Capacitor and Inductor Transient Response: ECE 270 Lab #4 Capacitors and Inductors

ECE 270
Lab #4 Capacitors and Inductors
Capacitor and Inductor Transient Response

Capacitor Theory
Like resistors, capacitors are also basic circuit elements. Capacitors come in a
seemingly endless variety of shapes and sizes, and they can all be represented by the
following symbol.
v c (t)
i c (t)
Figure 1: Typical Capacitor Circuit Symbol.
Note the curved line in the symbol for the capacitor shown in Figure 1. You will
sometimes see a capacitor symbolized by two parallel lines instead of one curved one.
This is poor practice because that symbol is normally reserved for a relay. Many
capacitors have a polarity associated with them. On a circuit diagram, this is sometimes
symbolized with a small + next to the flat line. The curved line of the capacitor symbol
is usually associated with the more negative voltage. It is critical that the polarity
requirements of a capacitor are observed, or the capacitor is likely to fail in a violent,
and possibly, explosive fashion. Capacitors also have a maximum voltage that can be
applied across the terminals before the electrical insulation between the plates breaks
down.
Unlike resistors, which dissipate electrical energy in the form of heat, capacitors store
energy in the form of an electric field. The amount of energy stored in the capacitor (in
Joules) is given as
1
W CV 2
2
(1)
ECE 270
where C is the value of capacitance in Farads, and V is the voltage across the capacitor
in Volts. The current and voltage in a capacitor (as seen in Fig. 1) are related by
i(t) C
dv
dt
(2)
v(t)
and
1
idtv(t 0 ).
C t0
(3)
One conclusion that can be drawn from the above integral is the fact that if a capacitor
is charged to some initial voltage, it will remain at that voltage forever if there is nothing
that provides a current path for discharge. Thus, for safety reasons, discharge
capacitors with a resistor before touching any circuit with capacitors present.
t=0
+
v c (t)
-
i c (t)
Figure 2: Capacitor Charging Circuit.
Assuming the capacitor didnt have an initial voltage across it at t=0 when the switch is
closed, the voltage across the capacitor in Fig. 2 over time is given as:
v c (t) Vs (1 e t/ )
(4)
where, , is the time constant of the circuit. The time constant is given by:
ECE 270
RC.
(5)
A time constant of a circuit is an important property of a circuit. It provides a useful

measure of how fast a circuit responds to change. In the above equation, when the
time is equal to one time constant, the exponential is raised to the power negative one.
1
1e .63 . It is customary to measure this point on the charge or discharge curve to
determine experimentally. For two time constants, the power is negative two, and
so on. After one time constant, the voltage across the capacitor is 63.2% of its final
value and after five time constants has 99.3% of its final value. Similarly, we can solve
for the current in Fig. 2 at any instant after the switch closes as:
ic (t)
Vs t/
e .
R
(6)
When the initial voltage on the capacitor is non-zero the voltage across the capacitor
over time is given by:
V C ( t ) = V s +( V0 - V s ) e-t /
(7)
Where: V0 is the initial voltage across the capacitor and V S is the source voltage at time
0+.
ic ( t ) =
( V 0 - VS ) -t /
e
R
(8)
Equation 7 can be written in terms of the initial and final voltage across the cap.
-t /
(9)
V C ( t ) =V ( ) +[V(0) -V ( )]e
Where: V ( 0 ) is the initial voltage across the capacitor at time 0+ and
final or steady state value of the source voltage.
V ( )
is the
Inductor Theory
Like resistors, inductors are also basic circuit elements. The impedance of an ideal
inductor is given in equation 0.
Z I = jL
(10)
Like the capacitor the impedance of an ideal inductor is completely imaginary and like
the capacitor the voltage across the inductor and the current through the inductor are
not in phase. Also an ideal inductor has 0 magnitude impedance at 0 Hz and an
magnitude impedance at Hz.
The circuit symbol for an inductor is given in Figure 1.
ECE 270
+ v L (t)
i L (t)
Figure 1: Typical Inductor Circuit Symbol
Unlike resistors, which dissipate electrical energy in the form of heat, Inductors store
energy in the form of a magnetic field. The energy stored in an inductor is given as:
1
W= L I2
2
(11)
where L is value of inductance in Henrys and I is the current in Amps flowing through
the inductor. The voltage and current for an inductor are related by:
V L (t )=L
diL
dt
(12)
1
1
i L ( t )= V L ( t ) dt+i (t 0 )i L (t )
Lt
and
(13)
where i(t 0 )
is the initial current flowing in the inductor.
One conclusion that can be drawn from the above integral is the fact that if an inductor
has an initial current flowing through it the current will flow forever until it is dissipated
through some resistance.
Charging an inductor with a voltage source through a resistor is similar to charging a
capacitor. The main difference is the exponential time constant dictates the current
instead of the voltage.
i ( t )=
Where =
L
R
Vs
(1et / )
R
(14)
and is the time constant of the circuit.
ECE 270
D
N
G
0R
t=
S
IV
LL
-+V
Figure 2: RL circuit time constant measurement.

The time constant of the circuit shown in figure 2 is an important property of the circuit.
It provides a useful measure of how fast a circuit responds to change. You may recall
that a capacitor voltage changes by 63.2% from the initial towards the final voltage
during 1 time constant. The inductor current also changes by 63.2% in one time
constant. Similarly the voltage across the inductor is an exponential discharge.
t /
(15)
v ( t )=V S e
Inductance is a fundamental circuit property like resistance and capacitance. A typical

Inductor is made with wire wrapped to form a coil. The inductance is proportional to the
square of the number of turns in the coil. Thus more turns of wire in the inductor results
in more inductance. One of the primary ways to vary the inductance is to change the
number of turns. The inductors in the lab are covered so you cant see the turns of wire.
The turns of wire have an undesired property. The wire used to achieve the desired
inductance has a resistance associated with it. We dont want resistance we want
inductance. This parasitic resistance cannot usually be ignored. A typical model of
an inductor must then include this parasitic resistance. Such a model is shown in
Figure 3. This parasitic resistance will dissipate power and we must consider this when
using inductors.
ECE 270
Inductor
Model
+
R
i(t) = I
sin( t)
v(t)
L
Figure 3: Inductor with Parasitic Resistance.

The model of the inductor including the parasitic resistance in Fig. 3 holds for most
cases.
ECE 270
Instructional Objectives
Understand if our measuring equipment affects the circuit being measured.
Analyze the transient response of a simple RC circuit.
Analyze the transient response of a simple RL circuit.
Procedure
Parts needed for this lab: 1K, 7.5K and 30K resistors, a 0.1uF capacitor and a 100mH
and 1.00K resistor or 1mH inductor and 100 resistor.
For all experiments in this lab you will be using a bread-board and the Analog Discovery
measurement system.
Part 1: Measuring the transient response of an RC network.
Before we actually measure the RC time constant there are a few things that need to be
determined about the circuit and the measurement instruments.
The theory section talks about the initial and final conditions of the voltage on the
capacitor. We will investigate these conditions, since they influence the measured
results. The initial conditions are not difficult to set or measure. To make it easy to
measure we force the initial voltage across the capacitor to a known voltage and
change the voltage across the capacitor to the final voltage. With this setup we can use
Eq. 7 or 9 to measure with the scope.
IMPORTANT TIDBIT: We are going to drive the RC with a very slow square wave.
We do this so that the capacitor has time to get extremely close to the final
voltage that is driving the circuit. This defines the initial and final conditions for
us because we wait long enough before the square wave to change voltage. The
square wave is supposed to be close enough to time. This dictates that we
use low frequency square waves to determine the initial and final voltages across
the device under test (d.u.t). Also we will have t use higher frequency square
waves to measure the value of once we know the initial and final values.
Another issue we need to deal with is the influence the input resistance of the Analog
Discovery has on our measurement since we will use it to measure the of the RC
circuit.
The A1+ and A1- or A2+ and A2- get connected across the resistor and across the
capacitor so the input resistance will always be in parallel with the resistor or capacitor.
1.
Measure the input resistance of the Analog Discovery A1+ to A1- and A2+ to A2-. See
following discussion as to how to do this.
ECE 270
The Analog Discovery has an high input resistance. The resistance varies with the type
of measurement. What does this mean? You will find out by measuring the resistance 2
different ways. Measure the ch1(1+, 1-) and the ch2 (2+, 2-) input resistance with your
DVM. The following circuit is a good representation of what the input to the Analog
Discovery looks like.
First method: Measure the input wires of the Analog Discovery with the DVM. Warning
you will measure resistances greater than 2M.
1+ to 1- __________
1+ to 1- with 1- connected to GND __________
2+ to 2- __________
2+ to 2- with 2- connected to GND __________
Did you get the same resistance for all measurements? Most likely NO! So how do we
find out what the input resistance really is for your measurement by simulating a
measurement setup?
Second method: Consider the input of the Analog Discovery 2 wires leading into a
black box. All you can do is measure the voltage across them and the current into them.
Then use Ohms law V/I=R to calculate the input resistance. Simple enough if you can
measure the small signals to get an accurate measurement. You are in luck your DVM
can just barely measure the current and easily measure the voltage. Give it a try using
the following schematic and picture as a guide. Set the Analog discovery to output
5VDC from W1. Measure the W1 to GND voltage with the DVM. We cant actually
measure the voltage from 1+ to 1- because you need 2 meters to set this up. The
ammeter will not influence this resistance measurement. The resistance of the meter is
much much smaller than the input resistance of the Analog discovery. Now connect the
DVM as shown in the circuit to measure the current going into the Analog Discovery.
Dont forget to set the meter to uA and move the red lead to the current input jack.
ECE 270
Figure 4: Input resistance setup.

W1 _______________VDC, Input current ________________uA.
Calculate the input resistance using these measured values. Z=V/I= ___________
How does this compare to the value you got when you measured the resistance across
1+ and 1- with 1- at GND using the DVM? ______________________
Without a battery we cant measure the input resistance without grounding the input.
So we wont do that. This is OK because we make all measurements of time constants
today with the input attached to ground as shown in Figs 5 and 7. So this
configuration tells us what the real input resistance is.
Now that we know the input resistance of the Analog Discovery we can determine
if it will influence the measuring of the time constant . From figure 5 below we can see
that the input resistance of the Analog Discovery discharges the capacitor while R1
charges it. Does this input resistance discharge the cap at a rate high enough to
influence the measureable charging through R1?
To determine this compare the Rs.
ECE 270
If the input resistance of the Analog Discovery is >> than the charging R, R1, there
wont be a problem unless you are trying to measure with incredible accuracy. For
example 100:1 ratio of Rin/R1 yields a 1% error. 1000:1 ratio a 0.1% error etc. It all
depends on the accuracy you need for your tests. You should consider to 1% accuracy
to be good enough for the ECE270 labs.
Do you need to worry about the Analog Discovery input resistance when determining
? ________
10
ECE 270
2.
Measure the charging of a capacitor to determine

Figure 5 below. R1 is 7.5K and C1 is 0.1uF.
Charge : Build the circuit shown in
Figure 5: RC circuit.
3.
Setup the W1 source to put out a 0 to 4V (2V P @ 2VOFFSET) square wave at a

frequency low enough that lets the voltages across the capacitor reach the initial
or final values. A frequency in Hz where the period is about 25 times in time at
4V and 25 times in time at 0V. This low frequency will be used to determine the
initial and final voltages across the D.U.T. You can tell if the frequency you
choose is low enough by looking at the voltage across the capacitor and seeing if
it approaches a constant voltage, 4V or 0V, before it changes to the other
voltage, 0V or 4V.
Set triggering to C2 Rising edge at about 2V
Set the time base to xS/Div which allows you to see a charging and discharging
waveform on the same trace and which seems to show the initial and final
voltages (Slow time base). Time base = _________ xS/Div.
Measure the initial and final voltages, V INIT _______, VFINAL _______ across the
capacitor. Make sure you are convinced the waveform is done rising or falling.
Make the time base 10 to 20 times faster just to see what the waveform looks like
when you dont wait long enough to find V FINAL.
Use the cursors (Hot Track) to measure the time constant Charge
Put the cursor at the most negative across V C1, (VINIT) right where the voltage
starts rising.
Change the Horizontal Time Base to xS/Div to cover most of the screen with the
initial to final event (Fast time base). Time base = _________ xS/Div.
Set the other cursor to the voltage which is (1e1) 0.63 the way to VFINAL. This
is 63% from VINIT to VFINAL = VINIT + 0.63(VFINAL-VINIT) _______________V. From Eq.
9 above.
Capture the resulting display for your report.
11
ECE 270
ChargeRC =
__________________________.
Figure 6 shows the display I captured. Yours may be different because I dont
remember what resistor I used.
Figure 6: Captured RC transient measurement.

4.
Use the cursors (Hot Track) to measure the time constant Discharge .
Change the Horizontal time base to the (Slow one).
Put one cursor at the most positive voltage across V C1, (VFINAL) where the voltage
starts falling.
Change the Horizontal Time Base back to the (Fast one).
Set the other cursor to the voltage which is (1e1) 0.63 the way to VINIT. This
9 above.
DischargeRC = __________________________.
5.
6.
Measure the peak current values during charge and discharge cycles.
First measure VR. Pos _________, Neg ___________.
What is R
.
Calculate ICHARGE ________ IDISCHARGE ___________.
Change R1 to 30.0K. The following steps are similar to steps 2 - 3.
Setup the W1 source to put out a 0 to 4V (2V P @ 2VOFFSET) square wave. Set the
frequency of the square wave such that the voltage across the capacitor has
sufficient time to reach steady state (5*10) (Note that the frequency will have to
12
ECE 270
7.
be much lower than the frequency used in previous steps, because of the larger
value of )
Set triggering to Ch2 Rising edge at about 2V.
Change the time base to cover most of the screen with the entire initial to final
event.
capacitor.
Use the cursors to measure the time constant Charge .

Change the Time Base to cover the initial to final event to easily measure .
Put one cursor at the most negative across V C, (VINIT) right where the voltage
starts rising.
Set the other cursor to the voltage which is 0.63 the way to V FINAL as in step 3
above.
Charge 30 KC =
__________________________.
Part 2 Measuring the transient response of an RL network.

8.
Measure the charging of an inductor to determine ChargeRL : Build the circuit shown
below. R1 is 1.00K for a 100mH inductor and 100for a 1mH inductor.
9.
Figure 7: LC circuit.
Setup the W1 source to put out a 0 to 4V (2V P with 2VOFFSET) square wave at a
frequency that has about 25 times in time at 4V and 25 times in time at 0. Just
like the capacitor measurement.
Set triggering to C2 Rising edge at about 2V
13
ECE 270
10.
Set the time base to a xS/Div. which allows you to see a charging and
discharging waveform on the same trace and which seems to show the initial and
final voltages (Slow time base L).
resistor. (Note that we are measuring resistor voltage since inductor resists
change in current. Voltage across inductor changes instantaneously).
Use the cursors to measure the time constant ChargeRL .
Put cursor at the most negative across V R1, (VINIT) right where the voltage starts
rising.
Change the Horizontal Time Base to cover most of the rising event on the
screen. (Fast time base L).
Set the other cursor to the voltage which is (1e1) 0.63 the way to VFINAL. This
9 above.
ChargeRL=
11.
__________________________.
Use the cursors to measure the time constant Discharge .

Change the Horizontal time base to (Slow time base L).
Put one cursor at the most positive voltage across V L1, (VFINAL) where the voltage
starts falling.
Change the Horizontal Time Base to (Fast time base L).
Set the other cursor to the voltage which is (1e1) 0.63 the way to VINIT. This
9 above.
DischargeRL=
__________________________.
12. Measure the peak inductor voltage values during charge and discharge.
First measure VL1. Pos _________, Neg ___________.
13.
Are the values of

value?
ChargeRL and DishargeRL close to the expected (theoratical)
Why or why not?
14

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Lab #4 Capacitors and Inductors