Vernier Circuit Board - Manual

Vernier Circuit
Board
(Order Code VCB)
The Vernier Circuit Board is designed for use in
the study of simple electric circuits. The circuit board itself contains resistors, a
capacitor, an LED, switches, a battery holder for internal power, connections for
external power, a resettable fuse, connections for the addition of other components,
and turreted test points for easy connection of test leads and jumper wires.
Inventory of Items Included with the Vernier Circuit Board
Check to be sure that each of these items is included with your Vernier Circuit
Board:
 One 10 in.  7 in. circuit board
 Ten 14-in. insulated jumper wires fitted with mini-alligator clips
 Five #48 lamps rated 0.06 A at 2.0 V (cylindrical body)
 Five #50 lamps rated 0.220 A at 7.5 V (round body)
Board Components and Layout
Providing Power
The upper left corner of the circuit board contains a battery holder for two D
batteries. This combination of batteries provides access to 3 VDC. Binding posts J1
and J2 on the lower left part of the board allow you to connect external power, such
as the Extech Digital DC Power Supply (Vernier order code EXPS, $199). The
Vernier Circuit Board is designed for low voltages only. Limit the external voltage
to 10 volts.
Switch SW1 below the battery compartment, and to the right of J1 and J2, is a
single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) switch. The switch is labeled for the 3 V power or
external power. Set this switch to provide power to connection points 1 and 35.
A resettable fuse is located to the right of switch SW1. This fuse limits the current to
0.8 A. After being tripped, the fuse remains open until power has been removed.
Installed Components
A variety of components have been installed on the circuit board, including nine
resistors, one capacitor, one LED/resistor combination, and two switches. Here is a
list of the components.
R1 and R2–10
 resistors rated at 5 W
R3 and R4–51
 resistors rated at 5 W
R5 and R6–68
 resistors rated at 5 W
R7–22 k
 resistor rated at 5 W
R8–47 k
 resistor rated at 5 W
R9–100 k
 resistor rated at 5 W
2
C1–10
F non-polarized capacitor
LED and 220
 current limiting resistor
SW2–Single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) switch
SW3–Single-pole, single-throw (SPST) momentary switch
Attaching Other Components
Four 3-way binding posts labeled, J3, J4, J5 and J6, are located in the lower right
corner of the circuit board. You can use these connections to add your own
components, e.g. resistors, capacitors, diodes, etc. You can use lamp sockets Lamp1,
Lamp2, and Lamp3 to install lamps such as the ones provided with the circuit board.
The sockets are designed for common E-10 screw base lamps.
Replacement Parts
The #50 7.5 V bulbs (round body) are available at Radio Shack (part number 272-
1133). Replacement jumper leads are also from Radio Shack (part number 278-
1156). The # 48 2.0 V lamp (cylindrical body) is hard to find at retail. You can order
a pack of 10 bulbs from Vernier Software & Technology (order code BULB, $9)
Sample Uses of the Circuit Board
The Vernier Circuit Board is designed to help simplify the study of simple circuits.
The versatility of the circuit board will let your students investigate a wide variety of
circuits.