1 Circuit Theory
1 Circuit Theory
1 Circuit Theory
Microprocessors
Circuit Laws :
Ohm’s Law,
Kirchoff’s Voltage Law (KVL),
Kirchoff’s Current Law (KCL),
Circuit Elements in Series & Parallel,
Thevenin’s Theorem
What is voltage and current?
Voltage is the measure of specific potential
energy (potential energy per unit charge)
between two locations.
When a voltage source is connected to a circuit,
the voltage will cause a uniform flow of electrons
through that circuit called a current.
Analogy:
Concept of Voltage & Current
Ohm’s Law
Ohm’s Law simply states that current in a
resistive circuit is directly proportional to its
applied voltage and inversely proportional to
its resistance.
Example – Ohm’s Law
Cont..
R3
VS
I
RT
Parallel Resistor
IT
I1 I2 I3
Vs R1 R2 RN
1 1 1 1
.......
RT R1 R2 RN
The total current is equal to the total sum of the branch current,
IT = I1 + I2 + …….. + IN
Exercise:
Kirchoff’s Laws
The foundation of circuit analysis is
The defining equations for circuit elements (e.g. Ohm’s law)
Kirchoff’s current law (KCL)
Kirchoff’s voltage law (KVL)
The defining equations tell us how the voltage and current
within a circuit element are related
Kirchoff’s laws tell us how the voltages and currents in
different branches are related
Kirchoff’s Current Law (KCL)
v4 + v1 + v2 + v3 = 0
Example – KVL Solution:
Voltage
Thevenin=VTH=?
?
Voltage/Thevenin Source
??????
Thevenin Resistance
(2) Find the Thevenin resistance by removing all power sources in
the original circuit (voltage sources shorted and current sources
open) and calculating total resistance between the open connection
points.
RTH = ??
Remove
source
Thevenin Resistance
Parallel
resistor
Thevenin Equivalent Circuit
(3) Draw the Thevenin equivalent circuit, with the Thevenin voltage
source in series with the Thevenin resistance. The load resistor re-
attaches between the two open points of the equivalent circuit.
Voltage & Current at load
(4) Analyze voltage and current for the load resistor following the rules
for series circuits.
Benefit
Notice that the voltage and current figures for R2 (8 volts,
4 amps) are identical to those found using other methods
of analysis.
Also notice that the voltage and current figures for the
Thevenin series resistance and the Thevenin source
(total) do not apply to any component in the original,
complex circuit.
Thevenin’s Theorem is only useful for determining what
happens to a single resistor in a network: the load.
Example