Topic: Electrical Engineering

Submitted To
Engr. Asjadullah

Submitted By:
Muhammad Abdullah Zia

Roll No#
BMEF15_M003

Class:
Bsc Mechanical Engineering Fall 15

UCET
University Of Sargodha

Multimeter
A multimeter is a device which is used to make measurements such as voltage, current and
resistance of an electrical circuit.

Types

Analog Multimeter

Digital Multimeter (DMM)

Analog Multimeter

Analog Multimeter is the older type of the multimeter, and it is actually an ammeter. Its
operation is based on a spring loaded moving coil mechanism positioned inside a magnet.
When a current flows through the coil, interaction between the induced magnetic field in the
coil and the fixed magnet create a force to move the coil. The needle connected to the coil
moves proportional to the force produced, where the force is proportional to the current
flowing through the coil. The moving needle points to the numbers marked on a dial,
indicating the amount of current passing through the coil.

To measure voltage and resistance, the internal circuit is attached to additional circuits such
that current through the coil represent the voltage or the resistance. This additional circuitry
also gives multimeter the ability to operate on different value ranges. For example, with a
multimeter it is possible to measure 20mV and 200V, but the scale has to be set accordingly.

The output (display) of the analog multimeter is a real time continuous output, where
theoretically the needle indicates the value at that instant. Therefore, analog multimeters are
preferred still by some professionals due to its real time response which is important when
measuring capacitor or inductor circuits. Disadvantages of the analog meters are the parallax
error they cause in the readings and the delay in response due to the inertia of the needle and
the mechanism. This inertia become advantageous when there is noise present in the
measurement; that is the needle would not move for small changes when the voltage or
current is measured.

The Analog multimeters have to be supplied a voltage for measuring resistance; usually an
AAA battery is used. Depending on the output voltage of the battery at the time (which
decrease with time, not 1.5 V always), the scale for resistance has to be manually adjusted to
zero.

Digital Multimeter (DMM)

Digital Multimeter, which is the newer type of the multimeter, is completely electronic in
operation, and no mechanical components are involved in the measurements. The whole
operation of the device is based on electronic components.

In contrast to the operation of the analog multimeter, digital multimeter uses voltage to detect
the input signal. All the other measurements such as current and resistance are derived from
the voltage across the test leads.

Digital multimeters obtain several samples of the signal during a short period of time and
average the signals to provide better accuracy. The analog signal is converted into a digital
signal by the analog to digital converter, which is the most important component of the
multimeter circuit, inside the multimeter. To improve precision further, most DMM models
use a method called successive approximation register (SAR) in the analog to digital
conversion step.

Digital multimeters display a numerical value as the output which has a higher accuracy than
the analog multimeters. Also, advanced digital multimeters offer automatic ranging features
so that the user does not have to select the range of the measurement manually. Additionally,
this becomes a safety feature too. Since no moving parts are inside, the digital multimeters
are unaffected by shocks such as the impact with a solid surface.

Difference between Analog Multimeter and DMM

Analog Multimeter

DMM

I.
It gives the output as a reading on a
I.
It gives the output is in numerical

scale against a pointer.

form displayed on a LCD.

II.
It gives give a continuous output and
II.

Digital
multimeter
measurements

carry a greater uncertainty in the

have a far less uncertainty (about

measurement (about 3%)

0.5% or less). Digital multimeters are

more
accurate
than
analog

multimeters.

III.
Analog multimeters have a worse
III.
Digital multimeters have a better

range of measurements than DMM.

range of measurements than analog

multimeters.

IV.
Analog multimeters does not offer
IV.
Digital
multimeters offer
additional

additional
features
such
as

features
such
as
capacitance,

capacitance, temperature,
frequency,

temperature, frequency, sound

level

sound
level
measurements
and

measurements
and
detection
of

detection
of
semiconductor
device

semiconductor device pins (transistor

pins (transistor / diode).

/ diode).

V.
Analog multimeters have to be
V.
Most
digital

multimeters
are

calibrated manually

calibrated automatically before every

measurement.

VI.
Analog multimeters require practice
VI.
Digital multimeters can be operated

to take good measurements

even by an untrained person.

VII.
Analog multimeters are less costly
VII.
Digital multimeters are expensive.

Oscilloscope

An oscilloscope is a type of electronic test instrument that allows observation of constantly

varying signal voltages, usually as a two-dimensional plot of one or more signals as a function
of time. Other signals (such as sound or vibration) can be converted to voltages and displayed.

Oscilloscopes are used to observe the change of an electrical signal over time, such that voltage
and time describe a shape which is

continuously graphed against a calibrated scale. The observed waveform can be analyzed for
such properties as amplitude, frequency, rise time, time interval, distortion and others. Modern
digital instruments may calculate and display these properties directly. Originally, calculation of
these values required manually measuring the waveform against the scales built into the screen
of the instrument.

The oscilloscope can be adjusted so that repetitive signals can be observed as a continuous
shape on the screen. A storage oscilloscope allows single events to be captured by the
instrument and displayed for a relatively long time, allowing observation of events too fast to
be directly perceptible.

Functiom Generator

A function generator is a device which produces simple repetitive waveforms. Such devices
contain an electronic oscillator, a circuit that is capable of creating a repetitive waveform.
(Modern devices may use digital signal processing to synthesize waveforms, followed by a
digital to analog converter, or DAC, to produce an analog output). The most common
waveform is a sine wave, but saw tooth,

step (pulse), square, and triangular waveform oscillators are commonly available as are
arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs). If the oscillator operates above the audio frequency
range (>20 kHz), the generator will often include some sort of modulation function such as
amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or phase modulation (PM) as well
as a second oscillator that provides an audio frequency modulation waveform.

DC Power Supply

A DC power supply is one that supplies a voltage of fixed polarity (either positive or
negative) to its load. Depending on its design, a DC power supply may be powered from a
DC source or from an AC source such as the power mains.