Basic amplifier circuits with bipolar transistors

Introduction:
General transistors can be operated in different basic amplifier circuits. These
circuits are named after which electrode, which acts as a common reference
electrode for the input and output signal voltage.
1- Emitter circuit.
2- Collector circuit.
3- Base circuit.

The Bipolar Junction Transistor is a semiconductor device which can be used for switching or
amplification. The Bipolar Transistor is a three terminal device; there are basically three
possible ways to connect it within an electronic circuit with one terminal being common to both
the input and output. Each method of connection responding differently to its input signal
within a circuit as the static characteristics of the transistor varies with each circuit
arrangement.

 Common Base Configuration   –   has Voltage Gain but no Current Gain.

 Common Emitter Configuration   –   has both Current and Voltage Gain.
 Common Collector Configuration   –   has Current Gain but no Voltage Gain.
Objectives:
1- To get more experience with amplifiers and their characteristics.
2- To understand the methods used to get the best amplifier that suits our
requirement.
3- To become familiar with the three basic configurations for the amplifier.
Tools and Components:
1- Power supply (DC and AC source).
2- DMM and oscilloscope.
3- BJT NPN transistor.
4- Resistor: 10kΩ, 1kΩ, 2.2kΩ, 100Ω, 4.7kΩ, 10Ω, 1kPotentiometer.
5- Capacitors1μf, 0.22μf.
6- Training electronic board, wires and connectors.
Test:
Determine by measurement the electric characteristics of the three basic
amplifier circuits:
 Voltage amplification factor VU.
 Upper or lower limiting frequency f.
 Input Resistance RE.
 Output resistance RA.
 Phase shift angle ϕ.
We operate the basic amplifier circuit as pure AC voltage amplifier, for isolation
of supply voltage from signal voltage use capacitors and connect as the shown
circuits in this report as C1, C2 and additionally for the base circuit C3.

Procedures:
Part one: emitter circuit tests
1- Apply sine-wave voltage to the input A of emitter circuit as the following
circuit and use f=1KHz and Vss = 30mV:
Note: for more convenient measurement of the low input voltage, select a
voltage divider (RT 1) at the generator output. Thus, input voltage UE’ at the
measuring point B is 11*UE=0.33V. Adjust the operation point with the
potentiometer, until undistorted voltage is applied to measuring point C. that
mean we use the potentiometer to make the swing be max without distortion or
cut from the signal.
2- Measure input and output voltage with the oscilloscope and draw the curve
as the following graph (curve 1). Determine the phase shifting between UE
and UA and calculate the voltage amplification factor with following equation:

Curve 1: this graph represent the relation between the input voltage (yellow one
the smaller Vpp) and the output voltage (blue one that have bigger Vpp), and we
notice that the input voltage has been amplified by a factor called beta as
previous equation from the transistor and all calculation will be in the table after
all procedures, and the phase shift between input signal to output signal equal
180.
3- Determine the upper limiting frequency. It is the frequency, when output
voltage drops to 70.7% of its maximum value if frequency is increased. And
determine the lower limiting frequency. It is the frequency, when output
voltage drops to 70.7% of its maximum value if frequency is decreased. But
the upper frequency does not exist in the width of the signal because the
signal will be so large.
4- Determine the input resistance RE. According to the required resistors to
connect in the table will be shown, and connect resistor RV in series to the
input A. this will affect, that output voltage of value U1 drops to value U2.
From both voltages and the familiar series resistor, you can calculate the
input resistance RE with the following equation: note: RI=RE

5- Then determine the output resistance RA. Therefore connect the load resistor
RL in parallel to output (C to earth), thus output voltage with value U1 drops
to value of U2. From both voltages and the familiar load resistor, you can
calculate the output resistance with the following equation:

Note: the determined values is found in the table that will be after the
procedures.

Part two: collector circuit test

1- Set-up the collector circuit as the following circuit:

2- Repeat your measurement in the same way and same procedures. Draw the
curve as the following graph: (curve2)
Curve 2: this graph represent the relation between the input voltage (yellow
one) and the output voltage (blue one), and we notice that the input voltage has
roughly the same amplitude with the output voltage so the amplification factor
is about one according to the above graph, and the phase shift between input
signal to output signal equal 0 so we don’t have phase shift in common collector
circuit.
3- Calculate the input resistance, output resistance and the upper limiting
frequency and fill your results in the table that will be after all procedures.
Note: for determination of the upper limiting frequency the function generator
should have a frequency range of MHz.
Emitter circuit Collector circuit
UE (V) 30mV/1KHz 1V/1KHz
UA (V) 2.78V/1KHz 1.5/1KHz
Beta or VU 2.78V/30mV=92.6 1.5V/1V=1.5
f (Hz) 101Hz 59Hz
Φ (degree) 180 0
RE (Ω) X= 920 (RV=470Ω) W= 30550 (RV=4.7KΩ)
RA (Ω) Y= 3675.6 (RL=4.7KΩ) Z= 153 (RL=1KΩ)
Note: X,Y,Wand Z is a values can be determined as the following:
X=470/((2.78/1.84)-1)=920Ω.
Y= (4.7*10^3)*((2.78/1.56)-1) =3675.6Ω.
W=(4.7*10^3)/((1.5/1.3)-1)=30550Ω.
Z=1000*((1.5/1.3)-1) =153Ω.

Questions:
Q1: Which one of the three circuits does have inverting effect?

The Emitter circuit has inverting effect which inverting the output signal by 180° from the input
signal.

Q2: For what task do we use the collector circuit due to its characteristics?

In common collector, the circuit has current instead of voltage gain; because of its
characteristics it is preferred in many electronic devices. A small change to the input current
results in much larger change in the output current supplied to the output load, and we use it
in high frequency applications.

Q3: What are the both significant difference between base circuit and
emitter circuit?
Note: we don’t do the base circuit in the lab but the answer will be as we study in
theoretical material (electronics 2).

1- The emitter circuit has high amplification (Av=high) but in base circuit no
amplification (Av=1).
2- The emitter circuit is inverting the output signal by180°but the base circuit has no
inverting.

Conclusion:
After this experiment we have learned, understand relation, and became familiar with new
Amplifier circuits. We saw that there are three configurations and how is the different
between these, at Av, Ai, Zi, Zout and how could that effect the use of every amplifier circuit
and in power too. We distinguished between the configuration at frequency we got 0.707 max
of output and the effect to band width due to this.