Lab # 5: Study of LCR Resonant Circuit

Objectives:

To study the behavior of a series LCR resonant circuit and to estimate the resonant
frequency and Q-factor.

Overview:

Circuits containing an inductor L, a capacitor C, and a resistor R, have special

characteristics useful in many applications. Their frequency characteristics (impedance,
voltage, or current vs. frequency) have a sharp maximum or minimum at certain
frequencies. These circuits can hence be used for selecting or rejecting specific
frequencies and are also called tuning circuits. These circuits are therefore very important
in the operation of television receivers, radio receivers, and transmitters.

Let an alternating voltage Vi be applied to an inductor L, a resistor R and a capacitor C all in

series as shown in the circuit diagram. If I is the instantaneous current flowing through the
circuit, then the applied voltage is given by

 1 
Vi  V Rd . c .  V L  VC   Rd .c .  j (L  ) I (1)
 C 
Here Rd.c. is the total d.c. resistance of the circuit that includes the resistance of the pure
resistor, inductor and the internal resistance of the source. This is the case when the
resistance of the inductor and source are not negligible as compared to the load resistance
R. So, the total impedance is given by
 1 
Z   Rd .c .  j (L  ) (2)
 C 
The magnitude and phase of the impedance are given as follows:
1/ 2
 1 2
Z   Rd .c .  (L 
2
) (3)
 C 
1
(L  )
tan   C (4)
Rd . c .

1
Thus three cases arise from the above equations:
(a) ωL > (1/ωC), then tan φ is positive and applied voltage leads current by phase
angle φ.
(b) ωL < (1/ωC), then tan φ is negative and applied voltage lags current by phase
angle φ.
(c) ωL = (1/ωC), then tan φ is zero and applied voltage and current are in phase. Here
VL = VC, the circuit offers minimum impedance which is purely resistive. Thus
the current flowing in the circuit is maximum (I0) and also VR is maximum and
VLC (VL+VC) is minimum. This condition is known as resonance and the
corresponding frequency as resonant frequency (ω0) expressed as follows:
1 1
0  or f 0  (5)
LC 2 LC
At resonant frequency, since the impedance is minimum, hence frequencies near f0 are
passed more readily than the other frequencies by the circuit. Due to this reason LCR-
series circuit is called acceptor circuit. The band of frequencies which is allowed to pass
readily is called pass-band. The band is arbitrarily chosen to be the range of frequencies
between which the current is equal to or greater than I0/√2. Let f1 and f2 be these limiting
values of frequency. Then the width of the band is BW= f2 – f1.

The selectivity of a tuned circuit is its ability to select a signal at the resonant frequency
and reject other signals that are close to this frequency. A measure of the selectivity is the
quality factor (Q), which is defined as follows:
f0  L 1
Q  0  (6)
f 2  f 1 Rd .c . Rd .c . 0 C
In this experiment, you will measure the magnitude and phase of VR and VLC with respect
to Vi (│(VR/Vi)│,│(VLC/Vi) │, ΦR and ΦLC in the vicinity of resonance using following
working formulae.
 1 
VR R  L  
 (7)  R   tan 1  C  (8)
Vi Z  Rd . c . 
 
 

2
 1  
V LC
L   R 
and  C (9)  LC  tan 1 
d .c ,
 (10)
Vi Z  1 
 L  
 C 

Circuit Components/Instruments:

(i) Inductor, (ii) Capacitor, (iii) Resistors, (iv) Function generator, (v) Oscilloscope, (vi)
Multimeter/LCR meter, (vii) Connecting wires, (viii) Breadboard

Circuit Diagram:

Procedure:
Measuring VR, VLC and ΦR, ΦLC:

(a) Using the multimeter/LCR meter, note down all the measured values of the
inductance, capacitance and resistance of the components provided. Also,
measure the resistance of the inductor. Calculate the d.c. resistance of the circuit.
Calculate the resonant frequency.
(b) Configure the circuit on a breadboard as shown in circuit diagram. Set the
function generator frequency Range in 10-20 KHz and Function in sinusoidal
mode. Set an input peak-to-peak voltage of 5V (say) with the oscilloscope probes

3
 set in X1 (attenuation factor= =1) position. Set the function generator probe in X1
position.
(c) Feed terminals 1,4 in the circuit diagram to channel 1 and 3,4 to channel 2 of the
oscilloscope to measure input voltage Vi and output voltage VR, respectively.
Note that terminal 4 is connected to the ground pin of the function generator and
oscilloscope. Keep the settings such that you can measure f, Vi, VR and Φ
simultaneously.
(d) Vary the frequency in the set region slowly and record VR and Vi (which may not
remain constant at the set value, guess why?). Read the frequency from
oscilloscope. Also, measure the phase shift angle ΦR with proper sign.
(e) Replace the resistor with another value and repeat steps (c) and (d). No phase
measurement is required for the second resistor.
(f) Now, interchange the probes of the function generator and oscilloscope, i.e. make
terminal 1 as the common ground so that you will measure VLC output between
terminal 3 and 1 and Vi between 4 and 1. Repeat step-(d) to record VLC, Vi and
ΦLC.

Observations:
1
L = _________ mH, C = ________ μF, f 0  = _________ kHz
2 LC
Internal resistance of inductor = _________ Ω
Output impedance of Function generator = __________ Ω

Table:1 R1 = _______ Ω
Sl.No. f Vi VR VR/Vi VR/Vi ΦR ΦR
(kHz) (V) (V) (Calculated) (Calculated)

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Table:2 R2 = _______ Ω

Sl.No. Frequency,f Vi VR VR/Vi VR/Vi

(kHz) (V) (V) (Calculated)

Table:3 R1 = _______ Ω

Sl.No. Frequency,f Vi VLC VLC/Vi VLC/Vi ΦLC ΦLC (deg)

(kHz) (V) (V) (Calculated) (deg) (Calculated)

Graphs:
(a) Plot the observed values of VR/Vi, VLC/Vi, ΦR and ΦLC versus frequency.
Estimate the resonant frequency from graph in each case.

Discussions/Results:
Precautions: Make the ground connections carefully.

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