Experiment #3 Buffer Amplifier: R8 22K U1 LM318 C6 0.1 Uf C5 0.1 Uf C7 0.1 Uf
Experiment #3 Buffer Amplifier: R8 22K U1 LM318 C6 0.1 Uf C5 0.1 Uf C7 0.1 Uf
Experiment #3 Buffer Amplifier: R8 22K U1 LM318 C6 0.1 Uf C5 0.1 Uf C7 0.1 Uf
BUFFER AMPLIFIER
INTRODUCTION:
Oscillator circuits in radio transmitters are required to stay very close to their intended frequency--in other words, they
are required to be frequency stable. If the master oscillator in a radio transmitter
drifts too far off its intended frequency, the transmitter will be sending on the wrong frequency--and this might cause
interference with other stations.
One of the things that can cause an oscillator to "drift" off frequency is a change in the load resistance it provides signal
to. In a practical transmitter, the oscillator always drives a special amplifier stage with a constant input resistance; this
stage is called the buffer amplifier.
Normally, a buffer amplifier provides very little power gain. Stages later on in the transmitter will do that. Instead, the
buffer amplifier provides a light, but constant load for the oscillator, regardless of the load on the output terminals.
Thus, the oscillator cannot drift off frequency due to output load changes.
Normally, a transmitter will use a buffer amplifier constructed using a class-A transistor amplifier with tuned circuits.
The circuit you'll build here is the op-amp equivalent.
+12V
R8 U1 C5
22K LM318 0.1 uF
C6
7
R5 R6
22K 10K
R7
C8 10K
0.22 uF
The unit is designed around an op-amp wired as a non-inverting amplifier. Which resistors set the gain? Right, R7,
and R6.
You might remember the old "standby" formula for the voltage gain of the non-inverting operational amplifier; that is:
Rf
Av = +1
Ri
The RF OUTPUT from the oscillator is AC coupled into the amplifier by C6, while R5 and R8 form a voltage divider
to bias the non-inverting input of the op-amp at half Vcc, or approximately 6 volts. When the circuit is operating
correctly, the DC voltage readings on pins 2,3, and 6 of the op-amp will all be close to 6 volts. Capacitor C8 is an DC
block that provides an AC ground at the bottom of R6, while preventing DC current from flowing there, which would
disrupt the mid-point bias of the op-amp.
The output of the buffer amplifier is coupled to the next stage by C7, a 0.1 µF capacitor. At radio frequencies, large
coupling capacitors are no longer needed. Why do you think this is so? Right, it's because Xc (capacitive reactance)
goes down as frequency goes up. At very high frequencies, a relatively small capacitor will have only a few ohms of
reactance--in other words, it will be a good coupling capacitor. At radio frequencies, coupling capacitors will almost
always tend to be smaller than 1 µF.
C5 is an important capacitor. It serves as an RF Bypass for the power supply buss. It is possible for a little bit (well,
sometimes a lot!) of radio frequency energy to "leak" into the power supply busses. The RF energy on the power supply
will travel right back to the most sensitive stages in the unit; this is unwanted feedback, and usually it results in
unwanted oscillation. C5 shorts any RF voltage present on the power supply busses to ground, before it can reach other
stages. Well-built equipment always has plenty of strategically-placed RF bypass capacitors. In fact, capacitors are
generally the most numerous components in any radio equipment.
Some op-amps are better suited for RF amplification than others. In the first part of the experiment, you will compare
the performance of a standard 741 op-amp with the 318 op-amp. (The pin-outs of both units are identical.)
1. Build the circuit of figure 1 using a 741 op-amp. It is OK to build on the same breadboard as the oscillator.
Don't connect the RF INPUT of this circuit to the oscillator stage yet!
2. Now, tell me, what should the voltage gain of this circuit be? Show your calculation.
3. Connect the signal generator sine wave output to the RF INPUT of the circuit.
6. Set the signal generator for 1 KHz, 1 volt peak-to-peak output. Use channel #1 of the scope to verify the settings.
7. The output should be visible on channel #2. What is the peak-to-peak value?
8. What is the measured voltage gain, in V/V, for the circuit? (Use the information from steps 6 and 7 to calculate.)
Show your work.
NOTE: Make sure that the output of the signal generator is still
1 Volt p-p after each frequency change!
10. Fill in the rest of the missing information in the table. Remember the formula for dB gain, given two voltages? It is:
11. At what frequency did the gain of the 741 start to decrease?
13. At what frequency did the gain of the 318 start to decrease? (If a gain decrease occurred.)
14. Comparing the frequency response information from tables 1 and 2, which op-amp would be best suited as an RF
amplifier, the 741 or the 318? Why?
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+12V
C1 C4
L1 0.002 uF 0.1 uF R8 U1 C5
100 uH 22K LM318 0.1 uF
C6
7
R1 C2 3 C7
+
10K 0.001 uF 6 RF OUTPUT (To Modulator)
2 -
0.1 uF
0.1 uF
Q1
4
2N3904 C3 R5 R6
R4 22K 10K
R2 10K R7
4.7K R3 0.1 uF
1K C8 10K
0.22 uF
15. Before connecting the oscillator to the buffer amplifier, very carefully measure the following:
16. Now connect or "couple" the oscillator to the buffer amplifier. Figure 2 shows the complete circuit you've built to
this point.
17. Re-measure the oscillator output voltage amplitude and frequency. These are the values when "loaded" by the
buffer amplifier.
19. From the comparisons in step 18, would you say that connection of the buffer amplifier had a great effect on the
output of the oscillator? Why or why not?
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20. What is the maximum undistorted RF OUTPUT voltage you can get from the buffer amplifier output by adjusting
R4?
Most troubles with the buffer amplifier circuit can be traced to wiring errors or power supply troubles. In case of
trouble, try the following:
1. Perform a careful visual inspection of the circuit, comparing it to the schematic diagram. Make sure each component
value matches what is called for on the schematic diagram.
3. Check the AC voltages in the order listed at the following locations, using an oscilloscope and a 10:1 probe. The test
points are listed in order of signal flow, from input to output.
Junction of C3 and R4 5 Vpp +/- 3 Vpp @ 480 - 680 Oscillator output signal voltage. Frequency
KHz. determined by L1 adjustment.
U1 pin 3 0 - 5 Vpp @ 480 - 680 KHz. Input signal to amplifier circuit. The amplitude of
this voltage is controlled by potentiometer R4.
U1 pin 6 0 - 10 Vpp @ 480 - 680 KHz Output signal of amplifier circuit.
1. Why is a buffer amplifier used after an oscillator stage? (What is the benefit?)
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2. Are large electrolytic capacitors necessary for coupling RF amplifier stages? Why or why not?
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