The Basics Of The Attenuator Voltmeter
An attenuator voltmeter is an instrument used to measure the voltage in different attenuators such as the optical attenuator and fiber attenuators. Voltage is defined as the electric potential energy per unit charge. It is the electrical force that drives an electric current from one electron to another. Volt is the corresponding International System of Units (SI units) of voltage. The voltmeter is the most popular instrument for measuring voltage. A voltmeter can either measure alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC). The attenuator voltmeter can also be connected to the computer, allowing data transfer and analysis.
Voltmeters are originally called galvanometers. Technically, all voltmeters are ammeters because they measure electric current instead of voltage. Voltage is only measured when the current is transmitted in the electric circuit through resistance. A voltmeter is also referred to as a multimeter because it not only measures voltage but also resistance and current. Basically, there are two types of an attenuator voltmeter: analog and digital.
The basic analog voltmeter features a galvanometer, or current meter, in series with a high resistance. An analog voltmeter moves a pointer across a scale in proportion to the electric circuit’s voltage. Readings may differ over a continuous range. Also, the internal resistance must be high. If the resistance is low, the voltmeter will draw significant current which may affect the operation of the circuit being tested. This type of voltmeter is used when great accuracy is not required that much. An analog voltmeter is usually less expensive as compared to a digital voltmeter.
The basic digital voltmeter usually consists of a voltage reference, a digital display system, an analog-to-digital converter, and a power supply. The digital voltmeter gives numerals to directly show numerals. The analog-to-digital converter is used to display the numbers. The display system could be a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) display panel. Factors that affect measurement accuracy include temperature and supply voltage variations. Whatever set of measurement range is used, a digital voltmeter generally features a constant input resistance of 10 megohoms. Because of its accuracy, the digital voltmeter is now the preferred device for using AC and DC currents. A digital voltmeter should be periodically calibrated against a voltage standard to ensure the device’s reading is within the specified tolerances of the manufacturer.
An attenuator is an electronic device used to reduce a signal’s amplitude or power without distorting its waveform. An attenuator could be used either in radio or audio signal circuits. Because it is manufactured from non-inductive resistors, an attenuator has the ability to change a reactive source or load into one that is resistive. The attenuator voltmeter measures the voltage differences in the attenuator circuit by connecting the positive input terminal and negative input terminal to a location in the electric circuit. When the voltmeter is attached to the electric circuit, the circuit will be changed and disturbed. This will modify the voltage being measured. Testers should ensure that the disturbance is negligible enough that it will not create significant change in the voltage.
