BMED 4803 Signals, Systems and Circuits

Summer 2017
Assignment 1 (in class May 25, 2017)

Names _____________________________ _____________________________

Introduction
This project will serve as an introduction to using the prototyping board or breadboard and
the myDAQ unit. Like all the projects in this course, to receive full credit your team (i.e.
both of you together) must demonstrate completion all the required steps to one of the TAs
during their office hours. The TA will signify completion of each step with their initials in
the associated boxes on the project handouts (i.e. this document). After completing the entire
project, the TA will collect the completed handout and require you to disassemble your
breadboard.

Setting Up your myDAQ

First, you will need to install necessary software to interface your computer with your
myDAQ unit, the NI ELVISmx software suite. This will take over an hour to complete. If
you have purchased your own myDAQ unit, it should have come with a CD from which you
can install the Windows version of the NI ELVISmx package. Otherwise the software is
available from National Instruments for free (http://www.ni.com/download/ni-elvismx-
software-bundle-16.0/6135/en/).

Breadboard
The breadboard you will be using in this course is similar to that illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Breadboard

The breadboard is made up of rows and columns that are electrically connected in ways that
will conveniently enable the creation of nodes in a circuit. Each red line in Figure 1 spans the
wire insertion points which are electrically connected together. Note that there are no
connections which cross the central valley running the length of the breadboard.

Create the circuit shown in Figure 2 on your breadboard using the following steps:
Use the resistor color code chart appended to this handout to select nominal values of 1 k
and 2.2 k resistors from your kits for R1 and R2, respectively. Place these in series on your
breadboard.
1. For the DC source V1, use the screwdriver provided with your myDAQ to clamp one
end of a long jumper wire to the +15 V terminal on the myDAQ. Insert the other end
of the wire in the breadboard such that it is electrically connected to R1 as shown in
Figure 2.
2. Connect one end another long jumper wire to the AGND (analog ground) terminal of
the myDAQ, and the other end to R2 to complete the circuit.

+VR1 +VR2

Figure 2. Series R circuit

DMM
Once you have made this circuit, from the NI ELVISmx Instrument Launcher, open the
Digital Multimeter (Figure 3). Set the mode to Auto. Connect the red and black probes to
your myDAQ unit as illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 3. Digital Multimeter (DMM) instrument

Figure 4. Probe connections on myDAQ for voltage and resistance measurements. The red
probe should be switched to the right-side input for current measurements.

Using the DMM, measure the voltages across R1 and R2. To do this, touch the red probe
from the DMM to end of the resistor labeled + and touch the black probe to the end labeled
-. To measure DC voltage, select the V (DC Voltage) button at the top of the interface.
Click the Run button to begin measuring.

VR1: __________V

VR2: __________V

Measure the DC current flowing through R1. To measure this current, you will need to
switch the red probe connection to the opposite input on the myDAQ. Then disconnect R2
from ground. Place the red probe on the formerly grounded end of R2, and the black probe to
the ground. The measured current will flow through the DMM to complete the circuit. Select
the A (DC Current) button and then the Run button to make this measurement.

I: ____________ mA

Now use the DMM to measure the resistances of R1 and R2. Return the red probe to the same
input on the myDAQ as used for the voltage measurement. To measure resistance,
disconnect the circuit at both ends of the resistors. Select the button at the top of the
interface and then the Run button. Record the measured resistances. Are the measured values
consistent with the resistors tolerance?

Measured R1: ___________

Measured R2: ___________

Oscilloscope and Function Generator
Build the series RC circuit shown in Figure 5. The voltage source in this circuit is a sine
wave. For these measurements, use a resistor with a nominal value in the range of 10 k
100 k, and any capacitor from your kit. Record the nominal values for your selected R1
and C1 (see appended capacitor code chart) below. Required connections to the myDAQs
terminals for analog output AO 0, and analog inputs AI 0+, AI 0-, AI 1+, and AI 1- are
shown in Figure 5. Like the previous circuit, the circuit ground (GND) is to be connected to
the AGND terminal on the myDAQ.

Nominal C1 = ___________ F

Nominal R1 = ___________ k

Figure 5. Series RC circuit with a sine wave input.
From the NI ELVISmx Instrument Launcher, select Function Generator and Oscilloscope to
launch the function generator and oscilloscope (see Figures 6 and 7) instruments.

Figure 6. Function generator
Figure 7. Oscilloscope

To configure the voltage source for the circuit, make sure that the signal route on the function
generator instrument is set to AO. Set the waveform to sine wave, the frequency to 1 Hz, and
the amplitude to 4-Vpp. Click the Run button to generate the sine wave in your circuit.

The oscilloscope will be used to visualize both the sine wave input to the circuit, as well as
the voltage across the capacitor. Set Channel 0 to AI 0 (sine wave) and Channel 1 to AI 1
(voltage across C1) and the trigger type to edge. Set the vertical scales for both channels to
be 1 V/div. There are ten divisions spanning the width of the oscilloscope display. By
setting the time base to 200 ms/div, you should be able to visualize 2 cycles of the 1-Hz sine
wave (i.e. 10 div * 200 ms/div = 2 s). Make sure both channels are enabled. To start the
measurement click the Run button on the oscilloscope.

Slowly increase the frequency of the input sine wave and observe what happens to the
amplitude of voltage across the capacitor. You may need to decrease the time base setting to
better visualize the signals. This circuit is known as a low-pass filter. If you cannot see why
it has this name, ask your TA.

Use the cursors on the oscilloscope to measure the frequency of the input sine wave for which
the peak voltage across the capacitor has decreased by a factor of 0.707. This frequency is
known as the -3dB or cutoff frequency.

fc = ________________ Hz