Electric Circuit Concepts

2
 Overview

• Module 2: covers electricity in circuits and circuit

principles

• The focus of Module 2 is on the equipment

(except that electrode resistance calculations
and design will be specifically addressed in
Module 3).
 Session Purposes

•Use electric circuit principles to improve

equipment design/operation and
sampling.

•Gain background information to engage

electrode resistance and electric field
concepts.
 Session Objectives
•Define resistance, voltage, amperage, and power

•State Ohm’s Law and power equations

•Draw simple circuit diagrams of electrofishing
equipment (series and parallel circuits)

•Calculate resistance, voltage, amperage, and power of

electrofishing circuits

•Describe the three principle waveforms

•Draw and describe the components of a control box

•State where maximum power transfer occurs and the

implications for electrofishing efficiency
 Session Objectives (continued)
•Estimate battery discharge (and shocking) time

•Check the calibration of electrofishing equipment controls

and metering (include voltage, amperage, frequency, duty
cycle)
 To study for this section…
• Work through Chapter 2 electrical principles.pdf
(answers in Chapter 2 answers.pdf )

• Then review the remainder of this presentation

on waveforms and equipment calibration
checks

• After finishing this section, go to “Electrode

Characteristics” (Module 3)
 Electrical
Waveforms
Snyder (2003)
 Alternating Current
Full Sine Wave
AC Sine Wave

1.2

0.8
0 Volts baseline
0.4

0.0
0 90 180 270 360 450 540 630

-0.4

-0.8

-1.2
 Direct Current
100% Duty Cycle

0 Volts baseline
 Direct Current with Ripple
100% Duty Cycle

By Spinningspark

The red line is continuous DC with a jagged top or “ripple”.

Ripple is a result of smoothing fully rectified AC. This waveform
0 Volts baseline often is used in tow-barges with DC generators. The ripple may
enhance catchability and thus is sometimes exaggerated by the
manufacturer.
 Pulsed DC: Half-Wave Rectified

0 Volts baseline
 Pulsed DC: Full-Wave Rectified; 2x frequency
Full-Wave Rectified

1.2

0.8

0.4

0 Volts baseline 0.0

0 90 180 270 360 450 540 630

-0.4

-0.8

-1.2
 Pulsed Direct Current: Square Wave

0 Volts baseline
Effect of Voltage on Wave Shape
Smith-Root LR-24 Backpack
Oscilloscope Tracings (Graphs)
 Duty Cycle Video

• Duty cycle is a result of two attributes,

frequency and pulse width. In the following
video, frequency is held constant and
pulse width is varied to change duty cycle
(caution: loud engine noise, make sure your
speakers are turned down).

• Go to: Pulse Width Adjustment

 Gated Burst DC

0 Volts baseline
Control Box Components
Battery – Direct Current

Generator – Alternating Current

Switch Fuse

Resistor Ground
Control Box Components
Diode – One-way valve

Silicon-Controlled Rectifier (SCR) - Thyristor

Gate

Bridge Rectifier
 Alternating Current + Diode = Half-Wave Rectified DC

AC Sine Wave Half-Wave Rectified

1.2 1.2

0.8 0.8

0.4 0.4

0.0 0.0
0 90 180 270 360 450 540 630 0 90 180 270 360 450 540 630

-0.4 -0.4

-0.8 -0.8

-1.2 -1.2
 Alternating Current + SCR = Controlled-Rectified
DC
AC Sine Wave 50 % of Range

1.2 1.3

0.8
0.8

0.4
0.3

0.0
0 90 180 270 360 450 540 630
0 90 180 270 360 450 540 630
-0.2
-0.4

-0.7
-0.8

-1.2 -1.2
 Changing Voltage of a PDC Waveform

• The gate in the silicon-controlled rectifier allows current to flow when a set
voltage is present. An SCR is a way of changing voltage on a pulsed DC
waveform. The issue with this method of changing voltage is that pulse width
and duty cycle vary as well. In other words, the control for voltage and the
control for duty cycle are not independent. For a video example, go to:

Voltage (and Pulse Width, Duty Cycle) Adjustment with SCR

• An approach that keeps voltage and duty cycle controls separate or

independent is inverting DC to AC, using a transformer to change voltage, and
then converting (rectifying) AC back to DC. For a video example, go to:

Voltage Adjustment with a Transformer

 Alternating Current + Bridge Rectifier = Full-Wave Rectified DC

AC Sine Wave Full-Wave Rectified

1.2 1.2

0.8 0.8

0.4 0.4

0.0 0.0
0 90 180 270 360 450 540 630 0 90 180 270 360 450 540 630

-0.4 -0.4

-0.8 -0.8

-1.2 -1.2
 Example of Components Comprising an
Electrofishing System
(battery or generator powered)

DC AC AC
DC-AC Transformer
Battery
Inverter (change voltage)

Square-wave
PDC output AC
AC
Generator
Pulser (high powered
switching transistor)
AC output
PDC
DC
Smoothing AC
with AC-DC
reservoir Converter
(rectification)
capacitors
DC (smooth or Rectified PDC output
ripple) output
 Power Source
• The power source to run a control box is
either a battery or a generator

– Battery: go to the Battery Shocking Time Estimator tool;

that Excel file will assist you in determining shocking times
for lithium and lead-acid batteries under a variety of
electrofishing conditions

– Generator: go to the Generator Loading tool; this file will

estimate power and current demand on your generator
given a set of electrofishing conditions
 Backpack Output Performance
• Estimate of Backpack Shutdown is a
teaching tool to explore the effects of
maximum output average power (a design
specification), duty cycle, and electrode
resistance on power demand and shutoff
points of backpack units.
Calibration Check Exercise for Voltage, Current, Duty
Cycle, and Frequency Control Settings and Metering

Fluke 199C Oscilloscope Test Setup

 Equipment Checks
• Calibration of meters or dials
– voltage (peak, average, RMS)
– current (peak, average, RMS)
– duty cycle, pulse width, pulse frequency
– other waveform characteristics (spikes, ripple,
negative excursions)

• Multimeters (especially volt-ohm)

– read AC and DC; might give average PDC (Fluke
87V reads peak voltage/current for PDC waveforms

• Oscilloscopes
– Read out peak values for AC, DC, PDC as well as
waveform shape
 How to Make Measurements
• See Making Voltage and Current
Measurements.pdf and view a video on
the field use of a current clamp:

Current Clamp Use on a Backpack Shocker

A Check of Waveform Shape

Pulsed Direct Current - PDC

A Check of Peak Voltage Output

Peak Voltage (Vp) – 103 Volts

Another Check of Peak Voltage Output

Vp – 52 Volts
 Calibration Check Graph
(for Peak Voltage)
• It is a good idea to test a series of voltage settings from
low to high at each water conductivity. The results can
be compared to outputs expected using “Boat Power” or
“Backpack Power” Excel tools to potentially explain
output deviations from expected.
Relationship between voltage setting and actual output important for voltage goal setting.

Appalachian Aquatics AA-24

Backpack Electrofisher
700

600 y = 1.074x + 16.9

r ² = 0.998
500
Peak Voltage

400

300

200

100

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600

PDC Voltage Setting

 Meter Calibration Check for Peak Current

• The same process can be followed to check control box

current meter readings and actual amperage output
(remember, there is no “current setting dial”, only a
voltage dial).
• A current clamp is recommended so that the main
conductor does not have to be spliced into. The current
clamp should be enable the reading of AC and PDC.
One clamp meter on the market that has this capacity is
the Fluke 80i-110s AC/DC current clamp (must be used in
conjunction with a multimeter or an oscilloscope).
A Check of Pulse Width and Duty Cycle

Pulse Width (PW) – 5 ms

A Check of Pulse Width and Duty Cycle

Time Period (T) – 20 ms

 Duty Cycle = PW ÷ T
expressed in percent

Duty Cycle = 5ms ÷ 20ms = 25%

Calibration Check Graph
(for Duty Cycle)

Multimeter was a Fluke 87 V

A Check of Frequency

T = 16.40 ms
Frequency = 1/T = 1/16.40ms = 60.97 Hz
Calibration Check Graph
(for Frequency)

Multimeter was a Fluke 87 V

 Calibration Check Examples
• There are four Excel files with calibration data on
backpacks, boat control boxes, and a prospective voltage
meter model.
 Calibration Check Examples
• The Excel file Electrofishing Product Test (on-line course link
name “Electrofishing Calibration Example 1”) contains
information on calibration checks of volt meters and
ammeters (one backpack model and one boat control box
model). In addition, a check is performed on a commercially
available multimeter/clamp ammeter. This last investigation
is performed to ascertain if less-expensive equipment could
be used to monitor electrofishing unit outputs.

• Note that the final tab on the right contains data collected in
regards to voltage gradient probes and metering. This topic
will be taken up later with discussions on electric fields.
 Calibration Check Examples
• Also check out these additional calibration examples:

– Electrofishing Calibration Example 2 (boat control boxes)

– Electrofishing Calibration Example 3 Low Conductivity (backpack

tested under low water conductivity)

– Electrofishing Calibration Example 4 High Conductivity (backpack

tested under high water conductivity)
 Calibration Check Video
• For a calibration demonstration, you may
view the instructional video at

Backpack Calibration
 Next Step

“Electrode Characteristics” (Module 3)