EEE 334
LAB #1
Lab Orientation – LTSpice, Measurement, and Tools
02/01/2026
Michael Kudlacek - 1223801657
PROFESSOR DHIMAN
Introduction:
This experiment is an orientation to the tools and software used in electrical engineering
analysis. It focuses on familiarizing oneself with LTSpice for circuit simulation using DC
Operating Point, Transient Analysis, and AC Sweep. It also focuses on the physical
operation of typical laboratory equipment, like a DC Power Supply, the Agilent 33220A
Function Generator, Digital Multimeter, and Tektronix DPO4032 Oscilloscope. There will
be usage of Kirchhoff's laws in DC circuits, RMS and Peak-to-Peak voltage relationships in
AC circuits, and the frequency response (Bode plots/Bandwidth) of RC Low Pass and High
Pass filters.
Equipment and Components:
Equipment Model
Function Generator Agilent 33220A
Oscilloscope Tektronix DPO4032
Digital Multimeter
DC Power Supply
Component Value Quantity
Resistor 3.9 kΩ 3
Resistor 1 kΩ 2
Resistor 10 kΩ 2
Resistor 22 kΩ 1
Capacitor 0.01 𝜇 F 1
Capacitor 10 nF 1
[1.1] Simple DC Circuit:
I. Circuit Schematics:
[Figure 1: A simple DC circuit]
II. Course of Action:
1. Theoretical Calculation: Calculate 𝑉𝑜 and the current through 𝑅2 using Superposition
2. Simulation: Construct the circuit in LTSpice. Perform a DC Operating Point analysis to
obtain 𝑉𝑜 and 𝐼𝑅2 .
3. Construction: Assemble the physical circuit on the breadboard. Verify resistor values
using the RLC meter.
4. Measurement: Use the Digital Multimeter to measure the actual 𝑉𝑜 and the current
passing through 𝑅2
5. Comparison: Calculate the Percent Error between the Calculated, Simulated, and
Measured results.
III. Results:
Calculations:
𝑅1 1
• Theoretical 𝑉𝑜 : 𝑉𝑜 = 𝑅 𝑉𝑠 = 2 𝑉𝑠 = -4V
1 +𝑅2
(𝑉3 −𝑉2 ) (−4−(−8)) 4
• Theoretical 𝐼𝑅2 : 𝐼𝑅2 = = 𝐼𝑅2 = = 3.9 𝑘 Ω = 1.0256 × 10−3 A
𝑅2 3.9 𝑘 Ω
IV. Simulation Results:
[Figure 2: The Operating Point of the simple DC circuit analyzed in Section 1.1]
V. Data:
Measurement Theoretical Simulated Measured % Error
Type
𝑉𝑜 -4 V -4 V -3.47 V 13.3%
𝐼𝑅2 1.026 mA 1.026 mA 0.89 mA 15.2%
[1.2] Simple AC Circuit:
I. Circuit Schematic:
[Figure 3: The Circuit diagram of a simple AC circuit for section 1.2]
II. Course of Action:
1. Theoretical Calculation: Calculate current through 𝑅2 and 𝑅4 and voltages across all
resistors for the circuit in Fig 1.2. Calculate RMS values.
2. Simulation: Simulate the circuit in LTSpice using Transient Analysis.
3. Simulation Plotting: Plot Current waveforms for 𝑅2 and 𝑅4 on one graph. Plot Voltage
waveforms for all resistors on a separate graph.
4. Construction: Assemble the circuit on the breadboard.
5. Setup: Set Function Generator to High Z mode. Configure output for 2 𝑉𝑝𝑝 Sinewave at
100 Hz.
6. Measurement: Measure 𝑉𝑅2 and 𝑉𝑅4 using the Digital Multimeter. Capture waveforms
using the Oscilloscope (measure 𝑉𝑝𝑝 , 𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 ). Use Math function to calculate currents.
7. Comparison: Compare Digital Multimeter readings (RMS) with Oscilloscope RMS
readings.
8. Waveform Variation: Repeat measurements for Triangular and Square waves.
III. Results:
Calculations
𝑉𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘
• RMS Voltage (from Peak): 𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 =
√2
𝑉
• 𝑝𝑝
RMS Voltage (from Peak-to-Peak): 𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 = 2√2
𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠
• AC Current: 𝐼𝑟𝑚𝑠 =
𝑅
IV. Simulation Plots
[Figure 4: A plot showing the current through 𝑅2 & 𝑅4]
[Figure 5: A plot showing the voltage drop across all 4 resistors]
V. Data:
𝑉𝑅2 (𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑒)
𝑉𝑅4 (𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑒)
𝑉𝑅2 (𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒)
𝑉𝑅4 (𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒)
𝑉𝑅2 (𝑆𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑒)
𝑉𝑅4 (𝑆𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑒)
[1.3] Low Pass Filter Analysis:
I. Circuit Schematics:
[Figure 6: Circuit Diagram of a Low Pass Filter for Section 1.3]
II. Course of Action:
𝑉 1
1. Calculation: Calculate voltage Gain (𝑉 𝑜 using the transfer function 𝑗𝜔𝑅𝐶+1).
𝑖𝑛
2. Simulation (Transient): Perform Transient Analysis in LTSpice to find Gain and Phase
Shift.
3. Simulation (AC Sweep): Perform AC Analysis to find Max Gain (dB) and the -3dB cutoff
frequency (𝑓3𝑑𝐵 ).
4. Construction: Build the RC circuit (R=1kΩ , C=0.01𝜇 F).
5. Measurement: Input 2 𝑉𝑝𝑝 Sine at 1 kHz. Measure 𝑉𝑖𝑛 and 𝑉𝑜 on the oscilloscope.
6. Bandwidth: Measure the Phase Shift and calculate experimental Gain.
III. Results:
Calculations:
1 1
• Theoretical Cutoff Frequency: 𝑓𝑐 = 2𝜋𝑅𝐶 = (2𝜋⋅1𝑘⋅10−5) = 15.9 𝑘𝐻𝑧
𝑉
• Theoretical Gain at 1kHz: 1 𝑉
IV. Simulation Plots:
V. Data:
Theoretical Simulated Measured % Error
Gain 0.998 0.998 0.980 1.60%
Bandwidth 15.9 kHz 15.9 kHz 15.5 kHz 2.73%
Phase Shift -3.597 degrees -3.597 degrees -3.820 degrees -6.20%
1.4 High Pass Filter Analysis
I. Circuit Schematics
II. Course of Action:
1
1. Calculation: Calculate voltage Gain using the transfer function 1
(𝑗𝜔𝑅𝐶+1)
2. Simulation (Transient): Perform Transient Analysis in LTSpice for Gain and Phase Shift.
3. Simulation (AC Sweep): Perform AC Analysis to find Max Gain (dB) and the -3dB cutoff
frequency (𝑓3𝑑𝐵 ).
4. Construction: Build the RC circuit (C=10nF, R=22kΩ ).
5. Measurement: Input 2 𝑉𝑝𝑝 Sine at 10 kHz. Measure 𝑉𝑖𝑛 and 𝑉𝑜 on the oscilloscope.
6. Bandwidth: Measure the Phase Shift and calculate experimental Gain.
III. Results:
Calculations
1 1
• Theoretical Cutoff Frequency (𝑓𝑐 = 2𝜋𝑅𝐶 ): (2𝜋⋅(22⋅103)⋅(10⋅10−9)) = 723.43 Hz
1 𝑉
• Theoretical Gain at 10kHz: = 1
≈ 1 𝑉 when 0 ≪ 𝜔 like it is at 10 kHz
√1+( )
𝜔𝑅𝐶
IV. Simulation Plots
1.1 Simple DC Circuit Discussion
• Significance: This section confirms the Principle of Superposition, allowing the
analysis of circuits with multiple independent sources by looking at one at a time.
• Agreement: The measured 𝑉𝑜 of –3.47 V compared to the theoretical −4.0𝑉 shows
a 13.3% error.
• Unexpected Outcomes: The 13.3% error is relatively high for DC; this often occurs
if the internal resistance of the DC power supply or contact resistance on the
breadboard is not accounted for.
1.2 Simple AC Circuit Discussion
• Significance: This experiment validates the relationship between Peak (𝑉𝑝 ), Peak-
to-Peak (𝑉𝑝𝑝 ), and Root Mean Square (𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 ) voltages.
• Agreement: The Digital Multimeter measured 0.89 𝑚𝐴 (RMS), while the simulation
predicted 1.026 𝑚𝐴 . This results in a 15.2 % error.
• Key Learning: A Digital Multimeter always provides the RMS value for AC
measurements, whereas an oscilloscope allows for the visualization of the entire
waveform and 𝑉𝑝𝑝 .
1.3 Low Pass Filter Discussion
• Significance: The low pass filter allows signals below the cutoff frequency (𝑓𝑐 ) to
pass while attenuating higher frequencies.
• Agreement: Theoretical 𝑓𝑐 was 15.9 𝑘𝐻𝑧 . At the test frequency of1 𝑘𝐻𝑧 , the gain
𝑉
remained near 1 as expected.
𝑉
• Observations: The negative phase shift indicates that the output waveform lags
behind the input waveform.
1.4 High Pass Filter Discussion
• Significance: This circuit blocks DC and low-frequency components, passing only
higher frequencies.
• Unexpected Outcome (Gain > 1): As we discussed, a measured gain of
𝑉
1.02 (calculated as 𝑉 𝑜 ) is technically "implausible" for a passive circuit but
𝑖𝑛
common in labs.
• Explanation: This is typically attributed to the calibration offset between
Oscilloscope Channel 1 and Channel 2, or the high-frequency response of the
probes. It represents measurement tolerance rather than actual power gain.
Closing Arguments
• Goal Achievement: The goal of familiarizing oneself with LTSpice and lab
equipment (Oscilloscope, Function Generator, Multimeter) was achieved.
• Learnings: I learned how to transition from theoretical calculations (Superposition,
Transfer Functions) to SPICE simulations and finally to physical breadboard
implementation.
• Difficulties: Setting the Function Generator to High Z is a critical step; failing to do
so results in the actual output voltage being double what is displayed on the
generator screen.
• Improvements: Using a precision RLC meter to measure actual component values
before assembly would reduce the % Error in future experiments.
Would you like me to generate the answers for the Post-Lab questions based on the color
code tables in the manual?
