Basics of Electronic Circuits

Experiment 5 Thevenins Theorem 2005-06/I

Thevenins theorem enables one to construct a very simple phasor model to represent how a linear time-invariant circuit including independent voltage/current sources is seen by a load connected between any pair of terminals of the circuit. The structure of the Thevenin equivalent is shown in Fig. .!" where #$% denotes the phasor representing the voltage vo measured between the terminals when the load is an open-circuit &load current i o ' ()" and *o denotes the Thevenin impedance of the circuit. Thevenin impedance is defined to be the impedance measured between the two terminals of the circuit with the load disconnected and all independent sources removed from within the circuit. +t can also be e,pressed in terms of the short-circuit current +sc" which denotes the phasor representing the current io flowing into the load when the load is a short-circuit &load voltage vo ' ()- *o ' #$%/+.%. /T+ circuit including voltage /current sources io 0 vo Fi ! 5!" Thevenin e#uivalent For any given circuit" *o can be determined simply by measuring the open-circuit voltage #oc and the value of #o for any suitable load impedance */" and using the relationship#o ' #$% */ / &*o0*/) *o ' &#$%/ #o 1 !) */ . /oad #oc *o +o 0 #o /oad +mpedance

+n this e,periment" Thevenin equivalents will be obtained both for a purely resistive circuit" which would have a resistive * o" and for an 2% circuit" which would have a frequency-dependent comple, impedance as *o. $! Thevenin e#uivalent of a %esistive circuit "! 3ssemble the resistive circuit shown in Fig. .4" where 2 / denotes the load resistance. .et the F5 control for a frequency of ! 678 and a pea6-to-pea6 value of !( #. 2! 9easure the pea6-to-pea6 value of v o with the %2$ for :-; values of the load resistance 2 / ranging from ! 6 to about 4(( 6 in a near-geometric progression. %alculate the value of i o for each value of 2/ and plot vo against io on a linear graph paper by drawing the best straight line passing through the points corresponding to different values of 2 /. Function 5enerator &!(# p-p" !678)

0
vs 1

4(6 4(6

! 6

io

4(6 4(6

! 6 *o

v o 2/

1 Fi ! 5!2 %esistive circuit &ith %esistive 'oa(

)! <etermine the pea6-to-pea6 values of the open-circuit voltage # $% and the short-circuit current +.% from the intercepts of the straight line" and hence calculate the value of the Thevenin impedance *o ' #$% / +.%. #erify that this value is the same as the series-parallel combination of the resistances constituting the circuit" as indicated in Fig. .4.

Function 5enerator &!(# p-p" !678)

io

0
vs 1

4(6 4(6

! 6

*o #oc

+o 0 #o */

0 vo

1 %/ Fi ! 5!) %esistive circuit &ith Capacitive 'oa(

*! %onnect a capacitor with capacitance % / ' (.(! F as the load instead of the resistor 2 /. 9easure the pea6-to-pea6 value and the phase of the voltage v o" using an ,-y display with the F5 output vs applied as the ,-input. 5! %alculate the value of #o from the given theoretical e,pression by substituting the measured values of #$% and *o and putting */ ' !/=4f%" where f is the frequency. %ompare the magnitude and the phase angle of this comple, number with the values measured in step >. 6! 2epeat steps > and with %/ ' (.(( combinations of two (.(!-F capacitors. B! Thevenin e#uivalent of an %C Circuit 6! ?ow consider an 2% circuit consisting of the resistive circuit of Fig. .4 and a (.(!-F capacitor" as shown in Fig. .>. 3ssemble this circuit" and connect a load 2 / having a resistance of about !( 6. 9easure the magnitude and phase of the resulting output voltage vo in the same way as done in step >" and hence determine the &comple,) value of the phasor #o corresponding to the output voltage vo of this circuit. Function 5enerator &!(# p-p" ! 678) io F and %/ ' (.(4 F" using series and parallel

0
vs

4( 6 4( 6

! 6 (.(! F

0 vo 2/

4( 6 4( 6

! 6 *% *o

Fi ! 5!* %C Circuit &ith %esistive 'oa( +! ?ote that the value of #o measured in step > gives the open-circuit voltage #$C for the circuit of Fig. .>. .ubstitute this value of #$C" the value of #o determined in step @" and the actual value of the load resistance used in step @ in the theoretical e,pression for * o to determine the Thevenin impedance *o of this 2% circuit. ,! %alculate the &comple,) value of the impedance *o of the 2% circuit" as indicated in Fig. .>" putting */ ' !/&=4f%)" where f ' ! 678" and compare this value with the value found from the e,perimental data in step :. -! 2epeat the measurements of #o and #$C for this circuit at f ' (( 78. ?ote the effect of the change in frequency on the Thevenin equivalent" and comment on whether the result obtained for the resistive circuit in steps 4 and A would also be different if the e,periment is performed with the frequency f ' (( 78