UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS DARTMOUTH

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING ECE 201 CIRCUIT THEORY I DELTATO-WYE (PITOTEE) EQUIVALENT CIRCUITS BACKGROUND DELTA (OR PI) CONNECTION The analysis of the Wheatstone bridge circuit introduces us to a resistor connection that is neither series, parallel, or series-parallel, as shown below. The resistors Ra, Rb, and Rc in the circuit shown below on the left are connected between nodes a, b, and c in such a way as to resemble the Greek letter delta . This configuration can be redrawn into a shape that resembles the Greek letter without making or changing any connections.

WYE (OR T) CONNECTION The resistors R1, R2, and R3 in the circuit shown above on the right appear to be connected in a configuration that resembles the letter Y. It turns out that this connection can also be re-drawn into a shape that resembles the letter T without disturbing any connection(s). THE TO Y TRANSFORMATION The -connected resistor circuit can be replaced by the equivalent Y-connected resistor circuit through mathematical transformation. The two circuits are said to be equivalent because when they are connected to an external source, or sources, they exhibit identical behavior. In order for the two circuits to be equivalent, they must exhibit identical resistances between the a, b, and c terminals. These resistances are computed on the following page.

R (R + R ) c a b = R +R R = ab R + R + R 1 2 a c b R (R + R ) a b c R = = R +R bc R + R + R 2 3 a c b R (R + R ) c a R = b = R +R ca R + R + R 1 3 a c b
The resistor values in the equivalent Y-connected circuit can be determined from the resistor values of the -connected circuit as

R R b c R = 1 R +R +R a c b R R c a R = 2 R +R +R a c b R R a b R = 3 R +R +R a c b
The resistor values of the equivalent -connected circuit can be expressed in terms of the resistor values in the Y-connected circuit as

PRELAB CALCULATIONS

R R +R R +R R 2 3 3 1 R = 1 2 a R 1 R R +R R +R R 2 3 3 1 R = 1 2 b R 2 R R +R R +R R 2 3 3 1 R = 1 2 c R 3

Three resistors are connected in a -configuration as shown below. Determine the resistor values for the equivalent Y-connected circuit. Show some sample calculations and then draw 2 complete circuit diagrams. Be sure to do all of the work in your lab notebook, and have copies ready to hand in at the class before the lab session.

220

330

470

PROCEDURE/RESULTS 1. Construct both of the circuits on your breadboard using resistors of the the closest standard value. Using your digital multimeter, measure the resistance between the a-b, b-c, and c-a terminals of each configuration and compare the results with the expected values. Summarize your results in a table. 2. Apply 5 Volts DC to the a-b, b-c, and c-a terminals of each circuit (one pair of terminals at a time) and measure the current drawn with your digital multimeter. Create a table of the measurements in your lab notebook, and have a copy ready to be handed in when you leave the lab. 3. Are the two circuits equivalent as far as the 5 Volt source is concerned? Why or why not?