Activity 7

Activity 7
Series Circuit #4

Activity Contents:
 Using the DMM - Voltmeter, Ammeter, and Ohmmeter
 Circuit Review
 Electrical Faults: Open, High Resistance, Short to Ground
 Need-to-Know Review – Series Circuit Troubleshooting

(Optional):
 Troubleshooting Worksheet #1 – Series Circuit

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Activity 7

Figure 7-1
Using Figure 7-1, build the circuit above. Use red wire between B-C, D-E, F-G and H-I. Use
black wire to connect J to K. Using the DMM, perform the measurements in the Circuit Chart
below at each part of the circuit listed. Next answer questions 1-7. Finally, record the results in
the Circuit Chart's appropriate box. Note: Move the toggle switch to the right before measuring.

1. How many electrical loads are in this series circuit? 3

Remove the circuit power and use the ohmmeter function of the DMM to measure circuit
resistance.

2. What is the resistance at each load?

a. R1 352.1
b. R2 238.4
c. R3 119.1

3. Total circuit resistance is 0.710kohms

Reconnect the circuit power, close the circuit switch (toggle right) and measure the circuit's
voltage. Include these measurements in the Circuit Chart below.

4. Which location of this circuit needs the most electrical pressure? R3

5. At which load is the least voltage required? R1

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The circuit has 12.66 volts pushing against 120 ohms of total resistance. Continue to study the
circuit and make the following amperage measurements (see Figure 7-1).

6. What is the circuit's total current flow? 0.018

7. What is the amperage at each load?

a. R1 C 0.018
b. R2 E 0.018
c. R3 G 0.018

Using Figure 7-1 and your answers to questions 1-7, complete the chart below.

CIRCUIT CHART
Check your meter leads TOTAL R1 R2 R3
and rotary dial position! (A-L) (C-D) (E-F) (G-H)
VOLTS (Pressure) 12.68 6.27 4.24 2.12

AMPS (Flow) 0.018 0.018 0.018 0.018

OHMS (Resistance)

Continue to study the circuit and make the following resistance measurements. See Figure 7-1.

8. Disconnect the circuit power A and use the ohmmeter to measure the resistance across the
closed switch (toggle right).

9. How much resistance is there in the ground path between the switch J and the negative cable
of the battery L?

Reconnect the circuit power, select the voltmeter function (DC volts), and make the following
voltage measurements.

10. How much electrical force (voltage) is needed to move current through the closed switch
I-J when the circuit is operating?

11. How much voltage is needed to push the electrical flow from the switch back to the negative
cable of the power supply J-L?

Compare the measurements in questions 8 through 11.

12. When there is no resistance in part of a circuit, is not needed.

The voltage used to push current flow through the resistance is often called voltage drop.

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13. Should there be a voltage drop across electrical loads?

14. Should there be a voltage drop across closed switches, wires, connectors or grounds?

To become a successful vehicle technician, you must use your knowledge of electrical behavior
when looking for electrical problems. Troubleshooting should not be done by guessing. Many
times, electrical problems cannot be seen and must be found using the DMM.

Study what you have discovered in questions 8 through 14. The relationship of voltage and
resistance is very important and will help you find electrical problems.

Let's cause some common electrical faults and use the DMM to see what happens to the
electricity.

OPEN FAULT
Using the circuit you built in Figure 7-2, disconnect the wire after R1 D. This break in the
electrical path is called an open. This changes the electricity.

Figure 7-2
With the switch closed (toggle right), measure the electricity at the different locations of the
circuits and complete the chart below. Measure the volts and ohms across the open D-E.

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 Activity 7

CIRCUIT CHART - OPEN FAULT

Check your meter TOTAL R1 OPEN R2 R3
leads and rotary dial (A-L) (C-D) (D-E) (E-F) (G-H)
position!

VOLTS (Pressure)

AMPS (Flow)
OHMS
(Resistance)

After completing the chart above, compare this chart to the earlier "good" circuit measurements
from Figure 7-1 and answer questions 15-19.

15. Is the problem in the power supply (total voltage) or in the circuit's path?

16. With good resistance at each load, what did the open do to the circuit's total resistance?

17. How much current flow is there when a circuit is open?

The ammeter function tells you there is an open but is not helpful in finding the location of the
problem.

18. When a circuit is open, which meter is a good choice to locate the continuity problem? Refer
to Activity 3.

Remember to disconnect the circuit's power.

If circuit power is not disconnected, the voltmeter could be used.

19. What is the voltage measured across the location of an open?

To fix this circuit's open, reconnect the wire at D.

Another type of electrical problem is unwanted resistance caused by loose and dirty electrical
connections or poor quality components.

This common fault is called a high resistance problem.

To add additional unwanted resistance (HR = high resistance), remove the wire between H and I.

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Activity 7

Use yellow wire to connect H-X and Y-I as shown in Figure 7-3.

Note: Yellow wire is used whenever faults are built into an ATech trainer circuit.

Figure 7-3

Operate this circuit, measure the electricity, and complete this chart. HR is the high resistance
fault.

CIRCUIT CHART - HIGH RESISTANCE FAULT

Check your meter TOTAL R1 R2 R3 HR
leads and rotary dial (A-L) (C-D) (E-F) (G-H) (X-Y)
position!

VOLTS (Pressure)

AMPS (Flow)
OHMS
(Resistance)

20. Compared with the good circuit from Figure 7-1, what has happened to the:
a. Total volts
b. Total amps
c. Total ohms

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 Activity 7

21. When a circuit path has unwanted resistance, what happens to the volts and amps at the other
"good" electrical loads?

A high resistance problem is often caused by poor connections and decreases power from the
circuit loads.

22. Could this problem cause a light to be dim or a motor to operate slowly?

23. Does the ammeter help to find the faults location?

24. The ohmmeter is very useful in finding where the unwanted resistance is located, but the
DMM can only be used when the circuit is .

25. What other DMM function could you use to find the problem's location while the circuit is
operating with current flowing?

26. Explain why the voltmeter can be used to find resistance problems.

Besides checking circuit power, the voltmeter can also find resistance problems in a live circuit.
This is called the Voltage Drop Test and is very useful for automotive service technicians.

When using the voltmeter to locate resistance problems (voltage drop test), the black probe is not
connected to common ground only. The black probe is used with the red probe to measure
across different sections of the circuit. Knowing if there should or shouldn’t be voltage at
different locations of a circuit is how the fault location is found.

Continue to study how and why the voltmeter is the best all-purpose function to find many
electrical problems.

Before continuing, remove the high resistance problem from this circuit. Disconnect the yellow
wires and replace the red wire between H and I.

To create another circuit problem, connect a yellow wire after the first resistor #3 directly to
ground (D to Ground). See Figure 7-4.

27. Does this circuit now have an unwanted pathway to ground?

This fault is correctly called a short to ground or grounded circuit.

28. Could this problem be caused when a vehicle circuit touches any vehicle metal (common
ground)?

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Activity 7

Figure 7-4
With this short to ground problem, measure the circuit, then complete the chart below and
compare to the good circuit measurements recorded on the chart below Figure 7-1. Answer
question 29.

CIRCUIT CHART - SHORT TO GROUND FAULT

Check your meter leads TOTAL R1 R2 R3
and rotary dial position! (A-L) (C-D) (E-F) (G-H)
VOLTS (Pressure)

AMPS (Flow)

OHMS (Resistance)

29. When this circuit has a short to ground, what happens to the:
a. Total volts
b. Total amps
c. Total ohms

Compare the short to ground problem to the high resistance problem. See question 20.

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 Activity 7

In electricity, if the pressure (voltage) stays the same, less resistance (ohms) will always cause
more flow (amps). When a short to ground decreases circuit resistance, the increased current
flow often "pops" the circuit protection.

30. What would happen if this circuit was protected by a .025 A fuse?

31. With this problem, is the switch able to control the circuit?

32. With this fault, how many electrical loads are now operating in this circuit?

33. Where is the circuit's total voltage being used?

34. How much voltage is at R2 and R3 that are by-passed by the fault?

The voltmeter can be used to measure where the circuit power is or is not being used. This could
help to find a short to ground.

In this circuit, the ohmmeter can be used to locate a short to ground. Disconnect the circuit
power and the good ground K. Perform these resistance measurements. See Figure 7-4.

35. With the switch in the N.C. position (left), what is the measured resistance from common
ground to the following locations?
a. R1 points C and D
b. R2 points E and F
c. R3 points G and H

36. Remove the ground wire at K. With the good ground removed, which locations have an
unwanted connection with common ground?

Separate R1 and R2 by disconnecting the red wire between D and E.

37. What does the ohmmeter now measure between:

a. Common ground and D
b. Common ground and E

38. Separate the components and use the ohmmeter to locate the unwanted short to ground.
Which component is shorted to ground?

Reconnect the power wire removed to measure resistance in 35-38 above. Change the location
of this problem. Move the yellow wire to terminal C of resistor #3 to ground

39. What happens?

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40. How many loads are in this circuit now?

41. Does the circuit have a path from the power supply directly to ground?

This is called a direct short and will always cause the circuit protection to be used. This means
the fuse will blow, the breaker will trip, or the fusible link wire will burn.

Re-set the circuit breaker. Disconnect the yellow wire and remove all faults from Activity 7.

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Need-to-Know Review
Series Circuit Troubleshooting
Answer Sheet

Open Fault
An open located in a series circuit causes no current flow, and the entire circuit will not operate.

1. The location of a circuit open can be found in an unpowered circuit using the
function of the DMM to measure
at the open.
OR
2. The location of a circuit open can be found in a live circuit using the
function of the DMM across an open to measure .

High Resistance Fault

A high resistance problem adds resistance to the circuit and steals power from the other loads.

3. To find a high resistance fault, use the

in an unpowered circuit to locate where there is extra unwanted resistance.
OR
4. To find a high resistance fault, use the function of the DMM with
the circuit operating. High resistance can be found where there is
than there should be at that location.

Short to Ground Fault

A short to ground decreases series circuit resistance. This increases current flow and often
causes the circuit protection to be used.

5. A short to ground can be located with the function of the DMM

after the circuit power and circuit ground are disconnected. A reading of
between common ground and part of the circuit finds an unwanted connection.
OR
6. A short to ground can be located using the function of the DMM
in a "live" circuit. This will show where the is or is not
being used.

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 Activity 7

Troubleshooting Worksheet #1
Series Circuit
Using the Interactive Keypad (model 1802C), identify and locate hidden faults in this activity's
circuit. If necessary, refer to the Interactive Keypad directions on pages 21-27.

Before you begin to troubleshoot, you should know how a circuit operates properly. This is
important before you begin looking for problems.

(1) CIRCUIT NUMBER?

1 – "ENTER" (#)

(2) MODE OF OPERATION

This display is the main menu and offers the following choices:

1 = TROUBLE – This selection provides troubleshooting practice. Circuit faults are

randomly inserted by the keypad controller. Students have only one selection with two
diagnostic questions. A correct or incorrect response is provided. Students will then
select 1 (new fault) or 2 (new circuit).

2 = TEST – This mode is a troubleshooting test. Again, the microprocessor inserts faults
randomly and provides only one selection of the fault's location and the type of failure.
The testing time and student answers are saved in memory and can be removed by the
instructor only.

3 = INSTRUCTOR ONLY – This is for the instructor to review a troubleshooting test or

insert a specific fault for student troubleshooting.

After selecting, key "ENTER" (#)

With your understanding of electricity, test meters and the circuit schematic, locate and identify
the type of fault inserted in this circuit. Remember to use what was discovered about this circuit
in the activity worksheet.

(3) FAULT IS IN COMPONENT NUMBER?

Select the component at fault (by number), then key "ENTER" (#)
The possible fault locations in this circuit are:
#3 – R1
#4 – R2
#7 – R3
#10 – Switch
#18 – Ground
#19 – No Component

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Activity 7

(4) Diagnostic Question:

1 = OPEN (Open)
2 = SHRT TO GND (Short to Ground)
3 = HIGH RESISTANCE (High Resistance)
4 = SHORT TO VOLTAGE (Short to Voltage)
5 = NO FAULT (No Fault)

Identify the type of fault (by number), then key "ENTER" (#)

After troubleshooting this circuit (Mode 1), review your results with the instructor. A
troubleshooting test (Mode 2) or diagnosing a specific fault (Mode 3) may be requested.

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