Build

Basic Circuits and Measurement

Keep the procedure and the evidence for each stage together. Check the meter mode and circuit state before making a measurement.

  1. Measurement Practice

    practice

    Work for this stage

    • • How to Connect a Voltmeter
    • • How to Connect an Ammeter
    • • Measuring Resistance Safely

    Use the submission method your teacher assigned for this work.

  2. Simulate an LED Circuit in Tinkercad

    simulate

    External tool

    Open Tinkercad Circuits: LED with Current-Limiting Resistor ↗

    Create a new Circuits design. Place a 9V battery, a 330Ω resistor, and an LED in series on the breadboard. Start the simulation, confirm the LED lights, then use the simulated multimeter to measure the voltage across the LED and record it in your notebook.

    Check before returning

    • • LED lights when the simulation starts
    • • Removing the resistor and re-running shows the LED overcurrent warning
    • • Multimeter in parallel across the LED reads a forward voltage near 2V

    Work for this stage

    • • Tinkercad LED Circuit Checkpoint

    Use the submission method your teacher assigned for this work.

  3. Build and Measure on the Breadboard

    build

    A breadboard lets you build circuits without soldering. Holes in the same row are electrically connected; columns are not connected unless you wire them. The power rails along the edges run the full length of the board, and the center gap is sized for ICs to straddle. Push component leads firmly into rows, and use the rails for power and ground.
    Measure voltage in parallel: touch the probes across the component with the circuit powered. Measure current in series: break the circuit and insert the meter into the path. Measure resistance with the component isolated: disconnect power and at least one lead first. Connecting the meter in the wrong mode can damage the meter or the circuit.

    Work for this stage

    • • Breadboard Measurement Record

    Use the submission method your teacher assigned for this work.

  4. Troubleshoot: The LED Does Not Light

    Optional

    troubleshoot

    If your LED does not light, work through these checks in order. First, is the path complete? An open circuit — a loose wire or a lead in the wrong breadboard row — means no current flows anywhere. Second, is the LED in backwards? It is polarized: longer lead toward positive. Third, use continuity mode to confirm each connection beeps, and voltage mode to confirm the supply reaches your row. If something is hot or the supply reads near zero, disconnect power immediately — a short circuit is a very low resistance path and is dangerous.