+
40 µF e Ch2+
= prob

Ch1 _
Ch2 _ 200 mH
be

pr
pro

ob
e

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Problem 4: (20 = 10 + 10 marks)

(a) Consider the circuit shown below. Apply only node voltage analysis (NVA) to this circuit to
generate a system of equations where the variables are all node voltages in the circuit. Be sure to
add all necessary labeling on the circuit below.

Write your equations in the box provided below and label what each equation represents (e.g.,
Node 1, etc.). Do NOT simplify your equations, put them into standard form or solve your system
of equations.

=+

40 10

2A

5 +
=

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Problem 4 (Continued)

(b) Consider the circuit shown below. Apply only mesh current analysis (MCA) to this circuit
to generate a system of equations where the variables are all mesh currents in the circuit. Be sure
to add all necessary labeling on the circuit below.

Write your equations in the box provided below and label what each equation represents (e.g.,
Mesh 1, etc.). Do NOT simplify your equations, put them into standard form or solve your system
of equations.

2A

+
200 vx 5
_
10

+
=
4vx
+ =
= +
40

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Problem 5: (15 marks = 10 + 5)

(a) The circuit below contains two diodes that follow the simple piecewise-linear diode model with
Vf = 0.7 V. Neither diode can operate in reverse-breakdown mode.

You are to analyse the circuit assuming diode D1 is in the forward-bias state, and diode D2 is
in the reverse-bias state. Determine the voltage and current for each of these diodes under these
assumptions. Use the standard diode passive sign convention discussed in lecture (i.e., anode to
cathode).

After your analysis, use your results to specify whether the operating assumptions on the diodes is
valid or not.

4k D1 D2 4k

10 V + + 3V
= 1k =

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ELEN20005 Foundations of Electrical Networks, 12th September 2016

Problem 4 (Continued)

HARDER
(b) Consider the below circuit containing four resistors, a DC voltage source, and a Zener diode.
The Zener diode has the current-voltage characteristic shown in the below right. The voltage vD and
current iD are based on the standard passive sign convention for a diode given in lecture (i.e., from
anode to cathode).

R1
iD

R2 R3
vs + VBR
= vD
Vf
D1
R4

Derive three inequality expressions that give the conditions for the diode to be in the forward-bias,
reverse-bias, and reverse-breakdown states, respectively. Your inequality expressions can only contain
the following variables: vs , R1 , R2 , R3 , R4 , VF , VBR .

END OF MID-TEST

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