Power Amplifiers
Dr G S Taki
An amplifier
Sensors & Pick up signal Display monitor /Transducer
Small Signal Amplifier Medium power
/Preamplifier amplifier Power Amplifier
• An amplifier receives a small signal from an input source or sensor to
produce a larger signal to operate an output device or transducer. An
input sensor usually supply a small signal of a few micro-volt – a few
millivolts.
• The basic essential properties of a small signal amplifiers are linear
amplification factor with small magnitude containing less noise. Since
signal voltage and current are small in a small-signal amplifier. The
amount of power-handling capacity are usually of little concern.
• A pre-amplifier provides voltage amplification primarily to increase
the voltage of the input signal up to a certain extent.
• Large-signal or power amplifiers, on the other hand, primarily provide
larger power-a few watts to tens of watts. The main features of a
large-signal amplifier are the circuit’s power efficiency, the maximum
amount of power that the circuit is capable of handling, and the
impedance matching to the output device.
Power AMPLIFIER classification
• One method used to categorize amplifiers is by class.
• Basically, amplifier classes represent the amount the
output signal of operation for a full cycle of input
signal. varies over one cycle
• A brief description of amplifier classes.
Amplifiers Classes
• Class A: The output signal varies for a full 360° of the cycle.
• Class B: A class B circuit provides an output signal varying over one-half the
input signal cycle, or 180° of cycle.
• Class AB: An amplifier may be biased at a dc level above the zero base current
level of class B and above one-half the supply voltage level of class A; in class
AB signal varies from 180°- 360° .
• Class C: The output of a class C amplifier is biased for operation at less
than180° of the cycle and will operate only with a tuned (resonant) circuit,
which providesa full cycle of operation for the tuned or resonant frequency.
• Class D: This operating class is a form of amplifier operation using pulse
(digital) signals, which are on for a short interval and off for a longer interval.
Output signal varies for a full 360° of the cycle
Operating Cycles & Power efficiency
CLASS A AB B C D
Operating Cycle 360 180-360 180 Less than Pulse
180° operation
Power efficiency 25% to Between 25% 78.5% variable Typically
50% 78.5% over 90%
Series-fed class A amplifier, CE & DC equivalent biasing
circuit
Current circulation Paths
+V -I R -V
CC B B BE
=0
Transistor characteristic showing load line and Q point
Amplifier input and output signal variation.
CE fixed DC biasing series fed amplifier circuit
DC BIAS WITH VOLTAGE FEEDBACK- Base Emitter Loop
Collector Emitter loop
Collector feedback Consideration
Common Collector or Emitter Follower Configuration
CE un-bypassed emitter-bias configuration
Transformer coupled class A amplifier
Transformer operation:(a) voltage transformation; (b) current
transformation; (c) impedance transformation.
push-pull operation – Class B
Connection of push-pull Class B amplifier to load: (a)
using two voltage supplies; (b) using one voltage supply.
Push-pull input signal generation by Transistor
in Class B amplifier
Phase Shift Emitter Follower Push-pull circuit
in Class B Power Amplifier
Transformer-Coupled Push–Pull Circuits
in Class B Amplifier
Complementary-Symmetry BJT Class B Circuits
Complementary symmetry push-pull circuit using Darlington transistors.
Quasi-complementary push-pull transformer less power
amplifier
Class C Amplifier
• A class C amplifier is biased to operate for less than 180° of
the input signal cycle.
• The tuned circuit will provide a full cycle of output signal for
the fundamental or resonant frequency of the tuned circuit (L
and C tank circuit) of the output.
• This type of operation is therefore limited to use at one fixed
frequency, as occurs in a communications circuit.
• Operation of a class C circuit is not intended primarily for
large-signal or power amplifiers.
Class C Amplifier
Class D Amplifier
A class D amplifier is designed to operate with digital or pulse
signals.
An efficiency more than 90% is achieved in such circuits, in
power amplifiers.
Essential to convert any input signal into a pulse waveform to
drive a large power load and to convert the signal back to a
sinusoidal-type signal to recover original signal.
A sinusoidal signal may be converted into a pulse-type signal
using some form of sawtooth or chopping waveform to be
applied with the input into a comparator type op-amp circuit
so that a representative pulse-type signal is produced.
Class D Amplifier
Chopping of sinusoidal waveform to produce digital
waveform.
Schematic diagram of a Class C Amplifier
