Free Expert Guides on Power Systems, Circuit Design & Electrical Troubleshooting

What is Bimetallic Strip Thermometer?Bimetallic Strip Thermometer DefinitionA bimetallic strip thermometer is defined as a device using two bonded metal strips with different thermal expansion rates to measure temperature.Working PrincipleThe basic structure and principle of a bimetallic strip thermometer are shown in the figure below. The bimetallic strip consists of two metal strips with different coefficients of thermal expansion, such as steel and brass. The steel strip has a lower coefficie

What is an Watt Hour Meter?Watt-Hour Meter DefinitionA watt-hour meter is defined as a device that measures and records the electrical power passing through a circuit over a period of time.Tampering and SecurityA common tampering method involves attaching a magnet to the outside of old energy meters. Using capacitance and inductive loads can also reduce the rotor speed.The most modern meter can store up the previous value with time and date. So the tampering is avoided. Utilities install remote

Energy Meter DefinitionAn energy meter, also known as a watt-hour meter, is a device that measures electrical power consumption.Main ComponentsDriving SystemThe components of this system are two silicon steel laminated electromagnets. The upper electromagnet is called shunt magnet and it carries a voltage coil consisting of many turns of thin wire. The lower electromagnet is called series magnet and it carries the two current coils consisting of a few turns of thick wire. Current coils are conne

What is Energy Meter Testing?Energy Meter DefinitionAn energy meter is defined as a device that measures the electrical energy consumption in various settings like homes and industries.Standard Tests for Energy MetersPerformance tests for energy meters, according to IEC standards, are divided into three main segments: mechanical aspects, electrical circuits, and climatic conditions.Mechanical component tests.Climatic conditions test include those limits which influence the performance of the met

Energy Meter DefinitionAn energy meter is a device that measures electric energy consumption.Lag Adjustment in Energy MeterIn induction type energy meters, the rotation speed should match the power by keeping the phase angle between the supply voltage and pressure coil flux at 90 degrees. In reality, this angle is slightly less than 90 degrees. Lag adjustment devices help correct this phase angle. Let’s consider the figure beside:In the figure, another coil called the lag coil is introduced on t

How to Measure Electrical Energy?Electrical Energy DefinitionElectrical energy is defined as the product of electrical power and time, measured in joules (J). E is the electrical energy in joules (J) P is the electrical power in watts (W) t is the time in seconds (s)Electrical energy and power are closely related concepts. Electrical power is the amount of electrical current that flows through a circuit due to a certain voltage difference across it. Electrical power is also the rate at which ele

What is Voltage Controlled Oscillator?Voltage Controlled Oscillator DefinitionA voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is defined as an oscillator whose output frequency is controlled by an input voltage.Working PrincipleVCO circuits can be designed by means of many voltage control electronic components such as varactor diodes, transistors, Op-amps etc. Here, we are going to discuss about the working of a VCO using Op-amps. The circuit diagram is shown below.The output waveform of this VCO will be

What is a Gunn Diode Oscillator?Gunn Diode Oscillator A Gunn Diode Oscillator (also known as a Gunn oscillators or transferred electron device oscillator) are a cheap source of microwave power and comprise of Gunn diode or transferred electron device (TED) as their major component. They perform a similiar funciton as Reflex Klystron Oscillators.In Gunn oscillators, the Gunn diode will be placed in a resonant cavity. A Gunn oscillator is comprised of two major components: (i) A DC bias and (ii) A

RC Phase Shift OscillatorAn RC phase shift oscillator is defined as an electronic circuit that uses resistor-capacitor (RC) networks to produce a consistent oscillating output signal.RC phase-shift oscillators use resistor-capacitor (RC) network (Figure 1) to provide the phase-shift required by the feedback signal. They have excellent frequency stability and can yield a pure sine wave for a wide range of loads.Ideally a simple RC network is expected to have an output which leads the input by 90

What is a Clapp Oscillator?Clapp Oscillator A Clapp oscillator (also known as a Gouriet oscillator) is an LC electronic oscillator that uses a particular combination of an inductor and three capacitors to set the oscillator’s frequency (see circuit diagram below). LC oscillators use a transistor (or vacuum tube or other gain element) and a positive feedback network.A Clapp oscillator is a type of Colpitts oscillator with an extra capacitor (C3) added in series with the inductor in the tank circu