AMPLIFIERS
Prepared by: Clairmont Taitt
Do you know what’s an Amplifier?
say in your own words “what’s an
Amplifier?”
have you ever use an Amplifier?
If YES, what did you use it for?
What is an Amplifiers?
An amplifier is an electronic circuit used to increase the
amplitude of a signal waveform, without changing other
parameters of the waveform such as frequency or wave
shape.
They are one of the most commonly used circuits in
electronics and perform a variety of functions in many
electronic systems
Some types of Amplifiers
Radio Frequency (RF) Amplifier Operational Amplifier (Op Amp)
Audio Frequency (AF) Amplifier Differential Amplifier
Intermediate Frequency (RF) Amplifier Ultrasonic Amplifier
Buffer Amplifier Wideband Amplifier
Amplifier Parameters
Any amplifier is said to have certain parameters. These are the
particular properties that make the amplifier perform in a certain way,
and so make it suitable for a given task.
Gain
The gain of an amplifier is a measure of the "Amplification" of an
amplifier, i.e. how much it increases the amplitude of a signal. More
precisely it is the ratio of the output signal amplitude to the input
signal amplitude,
Voltage gain Av = Amplitude of output voltage ÷ Amplitude of
input voltage.
Current gain Ai = Amplitude of output current ÷ Amplitude of
input current.
Power gain Ap = Signal power out ÷ Signal power in.
Frequency Response
Amplifiers do not have the same gain at all frequencies.
For example, an amplifier designed for audio frequency
amplification will amplify signals with a frequency of less than
about 20kHz but will not amplify signals having higher
frequencies.
Frequency response can often be thought of
much like a filter, which can boost or attenuate
the input signal to alter the output signal.
FIG.2: Graph showing frequency response of an
audio frequency amplifier
Input Impedance
Impedance is the opposition to AC current flow
The input impedance of an amplifier is the
effective impedance between the input
terminals.
impedance “seen” by the source driving
the input of the amplifier.
Output Impedance
The Output Impedance of an amplifier can be thought of as
being the impedance (or resistance) that the load sees
“looking back” into the amplifier when the input is zero.
output impedance can be given
as: ZOUT = VCE/IC.
Feedback
Feedback is the process of taking a proportion of an amplifier’s
output signal and feeding it back into the input.
can be arranged to either increase or decrease the input signal.
Types of Feedback
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
Positive Feedback
increases the input signal
Feedback signal is in phase with
the input signal
Increases the amplitude of the
input and hence the output signal,
FIG.3a: Diagram illustrating positive
Effectively increasing the gain of feedback in amplifier
the amplifier. Note: Part of the output signal is fed back
at the positive ( non inverting) input
increase Distortion and instability
Negative Feedback
Reduces the input signal
Feedback signal is out of phase
with the input signal
Reduce distortion and noise FIG.3b: Diagram illustrating negative
feedback in amplifier
Improve stability of gain
Note: Part of the output signal is fed
This causes a reduction in gain back at the negative (inverting) input
Multi- Stage Amplifier
In order to achieve a higher gain than we can obtain
from a single stage, it is possible to cascade two or
more stages.
Amplifiers in cascade
amplifier has a particular frequency response, being a band
of frequencies where it provides adequate amplification, and
excluding frequencies above and below this band, where the
amplification is less than adequate
An important parameter of every amplifier is gain.
Explain what “gain” is, and write a simple equation
defining gain in terms of signal voltage.
s a step-up transformer an amplifier? Why or why
not?
At the heart of every amplifier is a device that uses one signal to control another. In
electronics, this means a device that uses a small voltage or current signal to control
a larger voltage or current.
The first electronic amplifying circuits were constructed with devices called electron
tubes instead of transistors. Tubes still find specialized applications in electronics,
but they have largely been replaced by transistors. Why is this? What advantages do
An important operational parameter of an amplifier is its bandwidth. Describe what
transistors have over tubes as amplifying devices?
“bandwidth” means in the general sense, and give an example of an amplifier
An application where
amplifier has a bandwidth is important.
voltage gain of 5 and a current gain of 75, both
figures being ratios. Calculate the following gains:
Power gain (as a ratio)
Power gain (dB)
Voltage gain (dB)
Current gain (dB)
