4-30: RLC Circuit Response

RLC Circuit Response

The purpose of this lab is to see the measured response of a second order circuit based on damping ratio and natural frequency. In this lab we are testing the step response and comparing the measured values to theoretical values that we derived from equations in class. These values include the damping ratio and natural frequency of the circuit.

We built the circuit with a 1.1Ω resistor, a 47 Ω resistor, a 10uF capacitor and a 1 uH inductor. 47 ohm resistor and the inductor are in series while they are in parallel with the other components in the circuit.

                                   

In the lab, the 47 ohm resistor has a real value of 49 ohm. The 1.1 ohm resistor has a real value of 4.3 ohm. The 10 uF capacitor has a real value of 9.92 uF, and we cannot measure the 1 uH inductor.  

We calculated our experimental value of α to be 3588.7, while our theoretical value is 1063.8. It has a precent difference of -237.4%. 

This is the input of our power. It is a square wave at frequency at 100 Hz, and amplitude of 2V at offset 0

Summary:

In this lab, we learn how to analyze circuits containing a resistor, capacitor and an inductor in parallel. There are three possible cases that may occur in a RLC circuit which include over damped, underdamped, or critically damped. Overall, we can see the relationship the circuits have in each other depending on the arrangement of the circuit and how this will affect the damping and natural frequency of the circuit.