Electronics

07/02/2021

Practice 1
César Gonzales Pozada, César Alejandro Cabrera Cuéllar, Eric Samuel Quiroz Gonzales,
Adair Téllez Aviles

 Clamp meter: A clamp meter is an electrical measurement

Abstract— For this practice, we will begin to have an tool that combines a basic digital multimeter with a current
approach with the oscilloscope, how it works and added to it, we sensor.
will analyze two signals, which will be measured by two lights, a
saving light and a non-saving light. Oscilloscope probe: It is a device that allows a physical
connection between a signal source or test point (DUT) and an
Index Terms— Clamp meter, Oscilloscope, Oscilloscope electronic measurement instrument, such as an oscilloscope.
probe, Electrical signals, Electronics.
III. MATERIALS
I. INTRODUCTION  Oscilloscope
 Clamp meter
W ithin this practice, you will have a slightly deeper
approach with the oscilloscope directly, since
previously we carried out our practices through


Energy saving light bulb
Conventional light bulb
simulations, within the practice, you will learn how to test that
an oscilloscope works correctly , for this, we must have IV. METHODOLOGY
previously connected our current clamp and perform certain
tests, later, we must have analyzed the signals produced by Exercise 1: Incandescent spotlight
two bulbs, a saver and a conventional bulb, within the analysis After connecting the oscilloscope and turning it on, it is
made of both bulbs we could notice that the signals are calibrated, for this an oscilloscope tip is used. Both the point
completely different, and if we carried out a slightly deeper and the alligator clip are placed in channel 1, placing the point
analysis, we could see why one focus consumes more energy in the positive part and the alligator clip in the negative part.
than another and this is due to the signals that it produces.

II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Oscilloscope: An oscilloscope is a measuring instrument for
electronics. Plot a graph of amplitude on the vertical axis and
time on the horizontal axis. It is widely used by students,
designers, engineers in the field of electronics. It is often
complemented by a multimeter, a power supply, and an
arbitrary or function generator.

Electronics: Electronics can be defined as the study and

application of the behavior of electrons in various scenarios.
These can be the vacuum, gases and semiconductors subjected
to the action of electric and magnetic fields.

Electrical signals: Electrical signals are also called analog

signals. They can have any reading within the range and are Figure 1.1. Oscilloscope clamp
only limited by the characteristics of the recording and
indicating instruments. They continuously transmit the values
In addition, the autoset button is pressed and the division of
to the controller.
voltage and seconds is selected (remember that the
oscilloscope is voltage with respect to time). In this case a
division is put for 5V and 500 milliseconds.
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Subsequently, the ammeter clamp is connected to the
oscilloscope and the focus is turned on, by then the clamp
should already be surrounding one of the focus cables, the
appearance of its wave may be reflected in the oscilloscope,
which will later enter the discussion of the illustrated image.
Figure 1.2 shows what was described above.

Figure 2.2. Clamp meter.

Figure 1.2. Clamp-on ignition bulb.

It is important to make it clear that an adequate range must be

selected when using the clamp meter, the correct way is
according to what you want to measure. In the case of the
focus, 20 A is enough, but this will be explained in the
experimentation part.

Exercise 2: Energy saving light bulb

The first step is preparing the oscilloscope, for this we have to
connect the prove tib in the “channel 1” and connect both the
point and the alligator clip in their respective positions, we
must see an square signal, we have to configure the “volts/div”
Figure 2.3. Wave form of the energy saving light bulb.
and the “sec/div” so we can clearly see the square signal in the
monitor.
In this case the clamp meter has two measure option, one that
can measure 200 A by 10mV/A and the other that can measure
20 A by 100 mV/A, in this case we can work with the second
option.

V. EXPERIMENTATION AND RESULTS

Figure 2.1. Oscilloscope and prove tib
With the TC we surround one wire of the bulb and the we
have to connect it to the energy, by this we must saw
something in the oscilloscope screen but we have to configure
the “volts/div” and the “sec/div” so we can better saw the
wave, to obtain a clear wave in the screen we have to analise
by the Ohms law the way that the current pass by the bulb, all
of these are showed in the “Experimentation and Results”
section.
Exercise 1: Incandescent spotlight
To obtain the current, use can be made of the formula to
obtain the power.
𝑃 = 𝑉𝐼
It is important not to confuse the VRMS with the VPeak, that is
why the definition of both is given below.
"An RMS value of a current is the value, which produces the
same heat dissipation as a direct current of the same
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magnitude. In other words: The RMS value is the value of the
AC voltage or current that produces the same dissipation
effect of heat than its equivalent direct voltage or current." [1]

“The peak voltage of an AC waveform is the voltage at those

positive and negative peaks. Since the numerical value is the
same, the positive or negative sign is removed and the peak
voltage is indicated as the absolute value.” [2]

Figure 2.4. Peak voltage and RMS voltage

To figure out the way that we are going to configure our

oscilloscope to saw a clear wave form from our energy saving
light bulb we can use the formula of the power

𝑃 = 𝑉𝐼

Figure 1.3. Peak voltage and RMS voltage By clearing the current of the previous equation, we obtain
that
After selecting the VRMS to be the absolute value, the current
𝑃
value is obtained. 𝐼=
𝑃 𝑉
𝐼=
𝑉 We know that the power of the bulb is 28W and the voltage
As is known, the bulb is 40 watts while the VRMS is 120 V.
40 𝑊 that we are going to use is 120V, so we have a current of :
𝐼= = 0.33 𝐴
120 𝑉 28 𝑊
𝐼= = 0.233 𝐴
And it is for this reason that the 20 A of the ammeter clamp is 120 𝑉
selected, since the current of this practice is very little.
Before we said that we are going to use the option of 20 A by
100 mV/A, in this way we only need to use a simply rule of
Exercise 2: Energy saving light bulb
three:
We first going to explain the difference between the Volts
RMS and the Peak Volts.
0.233 𝐴 ∗ 100 𝑚𝑉
As we know in our houses, we have from 120 to 220 volts but = 23.3 𝑚𝑉
these values of voltage are the RMS voltage (Root Mean 1𝐴
Square). “The RMS value is the value of the AC voltage or
In this way we must configure the oscilloscope to 23.3mV/div
current. that produces the same heat dissipation effect as its
to see a clear wave in the Y axis.
direct voltage or current equivalent” [1]
In this way we can see that we are working only with one
We know that in our houses the frequency is 60 Hz and we
portion of the energy in our houses because this portion is the
know that the frequency is defined by the next formula:
effective portion of energy.
1
𝑓=
𝑇

We have the frequency and we want the period so

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1 Repeating the arithmetic process applied to the incandescent
𝑇=
𝑓 focus, the voltage in the signal of the saving focus was
By substituting values we have:
1 was detected, that is, the peak voltage values are not constant,
𝑇= = 16.66 𝑚𝑠
60
In this way we must configure the oscilloscope to 16.66
ms/div to see a clear wave in the X axis.
With the oscilloscope that we are working we can only
configure the volts/div and the sec/div to the values showed in
the figure 2.5.
Figure 2.5. Configurations for the oscilloscope.
VI. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
Exercise 1: Incandescent spotlight
As reviewed in the methodology section, with the help of a
clamp meter, the amperage generated by an incandescent bulb
was analyzed, remembering that the oscilloscope works only
with voltage parameters, the RMS supply voltage ratio was
made, and the energy consumed by the focus as indicated by
the manufacturer, resulting in an RMS voltage of 33
mV, when adjusting the parameters to study the voltage graph
based on the amperage reading of the clamp meter a reading of
40 mV was detected, important to mention that this value is a
peak value, as for the graph obtained is a uniform sinusoidal
graph, it is completely cyclical because it is a linear voltage
that is achieved with the resistance that composes the
incandescent focus, therefore the circuit fulfills a uniform
cycle.
Electronics
07/02/2021
Exercise 2: Energy saving light bulb
established based on the amperage value in the clamp meter,
the parameters in the oscilloscope were adjusted to carry out
the reading; in the voltage reading a non-linear voltage signal
this time the graph has an irregular behavior, because the
energy consumed is intermittent and the expense of it occurs
only in certain periods of time, in which the focus demands all
the amperage necessary to carry out its work cycle.
VII. CONCLUSIONS
A. General conclusion
The use of incandescent or saving bulbs is quite common
and are concepts that are present in everyday life, this
practice is quite didactic since it was possible to analyze
the behavior of a linear and non-linear voltage, with the
help of an oscilloscope, the linear voltage produced by the
incandescent focus, it is thanks to the fact that it is only
composed of a resistance that allows to oscillate the
voltage in a cyclic way, since its graph is of sinusoidal
type, and is oscillating constantly; however, in the case of
the saving focus, there is an irregular graph in which only
the voltage peaks in which the focus is completely
illuminated can be observed, that is, the energy consumed
is not constant, rather it is intermittent and the voltage
gives peaks of maximum value to reach the value that
demanded the operation of the focus, and when in the
graph a low value is observed is why the voltage stops
that expenditure to save energy, an analogy could be
made, in which while driving the pilot stops accelerating
his vehicle once he reaches a speed limit necessary to
continue advancing and accelerates again once the speed
has reduced considerably and it is time to recover the
speed necessary to continue its path, in essence that would
be the way in which a "linear voltage" and a "non-linear
voltage" behave; it is important to mention that in an ideal
scheme of electronic analysis the behavior of an
incandescent focus is the most appropriate way to behave
the voltage, however despite the fact that the non-linear
voltage is somewhat inadequate from the electronic
approach, it complies with a duty cycle in which the
energy consumed is saved which helps the consumer and
the environment, this in the long run in energy
consumption of course.
B. Individual conclusion
César Alejandro Cabrera Cuéllar
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This practice allows to know certain concepts as well as the
practical use of an oscilloscope. On the other hand, it was
possible to know the operation of an incandescent light bulb
and a saver, it is important because on many occasions how
things that contain electronics work are ignored.
Adair Téllez Aviles
Electronics
07/02/2021
Cesar Gonzalez Pozada.
For the practice my work consisted of writing the results
obtained in experimentation of both foci, as well as the general
conclusion obtained at the end of the practice; in addition to
his position to collaborate in the construction of the circuits
studied.

After the development of the practice, it was possible to REFERENCES

experiment a bit with an oscilloscope, in addition to learning [1] et al. (2019). Valor RMS – Valor Pico – Valor Promedio. febrero 5, 2022,
that it is the first thing to do when using this measurement de Electrónica Unicrom Sitio web: https://unicrom.com/valor-rms-
promedio-pico/
instrument, but if we do not check that the oscilloscope works [2] Syslo, P.. (2021). ¿Qué es el voltaje pico en una forma de onda
correctly we could have problems when analyzing our sinusoidal?. febrero 5, 2022, de eHow Sitio web:
obtained results. https://www.ehowenespanol.com/voltaje-pico-forma-onda-sinusoidal-
info_263077/
Eric Samuel Quiroz González

I like a lot this practice I like the way that every development
shows a different wave for the current, is interesting what
happened inside of the object and why the current looks in that
way, the oscilloscope can help us in many ways to analyze the
function of some devices or to find some issues its great the
potential of the oscilloscope.

Cesar Gonzalez Pozada.

The practice carried out I liked very much since it was

possible to have a physical contact with the oscilloscope when
making the corresponding measurements, in a personal
opinion the knowledge acquired is much more significant than
if the practice had been carried out in simulation, on the other
hand, it is of great help to know the behavior of the voltages
and have that reference for future applications.

C: Individual contribution

César Alejandro Cabrera Cuéllar

For this practice I participated in its development in person,

while for the report I developed the methodology.

Adair Téllez Aviles

For this practice, I collaborated by doing the abstract,

introduction, theoretical background and materials.

Eric Samuel Quiroz González

For the practice I help by doing the methodology and the

experimentation of the energy saving light bulb.

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