Department Of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Independent University, Bangladesh

ETE322L- Open Ended Lab Project

Title: Implement a Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) using
MATLAB & Analyze the Waveforms.

Submitted To
Emranul Haque
Lecturer, Department of EEE, IUB

Submitted By
Md. Khalid Mahmud
ID: 2030083

Submission Date: 04-09-2023

Introduction
Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) is a fundamental digital modulation method used in signal
processing and telecommunications. By adjusting the amplitude of discrete pulses in
accordance with the amplitude of the analog signal being conveyed, it is a technique for
encoding analog information onto a digital signal. In digital communication systems, PAM is
frequently used to transport speech, data, or other analog information via digital channels. PAM
produces a set of discrete amplitude values by periodically sampling the continuous analog
stream. The amplitudes of the pulses in the digital stream are then modulated using these
discrete amplitude values. The quantity of discrete levels (sometimes referred to as quantization
levels) utilized to represent the analog signal, the sampling rate, and the pulse shape are the
main features of PAM.

PAM provides a few benefits, including straightforwardness, simplicity in use, and the capacity
to transport digital data over a range of communication channels. When it comes to using
bandwidth, it can be less effective than certain other modulation schemes and is susceptible to
noise. Due to its critical function in the initial quantization of analog signals before further
processing and transmission, PAM is frequently employed as a building block for more
complicated modulation schemes, such as Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) in digital audio
transmission.

Compared to other kinds of modulation systems, the production of a PAM signal is rather
simple. An astable Op-Amp, which is essentially a square wave, is first used to create the carrier
wave. The modulating sine wave produced by a Wien Bridge Oscillator, on the other hand. The
resulting PAM signal is then obtained by multiplying the two signals.

The modulated signal is put through a low pass filter, which removes the high frequency
components to produce the low frequency message signal, to demodulate it.

Objectives:
• Analyze Pulse Amplitude Modulation Signals by using MATLAB Codes.
• Compare the simulated outputs with the experimental outputs.
• To know techniques of Pulse Amplitude Modulation
Literature Review (Theoretical Insights)
Modulation is categorized into two types depending on the type of signal.

• Continuous-wave Modulation
• Pulse Modulation

Continuous-wave modulation and Pulse modulation are further categorized as shown below.

Fig 1: Types of Modulation.

Pulse Amplitude Modulation: Modulation is the process of altering various attributes of a

carrier signal, such as its amplitude, frequency, or width, to embed information within it.
Typically, a carrier signal maintains a constant amplitude and frequency. Pulse Amplitude
Modulation (PAM) is a modulation technique that focuses on varying the amplitude of discrete
pulses in correspondence with the instantaneous amplitude of a modulating signal. This method
entails regularly sampling the signal and assigning each sample a proportional amplitude in a
series of signal pulses. PAM can be understood as encoding data by manipulating the
amplitudes of these electromagnetic pulses over regular time intervals.

In PAM, the number of possible amplitudes can theoretically be infinite, but it's often based on
the powers of two to facilitate digital signal processing. For example, in level-4 PAM, there are
22 discrete pulse amplitudes, while level-8 PAM comprises 23 discrete pulse amplitudes. In
practical applications, PAM is frequently succeeded by more advanced modulation techniques
like Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) or Pulse Position Modulation (PPM) for digital data
transmission. Notably, Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is employed in high-speed
phone modems exceeding 300 bit/s.

Fig 2: Pulse Amplitude Modulation Waveform.

Pulse Amplitude Modulation serves as the foundational form of pulse modulation, where the
signal is systematically sampled, and each sample's amplitude reflects the modulating signal's
characteristics. To generate a PAM signal, a sampler is utilized, which combines a
sampling/carrier signal with the modulating signal, resulting in a signal amplitude that
corresponds to the modulating signal. This PAM signal exhibits a specific spectrum, which
includes both the message and sampling signals, portrayed over time. Pulse Modulation is
particularly effective for transmitting analog data or continuous speech signals. The PAM signal
is generated using a sine wave generator based on the Wien Bridge Oscillator circuit, ensuring
distortion-free sine waves at the output. Adjusting the oscillator's amplitude and frequency is
made possible through a potentiometer, allowing precise control over the modulation process.

Sampling Techniques: There are two types of sampling techniques for transmitting a signal
using PAM. They are:

• Flat Top PAM

• Natural PAM
Flat Top PAM: Each pulse's amplitude is inversely proportional to the modulating signal's
amplitude now of the pulse. Regarding the analog signal that will be sampled, the signal's
amplitude cannot be modified. The amplitude's tops are still flat.

Fig 3: Flat Top PAM.

Natural PAM: Each pulse's amplitude is inversely proportional to the modulating signal's
amplitude now of the pulse. The remainder of the half-cycle is then spent with the pulse's
amplitude.

Fig 4: Natural PAM

Pulse amplitude modulation has the following benefits:

• Extremely quick and easy transmission and receipt of amplitude signals free from
outside interference.
• The PAM circuit is simple to build and operate, and it serves two purposes at once by
simultaneously transmitting messages and producing pulse signals.
• Modulation and demodulation happen automatically without the need for human
intervention.

Negative Effects of Pulse Amplitude Modulation:

• Increased bandwidth is needed to transmit the PAM signal, and this results in more
noise leftovers that might disrupt communications.
• In many circumstances, requires a higher volume of power consumption.

[Theory Reference: 01]

Methodology
This project's technique is mostly focused on simulation. To begin with, all hypotheses were
examined to gain a general understanding of pulse amplitude modulation. The project was
carried out using the robust engineering program MATLAB. Coding allowed for the project's
effective completion. The variables fc and fm were first used to set the frequencies of the
message signal and the carrier, respectively. The carrier's inverse was the interval. The sine wave
that the variable m defines is the modulating signal. Finally, a square wave with a magnitude of
0.5 and a DC offset of 0.5 was chosen as the carrier. Afterwards the message signal was
multiplied with the carrier wave. All three signals—the message signal, carrier signal, and PAM
signal—are shown on the same graph using the subplot option. All the sub plotted graphs were
given the names Xlabel, Ylabel, and title.

Simulation & Results: (MATLAB Code)

clc
close all
v = 83; %SID: 2030083; Last Two Digit = v = carrier frequency =
83Hz
fm = 10;
fs = 100*v;
t = 0:1/fs:4/fm;
m = sin(2*pi*fm*t);
c = 0.5* square (2*pi*v*t) + 0.5;
mo = m.*c;
subplot(3,1,1);
plot(t,m);
xlabel('Time');
ylabel('Amplitude');
title('Message Signal');
grid on;
subplot(3,1,2);
plot(t,c);
xlabel('Time');
ylabel('Amplitude');
title('Carrier Signal');
grid on;
subplot(3,1,3);
plot(t,mo);
xlabel('Time');
ylabel('Amplitude');
title('PAM Signal');
grid on; [Code Reference: 02]
Waveform Comparison

Fig 5: Waveform of PAM (Simulated).

Fig 6: Waveform of PAM (Experimental). [Ref: Lab-07]

Discussion (Comparison & Discrepancies)
Both the input waveform and the output waveform were created since the project was completed
through simulation. The Lab experiment also used the same PAM experiment. The simulation graph
created for the OEL, and the graph created for the lab experiment are extremely comparable. There is a
variation in the graphs, though. The MATLAB-produced graph has a shorter time interval than the actual
graph, however the generated picture in the lab experiment has a longer time delay between two
subsequent pulses. This is since the simulation's carrier frequency is higher than the experiment's carrier
frequency. Another distinction is that the experiment has a negligible amount of noise because the PAM
is produced in real life. Apart from that, the experiments that had been done in Lab are matched with
the simulated ones and that gives the clearance about the code has been done successfully.

References:
1. https://www.elprocus.com/pulse-amplitude-modulation/
2. https://www.divilabs.com/2014/04/simulation-generation-of-pam-signal.html