Voltage and Current Characteristics

Introduction
An electrical device's or component's I-V Characteristic Curves, also known as Current-Voltage
Characteristic Curves or simply I-V curves, are a series of graphical curves used to define its
operation inside an electrical circuit. The relationship between the current flowing through an
electrical device and the voltage applied across its terminals is depicted by I-V characteristic curves,
as the name implies.
I-V characteristic curves are often used to determine and understand the basic properties of a
component or device, as well as to mathematically model its behaviour inside an electrical circuit. We
can exhibit a family or group of curves on the same graph to indicate the various values because there
are an infinite number of I-V characteristic curves representing the many inputs or parameters, as with
most electronic devices.

Equipment used
Sr.No Equipment
1 Analogue discovery
2 Resistor
3 Diode

Exercise One
The purpose of this activity was to build a circuit using two resistors ranging from 100 to 1000 ohms,
which in this case were 100 and 1000 ohms. The oscilloscopes for channel 1 and channel 2 were then
attached to various parts of the circuit. Channel 1 received the second resistors, while channel 2
received the voltage source.

A- Capture a screenshot of the oscilloscope screen showing output of Vsg and Vr.
B- Describe both signals outputs.
C1's output appears to be approaching 5, whereas C2's output appears to be approaching 4.5, as shown
in the graph above. The voltage source was connected to channel 2, whereas the second resistor was
connected to channel 1.
C- Using your circuit knowledge, how can you calculate the current through the circuit?
In this scenario, Ohm's law, which is the voltage over the resistance, would be used to compute the
current.
Part Two
The second part of the work was creating a custom function called the MATH function. Divide the
voltage by the resistance to find the current using this math function.

D- Capture a screenshot of the oscilloscope screen showing output of Vsg, Vr, and Math 1 (the
current of R2). Attach the screenshot below:
We can calculate peak current by using ohms law as we know the peak voltage of output and also the
resistor value we can easily determine current in the circuit
E- Using the XY feature in the oscilloscope, display the voltage/current characteristic curve of
the resistor R2.

F- Repeat the procedure for resistor R1, using the same voltage and current scales used in point
E

G- Compare XY plots of R1 and R2; give comments on the results

The primary difference between R1's XY plot and R2's XY plot, in my opinion, is that R2's XY plot
has a higher voltage than R1's XY plot.
H- Using the data you have collected for I and V in the resistors, calculate the power, P,
dissipated in the resistors using the formula you’ve learned in class. Plot (P vs I) and (P vs V)
for both resistors in MATLAB. Attach the plots below

I- What is the relationship between P and I (is it linear)?

The relationship between current and power does not appear to be linear. Their relationship, in my
opinion, is squared.
J- What is the relationship between P and V?
The relationship between voltage and power appears to be linear.
Exercise Two
A- Construct the circuit shown in the figure selecting a resistor with a value between R = 100Ω
and R = 1000Ω and one of the diodes in the components box. Set the function generator, Vsg to
deliver 5V amplitude and a sinusoidal wave function.

B- Record the voltage across the diode (𝑉 ) and the calculated current through the circuit ( 𝐷 𝐼 )
using the two channels of the oscilloscope instrument in the DIGILENT package. 𝐷 Capture a
screenshot of the screen and attach it below:

C- Plot the current 𝐼 (y-axis) Vs. the Voltage (x-axis) using the XY option. Capture a 𝐷 𝑉 𝐷
screenshot and attach the diode I-V characteristic curve below
D- Capture the diode I-V characteristic curve with three different input waveforms, Vsg,
(sinusoidal, saw tooth, and square), each with randomly selected offset. Capture the I_V
characteristic and provide comments for each case.

Sine wave with offset 1

With offset 5

E- Describe the waves that you recorded and compare them with the waves generated by the
function generator
The waves that were caught seemed to differ a little when it comes to judging if values are clear. In
my opinion, the square waveform exposes the values more clearly than the others.
F- From the plots that you obtained, can you calculate the resistance of the diode?
I don't believe the diode's resistance would be computed. There isn't enough information available
about it.
G- At what value of 𝑉 does it appear that the diode begins conducting (at what voltage did 𝐷 the
diode ‘switch’ on)?
I believe the voltage at which the diode would begin to conduct would be around -5V.
H- What was the maximum current you measured?
37mA
I- Is the relationship between 𝐼 and linear for the entire measurement range?
No, I don't believe the relationship between the diode's current and voltage is linear.
J- Replace the diode by a LED (Light Emitting Diode) and repeat question C to I. C2- Plot the
current 𝐼 (y-axis) Vs. the Voltage (x-axis) using the XY option. Capture a 𝐷 𝑉 𝐷 screenshot and
attach the diode I-V characteristic curve below:

D2- Capture the diode I-V characteristic curve with three different input waveforms, Vsg,
(sinusoidal, saw tooth, and square), each with randomly selected offset. Capture the I_V
characteristic and provide comments for each case.

Sin with offset 1v

SQUARE with offset 3V

Saw tooth with offset 5V

E2- Describe the waves that you recorded and compare them with the waves generated by the
function generator.
When it came to determining whether values are clear, the waves that were captured seemed to differ
a little. The square waveform, in my opinion, reveals the values more clearly than the others.
F2- From the plots that you obtained, can you calculate the resistance of the diode?
No
G2- At what value of 𝑉 does it appear that the diode begins conducting (at what voltage 𝐷 did
the diode ‘switch’ on)?
The diode that appears to start conducting should have a voltage of roughly -2V.
H2- What was the maximum current you measured?
Maximum current was measured 0
I2- Is the relationship between 𝐼 and linear for the entire measurement range?
It is not liner because the graph does not appear to be liner

Conclusion
When the cathode is positive in relation to the anode, the diode blocks current except for a
small leakage current and operates in the lower left quadrant of its I-V characteristic curves.
The diode blocks current flow until the reverse voltage across it surpasses its breakdown
voltage threshold, resulting in a rapid spike in reverse current and a very straight downward
slope as the voltage losses control. This reverse breakdown voltage point is fully utilised by
zener diodes.
An electronic component's current-voltage characteristics disclose a lot about how it
functions. They may be a very valuable tool for determining a device's or component's
operating characteristics by presenting all of the conceivable current and voltage
combinations, and they can also be used as a graphical assistance to better comprehend what's
going on in a circuit.