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A voltage divider (Fig 1) which is sometimes also known as a potential divider is a useful circuit to know and understand.
In basic terms, this type of circuit produces an output voltage which is a fraction of its input voltage. It does this by dividing some of the voltage between the components of the divider.
In addition to a Prototype board (Breadboard), wire for connections and a power source, you will need the following components to build this circuit:
2 x 10KΩ Fixed Resistors
In basic terms, this type of circuit produces an output voltage which is a fraction of its input voltage. It does this by dividing some of the voltage between the components of the divider.
In addition to a Prototype board (Breadboard), wire for connections and a power source, you will need the following components to build this circuit:
2 x 10KΩ Fixed Resistors
Fig 1
Fig 2
You can attach a power supply or a battery to the circuit shown in Fig 2 and using a multimeter, read the voltage between Vout and 0V – what do you notice?
What do you think would happen if we replaced the 10K resistors in the circuit above with resistors of other values?
An important use of a voltage divider is to can get the exact voltage you need at Vout – this becomes critical if you are using devices which need a constant voltage which is less than the Vin supply voltage.
Of course there is a mathematical relationship between the voltages and the resistors and we can use the equation in Fig 3 to work out the voltages we need:
What do you think would happen if we replaced the 10K resistors in the circuit above with resistors of other values?
An important use of a voltage divider is to can get the exact voltage you need at Vout – this becomes critical if you are using devices which need a constant voltage which is less than the Vin supply voltage.
Of course there is a mathematical relationship between the voltages and the resistors and we can use the equation in Fig 3 to work out the voltages we need:
Fig 3
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