Electric Circuits Builder
USER GUIDE OF THE APPLET
Here are some indications which allow a correct use of the applet:
- When you move the cursor of the mouse in the applet, its coordinates appear in top left as the following: ‘mouse:(x coordinate, y coordinate)’.
- The rectangle located in the applet on the right comprises several components; to take a component, put the cursor of the mouse on this component and move it.
- The box named ‘Basket’ is used to remove the useless components of the applet; thus to delete a component, drag it on the box and release it.
- The frequency of your circuit is initialized to zero; which means that the circuit is firstly in a continuous mode. To change the frequency, write the number in the box in bottom of the applet reserved for the value of the frequency and then click on <Enter> on the keyboard of your computer.
- In the circuit, the positive current circulates from left to right and from top to bottom whereas the positive tension is measured from right (negative terminal) to left (positive terminal) and from bottom (negative terminal) to top (positive terminal).
- The arrows that you see in the circuit represent the references for the current; which means the direction arbitrarily chosen like the direction of the positive current.
- You can make your final circuit by taking any component and releasing it at the places in the original circuit where you see some nodes or some small circles (i-e the places where there are a discontinuity); remark that a box appears in top in the applet; followed by a label which indicates the IS unite of the selected component; you can thus write in the box the value of your component and then click on <Enter> on the keyboard of your computer.
- To change the value of a component in the circuit, click on that component and the box in which is the value of the last one will reappear; click on <Enter> after you have changed the value.
- In the circuit you make, you can read the value of the voltage and the value of the current in each component; in this case, put the cursor of the mouse on the component and a bubble appears, respectively indicating the value of the component, its current and its voltage.
- You can see the decomposition of the circuit using the method of source superposition. To do that, click on the checkbox ‘See Decomposition’ located in bottom in the applet. You can also choose to see or not the circuit. Thus, click one the checkbox ‘See Circuit’ in bottom of the applet. The button located at the bottom of the applet is used to transform your circuit bigger or to reduce it as you want.
- You can also read the values of the voltage and the current in each component of a sub-circuit by putting the cursor on that component.
- The different modes in question in this program are the continuous, alternative and transitory mode. In order to create a transitory mode, it’s necessary to operate with a switch. In the circuit, the switch connects the second vertical loop (starting from the right) to the horizontal loop (the right one). Initially, the switch is closed; to open it, click on it and to close back click again on it; and so on.
- You can read at the same time the parameters of all the components of the circuit (the value of the component, its voltage and its current), without having to put the cursor on any component by clicking on the checkbox ‘Parameters of the components’.
- The curves of the voltage and the current of each component can be viewed. In the applet, there is a checkbox ' See Curves in the applet ', which thus gives the choice to the user to see the curves of the voltage and the current either in the applet, or in two different windows. So to view the curves of each component, click on this last.
- In the windows reserved for the curves of the voltage and the current, there are two icons named ‘Options’ and ‘Recentrer l’origine’ . With the first icon, you can change the dimensions of your graphic; you can trace the average, the derivative of your curve; you can trace the tangent of your curve at any point; you can save and print your curve. The second icon allows you to center the origin of your reference mark.
