Measure Voltage (Divide) on a current source

comparatorcurrent-sourcevoltage measurement

I need to use a constant current source 20mA, the current flows through multiple diodes and resistors which are in series.
The resistor value can vary from 0 to 1.6k and also a possibility of Open.

Basic Circuit Diagram

As the measuring device can read only upto 10V(Not multimeter, it is a 10V Analog Input Card), and at present 20mA*1.6k=32V+(diode drop). Hence I need to reduce this voltage before passing to the measuring device.

  1. Is there a simple way to do it?(Current Source is a must)
  2. To protect Open Condition of the resistor is a Zener Diode Sufficient?

Best Answer

To measure the voltage across the resistor under test, you just measure it, like by connecting a voltmeter across it.

With 20 mA thru the resistor under test and 10 V max, the highest resistance you can measure is 500 Ω. Even a crappy voltmeter will have so much higher resistance that it won't distort the measurement. For example, let's say you're measuring a 500 Ω resistor. According to your spec, it has 20 mA going thru it, so 10 V across it. A 1 MΩ (that's really crappy) voltmeter will draw 10 µA, which will distort the measurement by (10 µA)/(20 mA) = 0.05%. Is your voltmeter good to 0.05%? I didn't think so.

Added

You have now shown a schematic. The voltmeter is in the wrong place. Put it directly across the resistor under test.