EE 123N

Elementary Electrical Engineering

Basic RC & RL Circuits
 Basic RC & RL Circuits

OUTLINE:
1. First-Order RC Circuits
2. First-Order RL Circuits
3. Examples
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Key Words:
Transient Response of RC Circuits, Time constant
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

• Used for filtering signal by blocking certain frequencies

and passing others. e.g. low-pass filter
• Any circuit with a single energy storage element, an
arbitrary number of sources and an arbitrary number of
resistors is a circuit of order 1.
• Any voltage or current in such a circuit is the solution to a
1st order differential equation.
Ideal Linear Capacitor
dq dv
i (t ) =  c vc (t +) =v C (t )
dt dt
1 2
Energy stored w   pdt   cvdv  cv
2

A capacitor is an energy storage device  memory device.

1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

1st Order RC Circuit

+ vr(t) -
R +
+
vs(t) C vc(t)
- -

• One capacitor and one resistor

• The source and resistor may be equivalent to
a circuit with many resistors and sources.
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Transient Response of RC Circuits

E  vc
ic 
Switch is thrown to 1 R
KVL around the loop: ic R  vC  E
R
C
dvc
C R  vc  E
 
2 dt
t


K vC  Ae RC
E
1
E
Initial condition vC (0 ) v C (0)  0 A  E
t t
 
vC  E (1  e RC
)  E (1  e  )

t
  RC
dvc E 
ic  C  e Called time constant
dt R
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

• Time Constant: time at which the response has dropped

to 37% of its initial value
• Larger values of R or C provide larger time constants and
slower dissipation of the stored energy
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Time Constant   RC
t
5  dvc E t /
vC  E (1  e  )  e
dt 
R
C

dvc E E
  
2
 
t 0
10V 
K dt  dvc
 1 t 0
E dt

5V R=2k
C=0.1F

SEL>>
0V
RC
0s 1ms 2ms 3ms 4ms
V(2)
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Transient Response of RC Circuits

vc  ic R  0
Switch to 2 dvc
ic  C
R
dt
C dv
vc  RC c  0
dt
2 t
  
K vc  Ae RC

1
E Initial condition vC (0 ) v C (0)  E

vc  Ee t / RC  Ee t /
E t / 
ic   e
R
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Time Constant   RC 
t

t
vC (t )  Ee RC  Ee 
5
R dvC E
C


dt t 0 
 2
 
E

K  
IS 
10V 1 dvC
E
dt t 0

5V R=2k
C=0.1F

SEL>>
0V
0s 1.0ms 2.0ms 3.0ms 4.0ms
V(2)
Time
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

6.0V

4.0V

2.0V

0V
0s 0.5ms 1.0ms 1.5ms 2.0ms 2.5ms 3.0ms 3.5ms 4.0ms 4.5ms 5.0ms 5.5ms 6.0ms
V(2) V(1)
Time
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Key Words:
Transient Response of RL Circuits, Time constant
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Ideal Linear Inductor

i(t) d di(t )
The + v(t )  L
rest dt dt
of L v(t)
t
the 1
circuit - i(t )   v( x)dx
L 
di
P  iv  Li i L (t  ) i L (t )
dt

Energy stored:
1 2
wL (t )   pdt   Lidi  Li (t )
2
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

“1st Order RL Circuit”

• One inductor and one resistor

• The source and resistor may be
equivalent to a circuit with many
resistors and sources.
goal is an expression for i(t) which satisfies this equation and also
has the value I0 at t = 0.

Goal: determine an expression for i(t) which

satisfies this equation and also has the value I0
at t = 0.
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

di
vL  L
Switch to 1 dt
R
KVL around the loop: iR  vL  E
L
di
2
EL  iR
  dt

K Initial condition t  0, i(0 )  i(0 )  0
 
1
E
R
E  t E
 i  (1  e L )  (1  e t / )
R R   L/ R
 vR  iR  E (1  e t / ) Called time constant

di d E   t 
R
E R R
 t
vL  L  L   1  e L   L    e L  Eet /
dt dt  R   R L
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Time constant
. i (t)

0  t
• Indicate how fast i (t) will drop to zero.
• It is the amount of time for i (t) to drop to zero if it is dropping at
the initial rate dit .
dt t 0
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples
Transient Response of RL Circuits
di t : 0  t
L  iR  0
Switch to 2 dt i : I 0  i  t 
R di R it 
1 R
I0 idi  0  L dt 
t
L
  dt 
i L
2 R
   t it  R
 i  Ae L ln i I0    t  t0

K L

1 R
E i(t ) R  t
ln  t i(t )  I 0 e L
I0 L

E
Initial condition t  0, I 0 
R

E  RL t E t /
i e  e
R R
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples
SEL>>
Input energy to L
4.0mA

R
L
2.0mA

2
 
K
 0A
1 0s 1ms 2ms 3ms 4ms
E I(L1)

L export its energy , dissipated by R

4.0mA

2.0mA

SEL>>
0A
0s 1ms 2ms 3ms 4ms
I(L1)
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Summary
time
Initial Value Steady Value constant
（t = 0） (t  )

RL Source i0  0 iL 
E
R
L/ R
Circuits (0 state)
Source-
free i0 
E
i0 L/ R
(0 input) R

Source
RC (0 state) v0  0 vE RC

Circuits Source-
free v0  E v0 RC
(0 input)
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Summary
The Time Constant
• For an RC circuit,  = RC
• For an RL circuit,  = L/R
• -1/ is the initial slope of an exponential with an initial
value of 1
• Also,  is the amount of time necessary for an
exponential to decay to 36.7% of its initial value
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Summary

How to determine initial conditions for a transient circuit:

• When a sudden change occurs, only two types of quantities
will remain the same (i.e, value at t=t- = value at t=t+).
1. inductor current: IL(t-) = IL(t+)
2. capacitor voltage: VC(t-) = VC(t+)
• Determine these two types of the values just before the
circuit changed condition and use them as the initial
conditions of the circuit immediately after the change
occurred.
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Calculation for the “Initial Values”

i
iC iL vC  0   vC  0 
t=0
 R1 / / R3   2
2
vC  0  8V   4V
2  2

i(0+)
iC(0+) iL(0+) iL  0   iL  0 
8V
i  0   2A
+ + 2  2
vC(0+)=4V vL(0+) 4
_
- iL  0   2A   1A

1A 4  4
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Analyzing an RC circuit or RL circuit

Method 1
1) Thévenin Equivalent.(Draw out C or L)

Simplify the circuit

Veq , Req

2) Find Leq(Ceq), and  = Leq/Req ( = CeqReq)

3) Substituting Leq(Ceq) and  to the previous solution of differential equation

for RC (RL) circuit .
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Analyzing an RC circuit or RL circuit

Method 2
1) KVL around the loop  the differential equation

2) Find the homogeneous solution.

3) Find the particular solution.

4) The total solution is the sum of the particular and homogeneous solutions.
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples
Analyzing an RC circuit or RL circuit
Method 3 (step-by-step) t

In general, f (t )  f ()  Ae  Given f(0+)，thus A = f(0+) – f(∞)
t

f (t )  f ()  [ f (0)  f ()]e 

Initial Steady

1) Draw the circuit for t = 0- and find v(0-) or i(0-) (initial conditions)
2) Use the continuity of the capacitor voltage, or inductor current, draw
the circuit for t = 0+ to find v(0+) or i(0+)
3) Find v(), or i() at steady state (or final condition)
4) Find the time constant 
– For an RC circuit,  = RC
– For an RL circuit,  = L/R
5) The solution is: f (t )  f ()  [ f (0)  f ()]e t /
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples
Problem 1 (Source-Free RC Circuit).
  5 5
_ vC (0)= 0, find vC (t) for t  0.
US Let 
i1 6k

5 t=0 R1 i2 i3
I1 I1 I1 I1  
Using Method 3: 5
+ R2 3k
+ t E 9V C=1000PF

vc  t      vc  0  I vc    e
v-Uc 1   _
pf
S
E
3K
vc  0   0, vc     9V   3V
I1 6K  3K

Apply Thevenin theorem :

1
 1 1 
RTh      2K
 6K 3K 
  RTh C  2K 1000pF  2 106 s
t

vc  t   3  3e 2106
V
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples
  5 5

_Problem 2 (Complete Response of an RC Circuit). C=1000PF
for t  0.
Let vC (0)= 0, find vC (t)5 + -
I1 I1 I1 vC
5 
t=0 R1=10k
vc  0  + 0 +
U1
10K
IS  6V
vc     6V 
- v
 4.615V _ R2 3k
E
10K  3K R1=20k

I1
Apply
 Thevenin’s

theorem :
1
 1 1  30
RTh      K
 10K 3K  13
30
  RThC  K 1000pF  2.31 106 s
13
t

vc  t   4.615  4.615e 2.31106
V
 1st order RC 1st order RL Examples

Problem 3 (Source-Free RL Circuit).

For the circuit shown, the switch is initially closed for t<0 and opens at t=0s.
Find the voltage labeled v at t =200 ms.

(a) A simple RL circuit with a switch thrown at time t =0.

(b) The circuit as it exists prior to t=0.
(c) The circuit after the switch is thrown, and the 24 V source is removed.
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples
1st order RC 1st order RL Examples