Multi-stage amplifier

PARTS AND MATERIALS

Three NPN transistors -- model 2N2222 or 2N3403
recommended (Radio Shack catalog # 276-1617 is a
ackage o! !i!teen NPN transistors ideal !or this and
other e"eriments#
T$o 6-%olt &atteries
'ne 10 k( otentiometer) single-t*rn) linear taer
(Radio Shack catalog # 271-171+#
'ne 1 ,( resistor
Three 100 k( resistors
Three 10 k( resistors
CROSS-REFERENCES
Lessons In Electric Circuits) -ol*me 3) chater 4. /0iolar 1*nction Transistors/
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
2esign o! a m*lti-stage) direct-co*led common-
emitter amli!ier circ*it
3!!ect o! negati%e !eed&ack in an amli!ier circ*it
SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM
ILLUSTRATION
INSTRUCTIONS
04 connecting three common-emitter amli!ier circ*it together -- the collector terminal o! the
re%io*s transistor to the &ase (resistor# o! the ne"t transistor -- the %oltage gains o! each
stage como*nd to gi%e a %er4 high o%erall %oltage gain5 6 recommend &*ilding this circ*it
without the 1 ,( !eed&ack resistor to &egin $ith) to see !or 4o*rsel! 7*st ho$ high the
*nrestricted %oltage gain is5 8o* ma4 !ind it imossi&le to ad7*st the otentiometer !or a
sta&le o*t*t %oltage (that isn9t sat*rated at !*ll s*l4 %oltage or :ero#) the gain &eing so
high5
3%en i! 4o* can9t ad7*st the in*t %oltage !ine eno*gh to sta&ili:e the o*t*t %oltage in the
acti%e range o! the last transistor) 4o* sho*ld &e a&le to tell that the o*t*t-to-in*t
relationshi is in%erting; that is) the o*t*t tends to dri%e to a high %oltage $hen the in*t
goes lo$) and %ice %ersa5 Since an4 one o! the common-emitter /stages/ is in%erting in itsel!)
an e%en n*m&er o! staged common-emitter amli!iers gi%es nonin%erting resonse) $hile an
odd n*m&er o! stages gi%es in%erting5 8o* ma4 e"erience these relationshis &4 meas*ring
the collector-to-gro*nd %oltage at each transistor $hile ad7*sting the in*t %oltage
otentiometer) noting $hether or not the o*t*t %oltage increases or decreases $ith an
increase in in*t %oltage5
<onnect the 1 ,( !eed&ack resistor into the circ*it) co*ling the collector o! the last
transistor to the &ase o! the !irst5 Since the o%erall resonse o! this three-stage amli!ier is
in%erting) the !eed&ack signal ro%ided thro*gh the 1 ,( resistor !rom the o*t*t o! the last
transistor to the in*t o! the !irst sho*ld &e negative in nat*re5 =s s*ch) it $ill act to sta&ili:e
the amli!ier9s resonse and minimi:e the %oltage gain5 8o* sho*ld notice the red*ction in
gain immediatel4 &4 the decreased sensiti%it4 o! the o*t*t signal on in*t signal changes
(changes in otentiometer osition#5 Siml4 *t) the amli!ier isn9t nearl4 as /to*ch4/ as it
$as $itho*t the !eed&ack resistor in lace5
=s $ith the simle common-emitter amli!ier disc*ssed in an earlier e"eriment) it is a good
idea here to make a ta&le o! in*t %ers*s o*t*t %oltage !ig*res $ith $hich 4o* ma4 calc*late
%oltage gain5
3"eriment $ith di!!erent %al*es o! !eed&ack resistance5 >hat e!!ect do 4o* think a decrease
in !eed&ack resistance ha%e on %oltage gain? >hat a&o*t an increase in !eed&ack resistance?
Tr4 it and !ind o*t@
=n ad%antage o! *sing negati%e !eed&ack to /tame/ a high-gain amli!ier circ*it is that the
res*lting %oltage gain &ecomes more deendent *on the resistor %al*es and less deendent
*on the characteristics o! the constit*ent transistors5 This is good) &eca*se it is !ar easier to
man*!act*re consistent resistors than consistent transistors5 Th*s) it is easier to design an
amli!ier $ith redicta&le gain &4 &*ilding a staged net$ork o! transistors $ith an ar&itraril4
high %oltage gain) then mitigate that gain recisel4 thro*gh negati%e !eed&ack5 6t is this same
rincile that is *sed to make operational amplifier circ*its &eha%e so redicta&l45
This amli!ier circ*it is a &it simli!ied !rom $hat 4o* $ill normall4 enco*nter in ractical
m*lti-stage circ*its5 Rarel4 is a *re common-emitter con!ig*ration (i5e5 $ith no emitter-to-
gro*nd resistor# *sed) and i! the amli!ier9s ser%ice is !or =< signals) the inter-stage co*ling
is o!ten caaciti%e $ith %oltage di%ider net$orks connected to each transistor &ase !or roer
&iasing o! each stage5 Radio-!reA*enc4 amli!ier circ*its are o!ten trans!ormer-co*led) $ith
caacitors connected in arallel $ith the trans!ormer $indings !or resonant t*ning5
COMPUTER SIMULATION
Schematic $ith SP6<3 node n*m&ers.
Netlist (make a te"t !ile containing the !ollo$ing te"t) %er&atim#.
Multi-stage amplifier
vsupply 1 0 dc 12
vin 2 0
r1 2 3 100k
r2 1 4 10k
q1 4 3 0 mod1
r3 4 7 100k
r4 1 5 10k
q2 5 7 0 mod1
r5 5 8 100k
r 1 10k
q3 8 0 mod1
rf 3 1meg
!model mod1 npn "f#200
!dc vin 0 2!5 0!1
!plot dc v$%0& v$2%0&
!end
This sim*lation lots o*t*t %oltage against in*t %oltage) and allo$s comarison &et$een
those %aria&les in n*merical !orm. a list o! %oltage !ig*res rinted to the le!t o! the lot5 8o*
ma4 calc*late %oltage gain &4 taking an4 t$o anal4sis oints and di%iding the di!!erence in
o*t*t %oltages &4 the di!!erence in in*t %oltages) 7*st like 4o* do !or the real circ*it5
3"eriment $ith di!!erent !eed&ack resistance %al*es (rf# and see the imact on o%erall
%oltage gain5 2o 4o* notice a attern? Bere9s a hint. the o%erall %oltage gain ma4 &e closel4
aro"imated &4 *sing the resistance !ig*res o! r1 and rf) $itho*t re!erence to an4 other
circ*it comonent@