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Stabilized Feedback Amplifiers - Harold S. Black (The Bell System Technical Journal, 1934)
Stabilized Feedback Amplifiers - Harold S. Black (The Bell System Technical Journal, 1934)
Stabilized Feedback Amplifiers - Harold S. Black (The Bell System Technical Journal, 1934)
January, 1934
This paper describes and explains the theory of the feedback principle
and then demonstrates ho\\ stability of amplification and reduction of
modulation products, as \veil as certain other advantages, follow when
stabilized feedback is applied to an amplifier. The underlying principle
of design by means of which singing is avoided is next set forth. The paper
concludes \Vith some examples of results obtained on amplifiers which have
been built employing this new principle.
The carrier-in-cable system dealt with in a companion paper 1 involves
many amplifiers in tandem with many telephone channels passing through
each amplifier and constitutes, thereforel an ideal field for application of
this feedback principle. A field trial of this system was made at Morris
town1 Ne'v Jersey, in which seventy of these amplifiers were operated in
tandem. The results of this trial were highly satisfactory and demon
strated conclusively the correctness of the theory and the practicability
of its commercial application.
INTRODUCTION
UE TO advances in vacuum tube development and amplifier
D technique, it is now possible to secure any desired amplification
of the electrical waves used in the communication field. When many
amplifiers are worked in tandem, ho\vever, it becomes difficult to keep
the overall circuit efficiency constant, variations in battery potentials
and currents, small when considered individually, adding up to produce
serious transmission changes for the overall circuit.. Furthermoret
although it has remarkably linear properties, when the modern vacuum
tube amplifier is used to handle a number of carrier telephone channels,
extraneous frequencies are generated which cause interference between
the channels. To keep this interference within proper bounds involves
serious sacrifice of effective amplifier capacity or the use of a push-pull
arrangement which, while giving some increase in capacity, adds to
maintenance difficulty.
However, by building an amplifier whose gain is deliberately made,
say 40 decibels higher than necessary' (10,000 fold excess on energy
basis), and then feeding the output back on the input in such a way
Presented at \\Tinter Convention of A. I. E. E., New York City, Jan. 23-26,
1934. Published in Electrical E1tgineering, January 1934.
1
Sum mer Con ven ti on Chicago, I 11., J unc, 19 3 3; pub I ished in Eleclr ical Engineerin.g
July. 1933, and in Bell S)'S. Terh. Jour., Ju 1)1 1933.
t 1
1
2 BELL SYSTEf TECHNICAL JOURNAL
as to throw away the excess gain, it has been found possible to effect
extraordinary improvement in constancy of amplification and freedom
from non-linearity. By employing this feedback principle, amplifiers
have been built and used whose gain varied less than 0.01 db with a
change in plate voltage from 240 to 260 volts and whose modulation
products were 75 db below the signal output at full load . For an
amplifier of conventional design and comparable size this change in
plate voltage would have produced about 0. 7 db variation while the
modulation products would have been only 35 db down; in other
'vords, 40 db reduction in modulation products was effected. (On an
energy basis the reduction was 10,000 fold . )
Stabilized fee dback possesses other advantages including reduced
delay and delay distortion, reduced noise disturbance from the power
supply circuits and various other features best appreciated by practical
designers of amplifiers.
It is far from a simple JJroposition to employ feedback in this way
because of the very special control required of phase shifts in the
an1plifier and feedback circuits, not only throughout the useft1l fre
quency b and but also for a \vide range of frequencies above and below
this band. Unless these relations are maintained, singing will occurt
usually at frequencies o u tside the useful range. Once having achieved
a design, however, in \vhich proper phase relations are secured, expe
rience has demonstrated that the performance obtained is perfectly
reliable.
CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT
In the amplifier of Fig. 1, a p o rtion of the output is returned to the
input to produce feedback action. The upper branch, called the
-circuit, is represented as containing active elements such as an
amplifier while the lower branch, called the /j-circuit, is shown as a
passive network. The way a voltage is modified after once traversing
each circuit is denoted and f3 respectively and the product, {3, repre
sents how a vo l t age is modified after making a single journey around
amplifier and feedback circuits. Both and f3 are complex quantities,
functions of frequency, and in the generalized concept either or both
may be greater or less in absolute value than unity.2
Figure 2 sho\vs an arrangement convenient for some purposes where,
by using balanced bridges in in put and output circuits, interaction
between input and output is avoided and feedback action and amplifier
impedances are made independent of the properties of circuits con
nected to the amplifier.
2 . is not used in the sense that it is someti1nes usedt namely, to denote the
a111p)ification constant of a particular tube but as the con1plex ratio of the output
to the jnput voltage of the anlplifier circuit.
ST..:1 BILIZED FEl!.IJ B.1 CK ..4 ill P LI FIERS 3
e ---..
>--....-...
.. E + N + 0
f3(E +N+D)
rE EDBACK aRCUIT
"
.but does depend upon {3. Consequentl) the O'\"er-all characteristic \vill be con
trolled by the feedback circuit \vhich nla; include equalizers or other corrective
net\vorks.
GENERAL EQUATION
In Fig. 1, f3 is zero \Vithout feedback and a signal voltage, e0, applied
to the input of the -circuit produces an output voltage. This is
made up of \vhat is wanted, the amplified signal, E0, and components
that are not \Vanted, namely, noise and distortion designated N0 and
Do and assumed to be generated within the amplifier. It is further
assumed that the noise is independent of the signal and the distortion
generator or modulation a function only of tl1e sig11al 011tp11t. Using the
11otation of Fig. 11 the output \vithout feedback may be written as:
..- b:l
R tl1
"' 0
,
t""'4
..
I
t""4
I
,,.,,.
,
..,,/)
c -
L
,J
-
t-;
Cs
-.24V -70V +130V
t--i
Fig. 2-Circuit of a negative feedback amplifier.
.\' 1A BILIZRD FEED R.:1 CK A AfP LIFIER.<; 5
With feedba<:k, /3 is not zero and the input to t11e -circuit becomes
eo + {3(E + N + D). The dutput is E + N + D ar1d is equal to
[e0 + {j(E + N + D)] + n + d(E) or:
en + n + d(E)
E + N+ D (2)
.
1 1 1 p
=
- - -
1
GcF = 20 ?og10 1 _ {3 (3)
where GcF is db cliange in gain due to feedback. 1/(1 - {3) will be used
as a quantitative measu re of the effect of feedback and the feedback
referred to as positive feedback or negative feedback according as the
absolute value of 1/(1 fl) is greater or less than unity.
- Positive
feedback increases the gain of the amplifier; negative feedback r ed uc e s
it. The term feedback is not limited merely to those cases where the
absolute value of 1/(1 ) is other than unity.
-
and feedback circuits eq tlt ls cos-1 I /JI /2 a11cl, the refore, lies between
- 90 and + 90. For all conditio11s inside or above this boundary,
the gain \vi th feedback is increased; outside or below, the gain is
decreased.
STABILITY
From equation (2), eo/(1 - fl) is the amplified signal with feedback
and, therefore, /(1 - {3) is an index of the amplification. It is of
course a complex ratio. It \vill be designated AF and referred to as
the amplification with feedback.
To consider the effect of feedback upon stability of amplification,
the stability will be viewed as the ratio of a change, SAF, to AF where
oAF is due to a change in either or {3 and the effects may be derived
by assuming the variations are small.
(5)
(6)
[ oA F ...:_ {3 [ .
o/3
AF J 1 - {3 {3J (7)
(db) = 20 log10 I AF I ,
{3 = I {j I ' I (9)
rAF) j[ I
(10)
,. 1 2 cp +
=
- i ,B l cos I f3 J 2
The stability of amplification which is proportional to the gain
stability is given by:
(11)
(12)
(13)
BOUNDARY J BOUNDARY C
-3 B
ODS
-BCXJ::" NOARY H
....
- lO D B
BOUNDARY G
COS= -I I Ba.JN QARY r
/ COS<p=r
/ I
_....
BOUNDARY A
l...u..81 - cos "''t'
2
ZERO CHANGE
HF
1: ig. 3-'rhe ,crt or field of ./j. See capt ion for 1-ig. 4.
8 BELL .5'1r::iTEM TECIINICAL JOURNAL
t--++--\--t--Jir--+-=:t"#-L-L.)('
0
..340 g
tf)
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3 0 .....+--1
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-
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o 0
o
-+:.,_---111""'----..y;--"t---:i,__. 320
4
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I _,p I
Fig. 4-Phase shift around the feedback path plotted as a function of ! /3 I ,
the absolute value of /3.
fj is complex quantity which represents the ratio by which the amplifier and
a
feedback (or 1nore generally IL and (3) ntodify a voltage in a single trip around the
closed path.
First, there is a set of boundary curves indicated as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J
which gives either limiting or significent values of f3 and <I>.
Secondly, there is a family of curves in which db change in gain due to feedback is
I I
the parameter.
Boundaries
A. Conditions in which gain and 111odulation are unaffected by feedback.
B. Constant a111plification ratio against small variations in [ ,8 j.
The absolute magnitude of the \'oltage fed back 11 llPI is constant against
\7ariations in [ I and I fJ l.
STABILIZED FEEDB4CK AJ.fPLIFIERS 9
right hand side vanishes. This means that the gain stability is
perfect, assuming differentia: variations in f I - Referring to Figs. 3
and 4, contour C is the locus of j /3 ! sec <Pandit includes all ampli
=
l\11 OD ULATI ON
To determine the effect of feedback action upon modulation pro
duced in the amplifier circuitt it is convenient to assume that the
o utp ut of undistorted signal is made the same with and without feed
D. I /j=I
E. ct>
l.=
90. I n1proven1ent in gain stabilit)' corresponds to ty.ice db reduction
1n gain.
I. Sa111e 11roperties as E.
.. w h'1c h ! 1
J . C on d.1t1ons 1n
' 1/3 1 t h e overa ll gain JS
. .
. t h e exact negative
I ! fJ I
_
voltage at the input without feedback is free from distortion and with
feedback it is not and, hence, the assumption that the generated
modulation is a function only o.f the signal output used in deriving
equation (2) is not necessarily justified.
From the relationship D = Do/( 1 {3), it is to be concluded that
-
less expensive power supply filters are possible in the last stage.
with feedback, and it can be shown that the phase shift through the
amplifier with feedback may be made to approach the phase shift through
the {3-circuit plus 180 degrees. The effect of phase shift in the {j-circuit
is not correspondingly reduced. It will be recalled that in reducing
the change in phase shift with frequency, envelope delay, which
is the slope of the phase shift with respect to the angular velocity,
w = 2Trf, also is reduced. The delay distortion likewise is reduced
because a measure of delay distortion at a particular frequency is the
difference between the envelope delay at that frequency and the least
envelope delay i11 the band.
.S"lll 111 II ZlIJ JlEED B.4 L-.K 11 J.lfPLI FIEl.\' 1l
where {J
-
[ /3 j =
-
<I> 21 I
Under these circumstances increasing the loss
l_!.
= :/3
in the -circuit one db raises the gain of the amplifier one db and vice
versa, thus givi11g any gain-frequency characteristic for which a like
loss-frequency cl1aracteristic can be i nserted in the /j-circuit. This
procedure has been termed jl-circuit equalization. It possesses other
advantages which cannot be dwelt upon here.
A VOID SINGING
Having considered the theory up to this point, experimental evidence
\\"as readily acquired to demonstrate that {J might assume large values,
JO i-. C
I 00 11.C
\1 10
..... 1
I 8 KC
10 "'c
2KC
for example 10 or 10,000, provided <I> \\ras not at the same time zero.
However one noticeable feature about the field of (3 (Figs. 3 and 4) is
t
that it implies that even though the phase shift is zero and the absolute
value of fj exceeds unity, self-oscillations or singing \\rill not result.
This may or ma),. not be true. \Vhen the author first thought about
this matter he suspected that owing to practical non-linearity. singi ng
Vtlould result \\"he never the gain around the closed loop equalle d or
exceeded the loss and simultaneously the phase shift was zero, i.e. t
-. I
I 1
,
-
I
/
'
I
I
j
I
! I
90 I
FEEDBACK]l
.
NO
80
I
I
rt .
'
I I i
I \
I
I I \.
70
I
PE.RATlNG RANG;__.i '
I
60
II
/
;
I
4-40 KC
i
I
I
I
'
I
II
z
< 50
-
Cl
jjii"
I
I
'
'
I
I
'
\
FEEDBACK I
I
\'
I
I
a:=:
r
40 """"
La.. t '
I '
I
I -
...J I
a. I I
30
! I
-
.
I
I
I
FEEDBACK i: I
I
I
-- - - .. i---------- '- ----i--
.....
!
-- -
I
'
- --
20
.,,.
_.-
"'
I
,,
'
""" ,,_
I
I
I
'
I \
I I
I I \
10 l
I
I I
I
I r
I I
0
I
J,Ooo 1qooo
'
100 roo.ooo
FREQUENCY- CYCLES
exactly what is meant by enclosing the point (1, 0), reference should be made to
"Regeneration Theory "-H. Nyquist, Bell S)1stem Technical Jo11,rnal, Vol. XI,
pp. 126-147, July, 1932.
.' TA BILIZED FEEDB.4 CK A "AfPL I FIERS 13
have been tested where the number of stages ranged from one to five
inclusive. In every case the feedback path w as from the output of
the last t u b e to t he input of the first tube.
90 i
80
\ '
' J.
,,
, '
' ....
...
--.... ...
- ....
/
.. ... ... 3F'
,.
...
WI T H FEED BAC K I
....
. ... _
.. ,,
I
\
\
\
\
\
GR ' D \
'
Pa.SITIVE
m 60
I
'
\
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l
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aI I
'
'
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z '
0 '
I \
[I: \ '
50
l
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..
l
0 I
a: , '
l: '
-
.... '...... l
'
\
'
c
.II\
'
\
z
'
'...
'
... ...
<
.... .
... l
...
....
40 2F
0 l
....
z
0
... ... ,
/ '
u
tAJ
VJ
Y. '
'
'
NO f'EtDBACK
,
' I
,.
\
\
'
.
I
'
30
'"
'
'
'
'
20
0 10 20 30 40 50
Fig. 7-Mod ulation characterist ics wit h a n d \Vithout feedback for the ampli fier of
l<ig. 2 .
EXPERIMENTAL RE SULTS
Figures 6 a nd 7 sho,,r ho\\r the gai n-frequency and modulation char
acterist ics of the three-st age impedance cou pl ed amplifier of Fig. 2
are improved by negative feedback. In Fig. 7 , the improvement in
harmonics is n ot exactly equal to the db reduction in gain. Figure 8
14 BELL S 1r.) TEA1 TE CHNICA L JO UR 1VA L
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80
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95 15
FUNDA M E NTAL O U T PUT H E L D CON S TA N T
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F R[QUENCY IN K I LOCVC L ES
NO R MA L O P E R AT I NG VO LTAGE
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P L AT E B AT T E RY SUPPLY VOLTA G E
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WITHOUT FEEDBACK
-......
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M1 L LrAMPERES INTO 600 i..,:,
Fig. 1 0-Gain-load characterist ic \\'it h and wit h out feedback for a low le vel a111pl ifier
design ed t o amplif ) freq uencies fron1 3 . 5 to 50 kc .
'
.S T4 BILIZED FEED B.-l L"K 11 .J.lfPLI }'JEJ<}) 17
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5
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20 '00 1000 10000 20000
rFlEQUENC V I N CYC LES PER SECO ND
F ig. 1 1 -Phase shift , delay, a n d delay d is t ort i o n with a n d wit hout feedback fur a
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CONCLUSION
The feedback amplifie r dealt with in this paper was developed
11rimarily with requi rements in mind for a cable carrier telephone
system , i nvolving many ampli fiers i n tandem with many telephone
c ha n n el s passing through each amplifier. l\1ost of the examples of
feedback ampl i fier performance have nat ural ly been drawn fro m
ampli fiers designed for this field of operation . In this fiel d , vacuum
t ube amplifiers normal ly possessi ng good ch aracteristics with respect
to stability and freedom from distortion are made t o possess super
l atively good characteri stics by application of the feedback pri nci ple.
However, certain types of ampli fiers in which economy has been
secured by sacri ficing perform ance characteristics , particularly as
regards distortion , can be made to possess im proved characteristics
by the application of feedback. Discussion of these amplifiers is
beyond the scope of t h i s paper.