2020

EEC421 LAB 2

Mohan mohinish ram

2019003115
10/24/2020
TITLE: THE THERMISTOR

AIM:

The aim of this lab experiment is to understand the principle of operation of a thermistor and to
produce a calibration curve of a thermistor and to identify if it is a NTC or PTC

INTRODUCTION:

All electrical conductors possess resistance and in every case the resistance is to some degree
dependent upon temperature. In most cases resistance increases with temperature rise and the change
is usually an undesirable effect to be made as small as possible. In this experiment, we shall study a
device called the Thermistor (from Thermal and resistor) which has a very large, and nearly always
negative, temperature coefficient. The applications of such device extend far beyond simple
temperature measurements and are very numerous indeed. Thermistors are made from various metal
oxide materials fired at a high temperature and appear in many different physical forms. The one we
shall use, although not visible inside its protective probe, is a glass encapsulated bead of material
supported on its connecting wires. The resistance of the thermistor, once manufactured and fired, is
solely dependent upon its temperature.

MATERIALS:

- Thermistor
- Calibration tank
- Heat bar
- Thermometer
- Digital multimeter

PROCEDURE:

1. The calibration tank was clipped to one of the notches closest to the heater assembly of the
heat bar. The mercury end of the thermometer was inserted and the thermistor into the
calibration tanks holes. The heat bar was still off at this moment.
2. The digital multimet5er was connected to the thermistors open ends and was switched to
measure resistance
3. The thermometer was read and noted down when it was steady at room temperature. The
resistance of the thermistor at room temperature was noted down in the results.
4. The heat bar was switched on
5. While the heat bar was heating up, the thermistor that was connected sensed the temperature
change and changed its resistance. The resistance for every temperature change was measured
and noted down at intervals of 5°C until the temperature reached 100°C. The results were
recorded in a table under results.
6. As the results were recorded and the experiment was done, the heat bar was turned off.
RESULTS:

1. Room temperature= 27°C. thermistor resistance at room temperature= 9.30kΩ

2. Thermistor measurements:

S/No Tank Temperature (°C) Thermistor Resistance (Ω)

.
1 30°C 6.11kΩ
2 35°C 4.57 kΩ
3 40°C 3.77 kΩ
4 45°C 3.20 kΩ
5 50°C 2.73 kΩ
6 55°C 2.46 kΩ
7 60°C 2.22 kΩ
8 65°C 1.98 kΩ
9 70°C 1.81 kΩ
10 75°C 1.67 kΩ
11 80°C 1.51 kΩ
12 85°C 1.41 kΩ
13 90°C 1.31 kΩ
14 95°C 1.23 kΩ
15 97°C 1.21 kΩ

DISCUSSION:
1.

Chart Title
120

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Tank Temperature (°C) Thermistor Resistance (Ω)

2. No. the curve is not a linear curve. The cause of this nonlinear graph can be because of the heat
bar not reaching 100°C as it had peaked out at a maximum of 97°C.
 3. The thermistor is a NTC (negative temperature coefficient). Because as the temperature
increased then the resistance of the thermistor was decreasing.

CONCLUSION:

To conclude from this lab experiment the students had learnt how a thermistor works and what it is
used for and were able to demonstrate how to hook up the circuit for a thermistor and had
demonstrated how to measure its resistance while the temperature was varying.