© Ahmad El-Banna

Benha University
Faculty of Engineering at Shoubra

ECE-312
Electronic Circuits (A)

Lecture # 9

December 2014
Power Amplifiers (Class A & B)
Instructor:
Dr. Ahmad El-Banna
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Post Mid-Term Schedule

Week 8 • Power Amplifiers

ECE-312 , Lec#9 , Dec 2014

Week 9 • Oscillators

Week 10 • Tuned Amplifiers

• Mixers & Modulators

Week 11 • Project Delivery & Oral Exam (Group A)

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• Project Delivery & Oral Exam (Group B)
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Agenda

Introduction

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Series-Fed Class A Amplifier

Transformer-Coupled Class A Amplifier

Class B Amplifier Operation

Class B Amplifier Circuits 3

INTRODUCTION
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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Amplifier Classes
• In small-signal amplifiers, the main factors are usually amplification linearity and
magnitude of gain.
• Large-signal or power amplifiers, on the other hand, primarily provide sufficient power
to an output load to drive a speaker or other power device, typically a few watts to tens
of watts.
• The main features of a large-signal amplifier are the circuit’s power efficiency, the

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maximum amount of power that the circuit is capable of handling, and the impedance
matching to the output device.
• Amplifier classes represent the amount the output signal varies over one cycle of
operation for a full cycle of input signal.

Power Amplifier Classes:

1. Class A: The output signal varies
for a full 360° of the input signal.
• Bias at the half of the supply

2. Class B: provides an output signal

varying over one-half the input
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signal cycle, or for 180° of signal.
• Bias at the zero level
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Amplifier Efficiency
Power Amplifier Classes …
3. Class AB: An amplifier may be biased at a dc level above the zero-base-current level
of class B and above one-half the supply voltage level of class A.

4. Class C: The output of a class C amplifier is biased for operation at less than 180° of
the cycle and will operate only with a tuned (resonant) circuit, which provides a full

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cycle of operation for the tuned or resonant frequency.

5. Class D: This operating class is a form of amplifier operation using pulse (digital)
signals, which are on for a short interval and off for a longer interval.

• The power efficiency of an amplifier, defined as the ratio of power output

to power input, improves (gets higher) going from class A to class D.

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SERIES-FED CLASS A AMPLIFIER
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 © Ahmad El-Banna
SERIES-FED CLASS A AMPLIFIER
• DC Bias Operation

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• AC Operation

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Power Considerations
• The power drawn from the supply is

• Output Power

• Efficiency

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• Maximum Efficiency

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N.B.:
 Example

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AMPLIFIER
TRANSFORMER-COUPLED CLASS A
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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Transformer Action
• A transformer can increase or decrease
voltage or current levels according to its
turns ratio a=N1:N2

• The impedance connected to one side of

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a transformer can be made to appear
either larger or smaller (step up or step
down) at the other side of the
transformer.

• Impedance Transformation
• Voltage Transformation

• Current Transformation 12
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Operation of Amplifier Stage
• Signal Swing and Output AC Power

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• Efficiency

• power loss

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• Maximum Theoretical Efficiency

• Check EXAMPLE 12.4 !

CLASS B AMPLIFIER OPERATION
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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Push–Pull Amplifier
• Class B operation is provided when the dc bias
leaves the transistor biased just off, the
transistor turning on when the ac signal is
applied.
• This is essentially no bias, and the transistor

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conducts current for only one-half of the signal
cycle.

• Connection of push–pull amplifier to load

• The current drawn from a single

power supply has the form of a full-
wave rectified signal
• whereas that drawn from two power
supplies has the form of a half-wave
rectified signal from each supply.

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Efficiency & Power Consideration
• Maximum Power Considerations

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• Efficiency

• Power Dissipated by Output Transistors

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CLASS B AMPLIFIER CIRCUITS
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 Phase-Splitter Circuits

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Class B Amplifier Circuits
• Transformer-Coupled Push–Pull Circuits

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Transistors are bulky !

 © Ahmad El-Banna
Class B Amplifier Circuits..
• Complementary-Symmetry Circuits • Complementary-symmetry push–pull
circuit using Darlington transistors.

Needs two separate

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voltage supplies!

Biasing the transistors

in class AB improves
this operation

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o higher output current
o lower output resistance.
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Class B Amplifier Circuits…
• Quasi-Complementary Push–Pull Amplifier

o In practical power amplifier circuits, it

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is preferable to use npn transistors
for both high-current-output devices.

o The push–pull operation is achieved

by using complementary transistors
(Q 1 and Q2) before the matched npn
output transistors ( Q3 and Q4 ).

o R2 can be adjusted to minimize

crossover distortion.

o It is the most popular form of power 21

amplifier
• Quasi-complementary push–pull
transformerless power amplifier.
 Example

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
• For more details, refer to:
• Chapter 12 at R. Boylestad, Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory,
11th edition, Prentice Hall.
• The lecture is available online at:

ECE-312 , Lec#9 , Dec 2014

• http://bu.edu.eg/staff/ahmad.elbanna-courses/11966
• For inquires, send to:
• [email protected]

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