Chapter 6 Ohmmeter

 Series Ohmmeter
– Basic Circuit
• is normally part of a volt-ohm-milli-
ammeter (VOM) or multifunction
meter, do not exist as individual
instruments.
• The simplest circuit consists of a
voltage source connected in series
with a pair of terminals, a standard
resistance, and a low-current PMMC
instrument.
• The resistance to be measured (Rx) is
connected across terminal A and B.

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 – The meter current
Eb
Im 
R x  R1  R m

Figure 6.1 Basic series ohmmeter circuit consisting of

a PMMC instrument and a series-connected standard
resistor R1. When the ohmmeter terminals are shorted
(Rx=0) meter full-scale deflection occurs. At half-scale
deflection Rx = R1, and at zero deflection the terminals
are open-circuited. 2
Example 6.1 The series ohmmeter in Figure
6.1(a) is made up of a 1.5V battery, a
100 µA meter, and a resistance R1 which
makes (R1 + Rm) =15kΩ.
a) Determine the instrument indication
when Rx = 0.
b) Determine how the resistance scale
should be marked at 0.5 FSD, 0.25 FSD,
and 0.75 FSD.
Solution
Eb
a) I m 
Rx  R1  Rm
1.5V
  100 A  FSD 
0  15k
100A
b) At 0.5 FSD : I m   50A
2
E
Rx  R1  Rm  b
I 3
 Eb
Rx    R1  Rm 
I
1.5V
  15k
50A
 15k

100A
At 0.25 FSD : I m   25A
4
1.5V
Rx   15k
25A
 45k
At 0.75 FSD : I m  0.75  100A  75A
1.5V
Rx   15k
75A
 5k

The ohmmeter scale is now marked as

shown in Figure 6.1 (b).

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 • From Example 6.1, note that the
measured resistance at center scale
is equal to the internal resistance of
the ohmmeter (i.e., Rx = R1 + Rm).

– Ohmmeter with Zero Adjust

• The simple ohmmeter described
above will operate satisfactorily as
long as the battery voltage remains
exactly at 1.5V. When the battery
voltage falls, the instrument scale is
no longer correct.
• Although R1 were adjusted to give
FSD when terminals A and B are
short-circuited, the scale would still
be in error because now mid-scale
would represent a resistance equal to
the new value of R1 + Rm.

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Figure 6.2: An adjustable resistor (R2) connected in
parallel with the meter provides an ohmmeter zero
control. The ohmmeter terminals are initially short-
circuited and the zero control is adjusted to give a
zero-ohms reading. This eliminates errors due to
variations in t he battery voltage.

• With terminals A and B short-

circuited, the total circuit resistance
is R1 + (R2 // Rm).
• Since R1 is always very much larger
than R2 // Rm, the total circuit
resistance can be assumed to equal
R1.
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• When Rx equal to R1 is connected
across terminals A and B, the circuit
resistance is doubled and the circuit
current is halved. This cause both I2
and Im to be reduced to half of their
previous level. Thus the mid-scale
measured resistance is again equal to
R1.
Eb
Ib 
R x  R1  R 2 \ \ R m
if R 2 \ \ R m  R1
Eb
Ib 
R x  R1
Also , the meter voltage is
Vm  I b R 2 \ \ R m 
which give meter current as
I b R 2 \ \ R m 
Im 
Rm

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 Example 6.2 An ohmmeter as shown in
Figure 6.1 with Eb = 1.5V, R1 = 15kΩ, Rm
= Radj = 50Ω and Ifsd = 50ΩA. Calculate,
a) Rx at 0.5FSD when Eb = 1.5V
b) when Eb = 1.3V what is the value of
Radj to get full-scale current
c) when Eb = 1.3V what is the value of Rx
at half-scale current.
Solution

a) calculate R x at E  1.5V 0.5FSD

Vm  I m Rm  25A  50  1.25mV
Vm 1.25mV
I adj    25A
Radj 50
I T  I adj  I m  25A  25A  50A
E 1.5V
Rx  R1    30k
I T 50A
Rx   Rx  R1   R1  30k  15k  15k 8
 E 1.3V
b) I T    86.67 A
Rx  R1 0  15k
I adj  I T  I m  FSD   86.67 A  50 A
 36.67 A
Vm  I m Rm  50 A  50  2.5mV
Vm 2.5V
Radj    68.18
I adj 36.67 A

c) Vm  I m Rm  25A  50  1.25mV

Vm 1.25mV
I adj    18.33A
Radj 68.18
I T  I adj  I m  18.33A
E 1.3V
Rx  R1    30k
I T 43.33A
Rx   Rx  R1   R1  30k  15k
Rx  15k
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 Shunt Ohmmeter
– Circuit and Scale
• The series ohmmeter circuit could
be converted to a multi-range
ohmmeter by employing several
values of standard resistor (R1) and
a rotary switch.
• The major inconvenience of such a
circuit is that a large adjustment of
the zero control (R2) would have to
be made every time the resistance
range is changed.

Figure 6.3 Shunt Ohmmeter

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• In shunt ohmmeter circuit, this
adjustment is no necessary.
• Scale of shunt ohmmeter is opposite to
the scale of series ohmmeter when
connecting with Rx.
– When Rx = 0, short circuit between A
and B, there will be no current flow in
the coil branch and the scale point at
zero on the left hand side.
– When Rx = ∞ , open circuit between A
and B. Then adjust Radj to get FSD. The
meter will point infinity at the right of
the scale.
E
I m  I FSD 
Radj  Rm

– For any Rx we have,

ERx
Im 
Radj Rm  Rx  Radj  Rm 
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 Figure 6.4 multi-range shunt ohmmeter

Example 6.3 By given Rm = 2kΩ, IFSD =

50µA, Rz = Rs+Radj = 28kΩ, and use meter
range of Rx1 with half-scale resistance of
10Ω. Design shunt ohmmeter of Figure
6.4.
Solution Rh  Rin  Rsh //  Rm  Rz 
Rsh  Rm  Rz 
Rsh 
Rsh  Rm  Rz
Rh Rm  Rh Rz
 Rsh 
Rm  Rz  Rh
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Range R  1 Find Rsh1

Rsh1 
 10  2k   10  28k 
 10
2k  28k  10

Range R 10 Find Rsh 2

Rh 2  10 Rh1  10  10  100

Rsh1 
 100  2k   100  28k 
 100
2k  28k  100
Range R 100 Find Rsh 3
Rh 3  10 Rh1  10 100  1k

Rsh1 
 1k  2k   1k  28k 
 1k
2k  28k  1k

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 Potentiometer Ohmmeter
– Basic circuit of Potentiometer
ohmmeter or voltage divided
ohmmeter is shown in Figure 6.5.
– Potentiometer ohmmeter has Rm
connected in series with Radj and
both shunted with a standard
resistor, Rs.
– By shorting circuit at branch A and
B and adjust Radj to have full-scale
current yields Rx = 0Ω and voltage
across Rm and Radj equal voltage
source from battery.

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– For Rx = ∞, no current flow through
the circuit and ∞Ω is on the left
hand side of scale (Back off Scale)
like scale of series ohmmeter.
– For any Rx , IT is decreasing when
Rx is increasing.
– As (Rm+Radj) >> Rs; therefore, (Rm +
Radj) // Rs equals Rs. This Rs
determined half-scale resistance of
ohmmeter.

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Example 5.6: Calculate the meter current and
indicated resistance for the ohmmeter
circuit of Figure 3.23(a) on its Rx1 range
when (a) Rx = 0 and (b) Rx = 24 .
Solution
the equivalent circuit below is derived
from Figure 3-23(a), for the Rx1 range
(a) when Rx = 0
1.5 V
Ib 
14  10 \ \ 9.99 k  2.875 k  3.82 k  
1.5 V

14  10 \ \16.685 k 
 62.516 mA

14 Ω 9.99k Ω 2.875k Ω

1.5V Ib Im
3.82 kΩ

Rx 10 Ω
37.5 μA

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using the current-divider rule:
10
I m  62.516 mA
10  16.685 k
 37.5 μA  full - scale  0 Ω

(b) when Rx = 24 
1.5 V
Ib 
24  14  10 \ \16.685 k 
 31.254 mA
10
I m  31.254 mA 
10  16.685 k
I
 18.75 μA  b  half scale  24 Ω
2

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