Institute of Space Technology

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Date of Submission: 06.10.2021

Submitted on: 06.10.2021
Submitted to: Ms. Fareeha

Circuits and Electronics Lab

Experiment # 01
Introduction to Lab and Measurement of Resistance through Colour Codes

Candidate’s Name Anees Waqar M. Saad Shah Muhammad Hussam

Reg. No 200101017 200101043 200101050

Lab Report

Performance

Marks

Remarks
1

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 General Safety rules:
Execution of lab experiments is more important than performing accurate experiments
and constructing neat circuits. The first step towards safety is to know the lab itself
which means you must know where the fire extinguishers, electric main safety breaker
are and where the emergency exits. You should also be aware of all the equipment
present in the lab. Following are some rules which you must follow to avoid any
unfortunate event.

 Do not wear rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces, and other metal objects in
the lab.
 Make sure your hands are dry, dry skin has a resistance of about 500kOhm
whereas the skin wet due to sweat contains salt has resistance of about
100Ohm.
 Make sure your shoes are dry
 Always power down the electrical equipment, disconnect the power cords and
wait for a few seconds before touching the exposed wires
 Make sure all the experimental setup is disconnected from the power supply
before turning it on
 Even if your circuit is of 5 volts, do not consider it less dangerous
 Do not forget to turn off all the equipment after the experiment
 Always get instructions on how to use the new equipment
 Be careful with the soldering iron station, it can cause serious burns and fire
 While using the soldering iron, place it in the special iron stand, not on the table

Table 1. Effect of Electric Current on Body

Current Effect
1 mA Can be felt
5 mA Is painful
10 mA Causes involuntary muscle contractions (spasms)
15 mA Causes loss of muscle control
If through the heart, causes serious disruption;
70 mA probably fatal if current lasts for more than 1 second

 Make sure the Resistor is removed from the circuit when digital multi-
meter is used as Ohmmeter to measure its resistance, otherwise
Ohmmeter can be damaged.
2

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 Title: Intro to Lab Equipment and Measurement of Resistance
through color codes.

Objectives:
After completing this experiment, the students will be able to use basic equipment
of laboratory such as breadboard, digital multi-meter (DMM), DC power supply, also
find out the resistance through color code and measure it with DMM.

Equipment Required:
 Bread board
 Variable DC Power Supply
 A Digital Multi-Meter (DMM)
 Resistors of different values---------03
 Connecting wires as required.

Theory:
1. Breadboard:
It is a thin plastic board with matrix of electrical sockets of size suitable for
 Gripping thin connecting wires
 Hold components such as resistor, transistor, integrated circuits,
capacitors etc.
 Used to develop prototypes of electronic circuits.

Fig 1. Internal connections of sockets in breadboard.

3

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 How Breadboard got its name as Breadboard?
In the early times, young circuit designers used the wooden cutting boards
used in kitchen for cutting bread to make prototype circuits. They built circuits by
screws or nails driven into the board with copper wires wrapped around them as
shown in figure 2. This was an improvement on direct solder connections, since the
circuit could be nailed down and secure as well as easily modified if necessary for
debugging or enhancements.

Fig 2. Prototype circuit made with nails and wires on wooden cutting board.
2. DC Power Supply
It is used to supply direct current voltage to the circuit.

Positive and negative terminals of power supply

Fig 3. A DC power supply

If the current knob is set to zero, the voltage knob will not produce any voltage
therefore, current knob should be above zero.
4

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 3. Digital Multi-meter (DMM)
A digital multi-meter is a device used to measure two or more electrical
values principally voltage (volts), current (amps) and resistance (ohms). It is
better than analog multi-meter due to greater accuracy and reliability.

Fig 4. Labeled diagram of a Digital Multi-meter

Fig 5. Positive and Negative leads (Probes) for the output of Digital Multi-meter
Before proceeding further, it is important here to learn about the connection of
DMM as voltmeter, ammeter and an ohmmeter in the circuit.
5

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 Connecting DMM as Voltmeter in a Circuit:
Since the voltmeter is connected in parallel to an element in circuit, it provides a
parallel pathway for current to flow, therefore it is designed with very high resistance
value so that very little or negligible current flows through it and maximum current flow
through the circuit element.

0.98 kΩ

1.7 kΩ
Fig 6. Connection of Voltmeter across an element in a circuit

1. Install the two ends of R1 resistor in two different sockets on breadboard.

2. Install R2 resistor in similar way but at a different place on the breadboard
such that both resistors are in series. In this way resistor R1 and R2 have
common legs at point “b” and R2 resistor’s other leg is grounded which is
denoted by point “c” in the figure 6.
3. Connect positive terminal of DC power supply at point “a” and negative
terminal with ground.
4. To measure voltage across R1, connect positive red lead of DMM at point “a”
of resistor “R1” and negative black lead at point “b” of resistor “R1”. This
configuration connects DMM parallel to resistor “R1”.
5. Select DCV (DC Voltage) setting on DMM.
6. Turn on the power supply and set it to 5 volts.
7. Note down the voltage across R1 in table 1.
8. Similarly measure voltage across R2 by connecting DMM parallel to R2.
9. Also measure the voltages across R1 and R2 for input voltage of 7V and note
down the readings in table 1.

Table 1. Voltage across R1 and R2 through DMM

S No. Vin (Volts) VR1 (Volts) VR2 (Volts)

1 5V 1.8065 3.2115

2 7V 2.5731 4.5753
6

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 Connecting DMM as Ammeter in a Circuit:
The purpose of ammeter is to measure current in any circuit therefore all the current
should pass through it. It is not supposed to alter the behavior of circuit or at least not
significantly, therefore its resistance is kept very low.
0.98 kΩ

1.7 kΩ
Fig 7. Connection of DMM as an Ammeter in a Circuit.
10. To measure the current flowing through the circuit, break the circuit from any
place; let’s say between resistors R1 and R2.
11. Select DCA (DC Current) setting on DMM.
12. Connect positive lead of DMM at point “b” and negative lead at point “c” as
shown in figure 7.
13. This makes DMM in series with resistors.
14. Note down the current in table 2.
Table 2. Current through the circuit in figure 6
S No. Vin (Volts) I (Amperes)

1 5V 1.7869

2 7V 2.4958

Connecting DMM as Ohmmeter in a Circuit:

An ohmmeter is an instrument used to measure electrical resistance. It does not
function with a circuit connected to a power supply. If you want to measure the
resistance of a particular component, you must take it out of the circuit altogether and
test it separately, as shown in figure below.
7

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 R Ω Ohm-meter

Fig 8. Connecting Ohmmeter with a resistor

Ohmmeters work by passing a small current through the component and measuring
the voltage produced. It needs to have full control of the amount of current passing
through the circuit whose resistance is being measured. Therefore it is better to
remove the resistor from the circuit for measuring its resistance. If the resistance is
not isolated then the current flowing in that circuit will have influence on the Ohmmeter
reading and will measure inaccurately. Ohmmeter can also be damaged.

4. TO FIND OUT THE RESISTANCE USING COLOR BAND CODES

Theory:
The large power resistors have their resistance value, tolerance and wattage
rating generally printed on them but resistors which are too small don’t have enough
space to have their specifications mentioned on them, therefore they are printed with
colored bands which can be decoded to find out their value and tolerance. In this way
we can find its value without an ohmmeter.
Follow the following steps to decode the color bands printed on resistor.

 Hold the resistor with the gold or silver band or blank space to the right hand
side as in Figure 9.

Right side blank Silver band on right side

Fig 9. Resistors having gold / silver band or blank space on right hand side
 Read the color codes from left to right.
 Resistors may have 3 to 6 bands. There may be 2 band resistors which are
not seen very often.
 Following table shows a mnemonic in 2nd column which is “Better be
ready or your great big plan goes wrong”. This can help you memorize
colors in order and their numerical values in case you don’t have them for
reference.
8

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 Table 3. Resistor Band Colors with their corresponding Values
MNEMONIC (Code words
BAND NUMERICAL
S No. to help you memorize TOLERANCE
COLOR VALUE
colors)
1 Better Black 0

2 Be Brown 1 ± 1%

3 Ready Red 2 ± 2%

4 Or Orange 3 -

5 Your Yellow 4 -

6 Great Green 5 ± 0.5%

7 Big Blue 6 ± 0.25%

8 Plan Purple 7 ± 0.1%

9 Goes Gray 8 ± 0.05%

10 Wrong White 9 -

11 - Gold - ± 5%

12 - Silver - ± 10%

13 - None - ± 20%

Tolerance:
“It is the amount of variation in the resistor’s measured value that you can expect to vary
from its stated value.”
It is written as percentage.
For example:
A Resistor’s Stated value = 1KΩ with ±10% tolerance

Applying tolerance, we get = 1000  0.1  100

Measured value of resistor = 1000 100

Or
Measured value of resistor may lie between 900Ω to 1100Ω
9

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

Various Numbers of Color Bands and their Meanings:
1. 3 Bands and no Tolerance band
Example 1:

Brown Black Orange

1st Digit 2nd Digit Number of zeros

 To find out the value of above resistor, we refer to the table 3 for the numerical
values of color bands
 Brown Black Orange
 1 0 3 number of zeros
 Tolerance = ± 20%
 So the Resistance = 10,000 = 10kΩ ± 20%
Example 2:

Yellow Orange Black

 For above resistor, the values of color bands from table 3 are
 Yellow Orange Black
 4 3 0 number of zeros
 Tolerance = ± 20%
 Resistor value = 43Ω ± 20%
2. 4 Bands

Example 1:
10

Yellow Purple Brown Silver

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021
  From table 3, the colors bands for above resistor have values of
 Yellow Purple Brown Silver
 4 7 1 zero ±10% tolerance
 Resistance = 470 ±10%
= 470 Χ 0.1 = 47
= 470 ± 47 = 423Ω ----- 517Ω

3. 5 Bands
Example 1:

Yellow White Black Red Golden

1st Digit 2nd Digit 3rd Digit # of zeros Tolerance

 From Table 3
 Yellow White Black Red Golden
 4 9 0 2 zeros ±5% Tolerance
 Resistor = 49000 ±5%
= 49kΩ ±5%

4. Small Valued Resistor with 3rd Band Golden

Red Green Golden

2 5 (Move one decimal place to the left)

 Resistor = 2.5Ω
5. Small Valued Resistor with 3rd Band Silver

Red Green Silver

2 5 (Move two decimal places to the left)
11

 Resistor = 0.25Ω
C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021
 Note:
In above two cases, you can remember the decimal places movement
by the fact that GOLD gives you bigger value than SILVER.

6. Resistor with a Number written on it

4703
= = 470,000 Ω (1% tolerance)

TASK-I THEORETICAL CALCULATIONS

Table 4. Theoretical values of Resistors through Color Coding

S No. Resistor 1 Resistor 2 Resistor 3
Blue Red Brown
Color 1
1
6 2 1
Band Value
Gray Purple Green
Color 2
2
8 7 5
Band Value
Red Red Orange
Color 3
3
2 2 3
Band Value
Gold Gold Gold
Color 4
4
± 5% ± 5% ± 5%
Tolerance
6800 ± 5% 2700 ± 5% 15000 ± 5%
Resistance
5 7140 - 6460 2835 - 2565 15750 - 14250
Value

TASK IV SIMULATION MEASUREMENTS

Not Required

TASK-II PRACTICAL MEASUREMENTS

Set DMM to Ohmmeter setting and measure the value of resistors. Note them in
table given below.

Table 5. Practical measurements of Resistors through DMM

S No. Resistor 1 (Ω) Resistor 2 (Ω) Resistor 3 (Ω)

1 6.873 kΩ 2.6786 kΩ 15.014 kΩ
12

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 TASK-III COMPARISON OF THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL
MEASUREMENTS
 Measured  Theoretical 
% Error    100
 Theoretical 
Table 6. Comparison of measurements
S No. Theoretical Values Practical Values Difference % Error

1 Resistor 1 6.800 kΩ 6.873 kΩ 0.073 1.0735%

2 Resistor 2 2.700 kΩ 2.678 kΩ - 0.022 0.8148%

3 Resistor 3 15.000 kΩ 15.014 kΩ 0.014 0.0933%

15. Is the practically measured value of resistors same as calculated value?

If no, give the reasons.
The Practically measured value of the resistors are not similar to the calculated ones.
Explanation:
There might be certain reasons due to which the values of the resistors are not same.
Following are listed below.
 It may be the negligence of the operator. Like the connections were weak while
plugging resistors to the breadboard, or he/she can’t operate the system accurately.
In this case one must know what to do or he/she has a relevant experience and
knowledge.
 The Probes that are being used for the output of the digital multimeter may have
some resistance due to which the measured resistance deviates from the calculated
one.
 Maybe there is some technical fault in the apparatus that is being used in the
experiment. This also may cause the resistance fluctuation.
 Calculations are incorrect as you might not have factored in all the parameters like
internal resistance, impedance etc.
 This may also be due to the tolerance as we can see that some of the bands have
their own tolerance like red has ± 2% tolerance etc.
13

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021

 Analysis and Conclusions:
In this experiment we have calculated the voltage across each resistor and the current flowing in the
circuit by using digital multimeter. Afterwards we took some resistors and calculated their resistance
manually and then by the use of digital multi meter. At the end we see how the calculated value
deviated from the practical value and noticed why this change occurred.

Q1. Why the voltmeter connected in parallel to a component does not affect the
magnitude of current flowing through that component in the circuit?

Voltmeter is always connected in parallel combination while the formation of a

circuit because ideally internal resistance of Voltmeter is Infinite due to which
small amount of current is passed through the circuit.
Explanation:

If the Voltmeter has a very large resistance, then the current will
always flow through the low resistance path and as a result we can get more
accurate values of the voltage drop across the load.
Direction of current
V

Q2. Should the Ohmmeter be connected in a live circuit for measuring resistance
of a resistor? Give reasons.
No, an Ohmmeter should not be connected in a live circuit for measuring the
resistance of the resistor.
Explanation:
The reason behind not connecting the ohmmeter in a live circuit are
 Ohmmeter is its own power source; it has an internal voltage source.
 They could cause destruction to the equipment while performing the
experiment.
 Connecting ohmmeter in a live circuit may also cause injury or harm to the
operator while operating that apparatus.
14

C & E Lab 01 Fall 2021