Lab 7 Report

Coy Coburn & Kevin Bradshaw

ECEN 214, Section 506
TA: Amir Tofighi Zavareh
Due date: April 1, 2014

Procedure
Task 1 Strobe Light Circuit

Using previous applications of LED's and operational amplifiers from other labs, the
strobe light circuit in Figure 1 was built. The applications introduced into this lab
included the use of a potentiometer to vary the resistance of the non-inverting input of the
op-amp. Also, a combination of a resistor (500 k) and capacitor (470 nF) was used for
the inverting input of the op-amp.
Figure 1

The circuit was built so that the lights blinked to about 1 Hz. After the circuit was set to
this frequency, the values on the resistor to create it were measured and recorded in Table
1. A comparison was made between the lab and pre-lab frequencies in 'Part C' of the
comments section.
Three channels of the Tektronix oscilloscope were then used to measure the following
voltages of the circuit from Figure 1:
o Channel 1 to V1
o Channel 2 to V2
o Channel 3 to VOUT
The sec/dev setting was set to 2 Hz and the measurements were recorded in Table 2. The
waveforms that were displayed on the oscilloscope are shown in Figure 2. Comments on
these waveforms are in 'Part D' of the comments section.

Another resistor similar to the resistor already in the circuit was placed in parallel to the
original resistor R in Figure 1. The new time constant of the inverting input was found
and recorded in 'Part E' of the comments section. The waveforms of this new circuit are
displayed in Figure 3.
Figure 2: Part D
Figure 3: Part E

The second resistor was then removed and a second capacitor was connected in parallel
with the original capacitor C. The new capacitor had a value similar to the resistor
already in the circuit. The new time constant of the inverting input was found and
recorded in 'Part F' of the comments section. The waveforms of this new circuit are
displayed in Figure 4.
The second capacitor was then removed and the potentiometer was decreased and
increased to observe the changing waveform for V2. Observations on the changing period
and amplitude are described in 'Part G' of the comments section. . This waveform is
displayed in Figure 5.
Figure 4: Part F
Figure 5: Part G

Data Tables
Table 1: Part C - Potentiometer Ratio Measurements
R1
R2
2.155 k
7.811 k

R1 + R2
9.926 k

= R2 / (R1 + R2)
0.7869

VPP 1
21.4 V

VPP 2
2.08 V

Table 2: Part D - Waveform Amplitudes

Measurements
Value

VPP OUT
13.6 V

Comments:
Part C:
In the pre-lab, was calculated to be 0.5, and in the lab, was found to be about 0.79. This is a
major difference because the period in the lab would be larger, thus the frequency lower. This is
correct because in the lab, a 1 Hz frequency was used and in the pre-lab, a 2 Hz frequency was
used.
Part D:
The voltages had to be measured manually through the oscilloscope. The sec/div setting was 2
Hz to do this.
Part E:
The second resistor value was 510 k. The original and new resistor in parallel had an
equivalence of about 252.5 k. With the original capacitor of 470 nF, the new time constant
would be about 0.119 in seconds. The new frequency was 4.032 Hz, twice the frequency of the
original circuit.
Part F:
The second capacitor value was 474 nF. The original and new capacitor in parallel had an
equivalence of about 944 nF. With the original resistor of 500 k, the new time constant would
be about 0.472 in seconds. The new frequency was 0.9616 Hz, a little less than half the
frequency of the original circuit.
Part G:
As the resistance of the potentiometer was increased, several observations were noted:
o The amplitude of V1 (Channel 1) decreased.

o The amplitude of V2 (Channel 2) decreased.

o The frequency increased of VOUT (Channel 3) increased.
Combined, these waveforms show how the op-amp works as a comparator and how the
oscillation is a charging and discharging curve.
Calculations
The combined resistance value in Part E was found by:
REQ = ( R1 R2 ) / ( R1 + R2 )
The combined capacitance value in Part F was found by:
CEQ = C1 + C2
To find the time constant of the RC element of the inverting input, the following formula was
used: Time Constant = Resistance x Capacitance.
Discussion
Each procedure of the lab revealed very vital aspects of the comparator system. The beginning
parts illustrated the charging and discharging curve created by the oscillations of the op-amp
circuit. The later parts of the project showed how manipulation of the resistance and capacitance
od the RC circuit affects the frequency value and time constant.
Conclusion
The goal of this lab was to explore the transient response of a 1st Order circuit. In order to
explore the 1st order response, by utilizing the understanding of the voltage divider principle, a
circuit was built that will have LEDs that will flash according to the frequency that was then
determined. Overall, this lab proved to illustrate the techniques and applications of an op-amp
comparator circuit and how manipulation of its parts can lead to differing and wanted results.