RC Circuits

Set-up

See the image below for the basic set up of the RC circuits lab.

Setup Image 1

 

  • Next we will start the Pasco Capstone Software
  • Click hardware setup and follow the instructions on the next 2 images

Pasco Image 1

Pasco Image 2

  • Commonly we will use the following settings
    • Frequency 230Hz
    • Amplitude 10V
    • Sensor sample rate 500kHz
  • Next we hide the Signal generator settings by click on its icon again.
  • Then we drag the “graph” icon onto the blank space
  • The we click “select measurement” and set it to show use voltage vs time

Pasco Image 3

It may be necessary to change the frequency to get a more accurate logarithmic graph. If the time between charge and discharge is too long we should increase frequency. If our graph looks less logarithmic and more like a repeated shark fin decrease the frequency.

*note* If the graph shows a chaotic bounce around a flat line with no curve then likely the  signal generator wasn’t turned to on or auto or there is a break in the circuit.