19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

B. Tech (Electronics and Communication Engineering)

(2019 Admissions Onwards)

Laboratory Manual

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore - 641112
Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

Acknowledgement

This manual for the course titled Analog Electronics Laboratory (19ECE281), offered to the third semester
students of B.Tech Electronics and Communication Engineering (from the 2019 Admissions), of the Amrita School of
Engineering, has evolved out of the number of batches of students to whom this course has been administered, in
various forms and who have patiently suffered through the inevitable mistakes made in the initial stages. Their
experiences, the mistakes that they made in the lab, the suggestions offered by some of them, have all gone into
the making of this manual. I owe a big debt of gratitude to all those unnamed students, who have unwittingly served
as the guinea pigs in this exercise.

This course could not have been run as smoothly and successfully as it has been were it not for the
enthusiastic support, active participation and coordination amongst the number of my faculty colleagues who have
offered this course over the years, to various batches. We have learnt from your experiences and have tried to
incorporate your suggestions in preparing this manual. Thank you.

The Analog Electronics Laboratory course would not have taken off without the whole hearted support and
involvement of the laboratory staff, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, in running this course –
conducting the lab beyond regular class hours and during holidays, foregoing their free time, to ensure that the
objectives of the course are fully met and that the students are benefitted. They are the foundation on which the
success of this lab rests. Thank you very much.

I would be remiss in my duty if I were not to place on record the unstinted support and cooperation received
from the other faculty members of the department, in general and the Department Chair, in particular, for the
unfettered freedom given for the smooth and successful conduct of this course. Thank you, Sir.

N. Madhu Mohan

Department of Electronics and Commn. Engineering 2 / 23

Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

Note for the User

This manual is intended for the course 19ECE281 – Analog Electronics Laboratory, which is typically offered
concurrently with the lecture-based course on Analog Electronics (19ECE281). While this offers several advantages,
chief of which is being able to demonstrate in the lab, concepts which are also taught in the classroom at the same
time, there are a few issues which need to be kept in mind. The most important one is, of course, that any experiment
can be offered in the lab, only after it has been discussed in class. The fact that the lecture-based course is not able
to keep up a good pace is one that we have been trying to grapple with over the past few semesters and have still
not been able to find an answer to. As a result, we are forced to spend quite some time, experimenting with ideas
and concepts from the previous semesters, like Network Analysis.

This time around, a positive aspect of the the pandemic and the consequent lockdown is that all the students
are coming to the lab, with fundamental courses in electronics, particularly 19ECE281, completed. Hence, it is
expected that all of them would be familiar with circuit performance, analysis and simulation. It should be smoother
sailing for the students as well as the faculty concerned.

Fortunately, with the duration of the lab sessions having been increased, it would perhaps mean that more
experiments can be conducted within the tight academic schedule each semester. It would require coordination and
understanding amongst the course mentors, the faculty in charge of the theory and lab sessions as well as the
laboratory staff, to see if some of the fundamental concepts of Analog Electronics can be brought forward, the topics
shuffled without losing their relevance and sense, so that the limited time in the lab can be better utilized. Hence,
the order of experiments in this manual is not to be treated as set in stone – rather, it should be flexible, with the
mentors trying to combine individual experiments, adding some other experiments which they feel to be more
relevant and useful and taking off some others which they might think to be unnecessary.

The content of each experiment – the objectives and perhaps, even the procedure for conducting the
experiment – should be changed each time the course is offered, so that it does not become mechanical and the
students do not fall into the trap of copying from the lab records of their seniors. The faculty and the lab staff should
ensure that the entire lab process – analysis and study of the required circuit and its simulation, writing up the
record, conducting the experiment and the viva voce – is faithfully and rigorously implemented.

Ideally, the faculty, the teaching assistants and the lab staff should be well-versed with all aspects of every
experiment, as well as the probable mistakes that the students can make. They should have done the experiments
themselves, to have a fair idea of the time that each experiment would take as well as of the difficulties that the
students are likely to face.

It is time that all of us came together to bring back the joy of experimentation to the students – the happiness
of seeing the successful implementation and working of some abstract concept / circuit taught in class, has to be
experienced to be believed. Only then would we be able to attract more and better students to this crucial part of
Electronics Engineering, encouraging them to build better and more complex circuits and devices.

Any errors in this manual may kindly be brought to my attention, so that they may be corrected in subsequent
versions.

Department of Electronics and Commn. Engineering 3 / 23

Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

B. Tech (Electronics and Communication Engg) – III Semester

General Instructions

1. Though the students will be doing the experiments in groups of three, it is expected that all of them will be
actively involved in all stages of the laboratory exercise.

2. The students are expected to be on time, every time. No excuses ; No exceptions, even for day scholars,
opting for University transport.

3. COVID-19 protocol has to be strictly maintained, unless restrictions are removed by the authorities. Students
are to be masked at all times and will not be allowed to gather around the tables, except for their allotted
ones.

4. Students are required to be safely attired for the lab. They should be in uniform (unless they have been
exempted), and should be carrying their institute ID cards. Shirts will be neatly tucked in and hair should be
neatly tied up. They should NOT be wearing clothes, which could get entangled in the circuits. They should
compulsorily wear shoes, which are laced-up or tied, preferably rubber soled. Floaters, Slippers, Slip-ons, any
other sort of casual footwear are NOT permitted.

5. Considering the tight schedule for the lab, students miss classes / experiments at their own risk. There will be
no makeup lab.

6. The students are expected to come to the laboratory, well prepared in terms of analysis of the circuit,
simulation as well as a thorough understanding of its operation.

7. The students will maintain a neat record of the experiments done in the lab, bringing the record with them,
whenever they come to the lab. They will also carry with them a copy of the results of the simulation of the
experiment for the day.

8. The students will carry with them, a neatly maintained observation book, where the circuit of the day along
with any tables or other figures are to be written up before coming to the lab. This book will be verified every
day, by the faculty-in-charge, under his signature, along with any other comments / remarks

9. The students will not be permitted to enter the lab without the record, observation note book or the
simulation results.

10. The record will be of A4 size, hard bound, preferably with graph sheets interleaved, and will be covered with
brown paper, with the student’s roll number, written on top as well as on the spine of the book. The flaps
should be neatly pasted down.

11. Any graphs used, will be neatly pasted (and not stapled) in the record, with no overhanging edges.

12. The responsibility for getting their readings / output verified rests with the students. Please note that each
experiment is evaluated – the weightage for the record, the experiment, the Quiz and the preparation will be
as 10:30:20:20.

13. The lab assessment will consist of the evaluation for the individual lab experiments and an end semester
examination, whose weightage will be as 80:20.

14. The end semester examinations will be conducted individually, as per the schedule which will be intimated
later.

Department of Electronics and Commn. Engineering 4 / 23

Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory 0 03 1

Course and Program Outcomes

Objectives

• To be able to operate laboratory equipment

• To be able to use datasheets and extract various device parameters
• To set up and characterize simple electronic devices like diodes and transistors
• To be able to design, prototype and troubleshoot simple electronic circuits using diodes and transistors

Course Outcomes:
After the completion of the course the student will be able to:

CO1 Handle and operate laboratory equipment

CO2 Know how to use datasheets and extract information from them

CO3 Set up, troubleshoot and validate simple electronic circuits

CO4 Use simulation tools (PSpice) to understand and analyse circuits

Mapping of course outcomes with program outcomes:

Course
PO1 PO2 PO3 PO4 PO5 PO6 PO7 PO8 PO9 PO10 PO11 PO12 PSO1 PSO2
Outcomes
CO1 3 2 2 3 3 2 2

CO2 3 3 3 2 3 3 2 2

CO3 3 3 2 3 3 2 2

CO4 3 3 2 3 3 2 2

Textbooks / References:

1. Sedra A and Smith K C, “Microelectronic circuits”, Oxford University Press, Sixth Edition, 2010.

Department of Electronics and Commn. Engineering 5 / 23

Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

Table of Contents

Acknowledgement 2

Note for the User 3

General Instructions 4

Course and Program Outcomes 5

Familiarisation with equipment 7

Networks – Measurements and Limitations 8

Diode Characteristics 10

Rectifiers 12

Clippers and Clampers 14

Shunt Voltage Regulator 16

Characteristics of a Bipolar Junction Transistor 18

BJT Amplifier 21

Department of Electronics and Commn. Engineering 6 / 23

Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

Expt - 0

Familiarisation with equipment

Objective:

In this laboratory session, the student will get to handle and operate some of the commonly used
laboratory equipment, like the function generator and the Oscilloscope, as well as the digital meters and learn
how to make reasonably accurate measurements using them.

Function Generator:

Learn how to

1. Set up different waveforms, like the sine, square and triangular waveforms, with varying parameters
like the time period, amplitude, etc.
2. Attenuate the output to obtain very low amplitude signals.
3. Provide as well as nullify dc offset.
4. Change the range of frequency

Oscilloscope:

Learn how to

1. Acquire and display signal waveforms.

2. Adjust the scale along both the time and magnitude axes.
3. Trigger the acquisition so as to obtain a stable display
4. Obtain the Voltage transfer Characteristic (VTC) of a given circuit
5. Check the accuracy of the oscilloscope measurement.

Experiment:

1. Set up the function generator to provide a sinusoidal output (vi) of amplitude 100 mV and frequency
1 kHz.
2. Acquire and display this signal on the oscilloscope, with the time and magnitude scales at 5 ms and
200 mV respectively. Measure the amplitude and frequency of the signal.
3. Repeat Step 2 with the time and magnitude scales at 0.5 ms and 50 mV respectively. Is there any
difference in the measurements ? Why ?
4. vi may be provided as the input to a voltage divider consisting of two resistors of 10 kΩ and 20 kΩ. The
output (vo) may be taken from the common terminal of the two resistors. Display both v i and vo on
𝑣𝑜
the oscilloscope. Measure the ratio 𝑣𝑖
.
𝑣𝑜
5. Display the VTC of the circuit and measure 𝑣𝑖
. Compare with the result of Step 4.

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Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

Expt - 1

Networks – Measurements and Limitations

Objective:

In this laboratory session, the student will get to know the principle behind making some of the simple
measurements in the laboratory and the limitations of the instruments that are commonly used for this
purpose.

Instructions:

1. Before you start connecting up your circuit, ensure that all power supplies are switched off and that the
control knobs are in the minimum setting.
2. Before you start taking measurements, make sure that your Voltmeters, Ammeters, Oscilloscopes, etc are
working properly. The display on the power sources may not be reliable – use either the voltmeter or the
Oscilloscope to check.
3. Double check the values of the resistors that you are using – they may not have been in the right bin,
when you picked them up. Using the wrong value of the resistance might mean that you damage your
circuit, board, other equipment as well as the chances of your continued presence in the laboratory.
4. Follow any instructions given by the Laboratory Staff, Teaching Assistants or the Faculty-in-Charge.
Procedure:

1. Consider the circuit given in Fig. 1. Answer the following questions before you come A 100 k 10 M
C

to the lab:
10 M
a. What is the effective resistance across AB ? B

b. How would you measure the resistance across AB ? (Just a brief note will suffice Fig. 1

– no circuit diagrams or explanations are required) What equipment would you use ? What would be
the specifications of the equipment ?

+ A - P P
1 + A2 -
Network - 1

Network - 1

+ +
Vin V1 Vin V2
- -
Q Q

Fig. 2a Fig. 2b
2. Obtain the network, whose input impedance is to be determined, from the Lab Staff. (Do not attempt to
open up the network given to you). This network is shown as Network – 1 in Fig. 2a above. Connect up
the voltage source Vin, ammeter A and Voltmeter V1 to the network as shown in Fig. 2a. Take care to
ensure that the meters are connected with the correct polarity. Keep both the meters in the highest range.

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3. Switch on the power supply. Vary the input voltage Vin from 0 to 20 V, in steps of 2 V. Use the power
supply display as Vin. Step down the ranges on both the voltmeter and the ammeter to the appropriate
one.
V1
4. Note V1 and A1, in a table as shown below. Calculate the effective resistance of the network as R 1 = .
A1

Determine the average value of R1.

Table 1 Effective Resistance with the circuit of Fig. 2a

Vin (V) V1 (V) A1 (mA) R1 (kΩ)

5. Now, connect up your network as in Fig. 2b. Repeat Step 3.

V2
6. Note down V2 and A2 in Table 2. Calculate the effective resistance of the network as R 2 = . Determine
A2

the average value of R2.

Table 2 Effective Resistance with the circuit of Fig. 2b

Vin (V) V2 (V) A2 (mA) R2 (kΩ)

Answer the following questions:

1. Are the average values of the effective resistance of the network as determined by the circuits of Figs. 2a
and 2b, the same ?
2. If the average values for the two circuits are different, why ?
3. Which is the correct way of measuring the effective resistance of the network ? Why ?
4. What is the input resistance of the voltmeter that you are using ?

Note:

The students are encouraged to simulate this experiment thoroughly before coming to the lab, so that they
have an idea of what to expect from practical measuring instruments. They may replace the analog meters
with their equivalent circuits.

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Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

Expt - 2

Diode Characteristics
Objective:

To study the Voltage-Current characteristics of a pn-junction diode.

Instructions:

1. Before coming to the lab, download and study the datasheets of the following diodes, which are
available at the links noted against each:
a. 1N4007: http://tinyurl.com/ydxz9ojk
b. OA79: http://tinyurl.com/y8qugswr
c. 1N4734: http://tinyurl.com/y8t2vrnf
d. 1N4148: http://tinyurl.com/y9gn7q9d
2. In the lab, get your circuits verified by the Laboratory Staff, Teaching Assistants or the Faculty-in-Charge,
before powering them up.
Procedure:

1. Based on the datasheets, answer the following questions before coming to the lab:
a. What is the voltage across the 1N4007, when a forward current of 50 mA is flowing through it ?
b. What is the Peak Inverse Voltage for the OA79 ?
c. What is the minimum breakdown voltage for the 1N4148 ?
2. Identify the diode (D1) given to you.
3. Ensure that your power supplies are switched off and that the control knobs are in the minimum
position.
4. Set up the circuit as shown in Fig. 1a. Take care to ensure that the ammeter and voltmeter are connected
with the correct polarity. Use a 470  resistor for R.

R R
+
+ ID
ID -
+ -
+
Vin VD D1
Vin D1
- -

Fig. 1a Fig. 1b

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5. Vary the input voltage (Vin) from 0 to 1 V, in steps of 0.1 V. Note down the readings of the ammeter (ID)
and the voltmeter (VD), in each case (Table 1). Ensure that your ammeter is in the smallest range, when
you are measuring the current for these values of the input voltage.
6. Change your connection to that shown in Fig. 1b.
7. Increase the input voltage (Vin) from 1 V to 10 V, in steps of 1 V each. Note down the corresponding
values of VD and ID for each value of Vin.
8. Plot VD vs ID.

Table 1

Vin VD ID
(V) (V) (A / mA)

Answer the following questions:

1. If, in Fig. 1a, Vin = 10 V and the resistance R = 1 k, what would be the current flowing through the
circuit ? Use the V-I characteristic plotted in Step 8 above.
2. If VD were to be considered the output of the circuit, plot the Voltage Transfer Characteristic (VTC) of
the circuit in Fig. 1a, assuming R = 1kΩ.
3. If the input (Vin) to the circuit of Fig. 1a were to be a sinusoid, such that Vin = 5 Sin(2 *  *100 * t) , plot
the output voltage waveform.
4. Determine the resistance offered by the diode under the following conditions:

a. When 0 < ID < 100 A
b. When ID = 0.2 mA
c. When ID = 5 mA
d. When 10 mA < ID < 15 mA
Comment on the values of the resistances obtained above.

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Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

Expt - 3

Rectifiers
Objective:

To prototype a simple half-wave rectifier circuit and to plot its Voltage Transfer Characteristic.

Instructions:

5. Study the datasheet of the 1N4007, a Si diode.

6. Verify the value of the resistor R, when you pick it up in the lab – it may not be in the right bin. Using the
wrong value of the resistor might mean that you either damage the other components or that your
circuit may not work properly.

Procedure:

7. Before coming to the lab, answer the following questions:

a. What is the surge current of the 1N4007 ? What does this parameter indicate ?
b. In the circuit shown in Fig. 1, if the input 𝑣𝑖 = 0.7 𝑆𝑖𝑛(2 ∗ 𝜋 ∗ 100 ∗ 𝑡), and R = 1 kΩ, what would
be average value of the output, assuming the diode D1 to be ideal ? How will this value change if
the diode were to be modeled as having a cut-in voltage of 0.6 V ?
c. How would your answer to question (ii) change if the polarity of the diode were to be reversed ?
d. Will your answers to questions (ii) and (iii) above change, if R = 560 kΩ ?
e. Simulate the circuits and verify your answers.
8. In the Lab
a. Set up the circuit as shown in Fig. 1. Choose the diode D1 to be the 1N4007 and R = 1 kΩ. 𝑣𝑖𝑛 is a
sinusoid of amplitude 1 V and frequency 100 Hz.

D1
vo

vin ~ R

Fig. 1
b. Plot the output waveform (𝑣𝑜 ).
c. Determine its average value.
d. Obtain the Voltage Transfer Characteristic of the circuit.

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Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

e. Vary the amplitude of the input from 1 V to 3 V, in steps of 0.25 V.

f. Determine the average value of the output, in each case. Note down your readings in Table 1.
g. With the input amplitude as 2 V, increase the input frequency to 50 kHz. Plot the output waveform.
h. Obtain its VTC.
i. Reverse the polarity of the diode and repeat steps 1-7.
j. Replace the 1 kΩ resistance with 560 kΩ and repeat steps 1 and 2.

Table 1

𝒗𝒊𝒏 (V) 𝒗𝒐 (V)

Answer the following questions:

1. Do your experimental results match with the values you calculated in answer to question 1(ii) above ?
Why not ?
2. Are the output waveforms obtained in Steps 1 and 7 above the same ? What is the difference due to ?
3. What is the reason for the circuit behaving in the way it does, in Step 10 above ?
4. How would you modify this circuit to obtain a fully rectified output, with minimum peak inverse voltage
across each diode ?

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Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

Expt - 4

Clippers and Clampers

Objective :

This week, the student will implement and observe the operation of typical clipping and clamping
circuits.

Instructions:

1. Take care to connect up the circuit exactly as shown, paying particular attention to the grounded
terminals.
2. Please power up your circuit only after it has been verified by the Lab Staff / Faculty-in-Charge.
3. All the diodes are 1N4007. Please review the characteristics of the diode (those of you have
characterized a different diode, please get the characteristics of the 1N4007 from your friends who
have), before coming to the lab.
Procedure:

Before coming to the lab, answer the following questions:

1. In Fig. 1, with f = 1 kHz, R1 = R2 = 1 k and D1 and D2 are the 1N4007 with a cut-in voltage (V) of 0.6 V,
plot the Voltage Transfer Characteristic of the circuit, if the output is taken at X. Assume that VP = VQ = -
2 V.
2. What will be the output if the input vi = 6 Sin(t ) ?

3. If the input in Fig. 2 is vi = 6 Sin(t ) , C = 10 F, D1 is the 1N4007 (V = 0.6 V), plot the output waveform

at A, assuming VB to be 6 V.

In the lab,

1. Connect up the circuit as shown in Fig. 1. With VP VP = VQ = -2 V, R1 = R2 = 1 k and vi = 6 Sin(t ) , plot the

output waveform at X as well as the VTC of the circuit.

2. Connect the circuit as shown in Fig. 2. With vi = 6 Sin(t ) , C = 10 F and D1 as the 1N4007 diode, plot the

output waveforms (at A), for the following potentials at B: 0 V, 2 V and -2 V.

Answer the following questions:

1. In Fig. 1, if D1 were to be reversed, with all other values remaining the same, how will the VTC of the
circuit change ?
2. In Fig. 1, if R1 = R2 = 100 , will the circuit behave differently ? Why ?
3. In Fig. 2, if a resistor of 100 k were to be introduced in series with D1, how will the output change ?

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4. In Fig. 2, if D1 were to be the zener diode 1N4734 with Vz = 3.3 V, will the operation of the circuit be
different ? How ?

R1 C
X A

R2
vi ~ D1 vi ~ D1
D2

P Q B

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

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19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

Expt - 5

Shunt Voltage Regulator

Objective:

To design a shunt voltage regulator, using a zener diode and to study its operation.

Instructions:

1. Study the datasheet of the 1N4734, 5.6 V zener diode, which you have already downloaded for the
previous experiment.
2. Verify the value of the resistor R, when you pick it up in the lab – it may not be in the right bin. Using the
wrong value of the resistor might mean that you either damage the other components or that your
circuit may not work properly.
Procedure:

1. Before coming to the lab, complete the following questions:

a. Given a 3.6 V / 1 mA /1 W zener diode, design a circuit to provide a constant voltage of 3.6 V, when
the input voltage varies from 4 V to 5 V. The circuit is to provide a maximum load current of 100 mA.
b. What can be the maximum value of the series resistance ? The minimum value ?
c. What is the knee current (Ik) of the 1N4734 zener diode ?
d. What is the maximum power dissipation of the 1N4734 ?

R
R

+ +
ID IL
+ + D1
VD - -
VL
Vin Vin
- - RL
D1

Fig. 1a Fig. 1b
2. Set up the circuit as shown in Fig. 1a. Do not power up your circuit until it has been verified by the
Laboratory staff / Teaching Assistants / Faculty-in-Charge. Ensure that the power supply control knobs
are in the minimum position.
3. The diode D1 is the 1N4734 zener diode, rated for 5.6 V. Use a 330  resistor for R.
4. Vary the input voltage Vin from 0 to 5 V, in increments of 1 V. Note down the readings of the voltmeter
VD and the ammeter ID, in each case, in Table 1.
5. Increase Vin from 5 V to 10 V in increments of 0.2 V. Again, note down VD and ID in Table 1.

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Table 1

Vin (V) VD (V) ID (mA)

6. Plot VD vs ID. This will be the reverse-bias characteristic of the zener diode.
7. Plot the Line Regulation Curve, Vin vs VD.
8. If VD when the input voltage is 6 V and 10 V, is denoted by VD1 and VD2 respectively, calculate the Line
(VD2 − VD1) *100
regulation of your regulator as %VR = .
4
9. Now, change your circuit so that it is as in Fig. 1b. Use a 22  resistor for R and a series combination of
a 100  resistor and a 1 k potentiometer for RL.

10. Set Vin to be 7 V. Keeping the potentiometer at its minimum setting, note down the values of V L and IL,
in Table 2.
11. Keeping Vin a constant, vary the potentiometer, such that the current varies from 50 mA to 5 mA, in
intervals of 2 mA. Note the value of VL in each case.

Table 2

For Vin = 7 V For Vin = 6 V For Vin = 8 V

VL (V) IL (mA) VL (V) IL (mA) VL (V) IL (mA)

12. Repeat the experiment for Vin = 6 V and Vin = 8 V.

13. Plot the Load Regulation Curve, VL vs IL.
𝑉𝐿1 − 𝑉𝐿2
14. Calculate the load regulation efficiency as %𝐿𝑅 = | 5.6
| ∗ 100, where VL1 and VL2 are the maximum

and minimum load voltages.

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the knee current of the zener diode as determined by your experiment ?
2. What is the zener resistance (RZ) ?
3. With Vin = 7 V and R = 22 , what is the minimum value of the load resistance RL, below which the circuit
will lose regulation ? Why will the circuit no longer work as a voltage regulator ?

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19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

Expt - 6

Characteristics of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

Objective:

This week you will understand the operation of a simple npn Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) and plot
its input and output characteristics.

Instructions:

1. Go through the sections on BJTs in Sedra and Smith, and familiarise yourself with the theory behind
BJT operations before coming to the lab.
2. Please go through your instruction sheet carefully, before setting up the circuit. This will help you to
complete the experiment on time.
3. Get your circuits verified by the Lab Staff / Faculty-in-Charge, before powering them up.
4. Go through the datasheet of the BC547, which has been uploaded to AUMS.
Procedure:

Before coming to the lab, answer the following questions:

1. What is the range of values of  for the BC547 ?

2. The BC547 is classified as an “NPN Epitaxial Silicon Transistor”. What does the word Epitaxial indicate
?
3. What is the maximum collector current that the BC547 can supply ?
4. What is the maximum power dissipation of the BC547 ?
5. Why is a maximum value of the Collector-Emitter voltage specified ?
In the lab,

6. Set up the circuit as shown in Fig. 1(a). Please note that the collector should be physically shorted to
the emitter with a small piece of wire. Use the desktop digital voltmeter and ammeter for measuring
VBB and IB respectively, for this part of the experiment.
7. Vary VBB slowly and carefully, for specific values of IB (in A), such that 0 < IB < 20 A, IB = 2 A. Please
note that you are dealing with very small currents and hence, you need to wait a few seconds for the
readings to stablise. Small deviations can lead to large errors in your characteristic, as you will realise.
8. Continue Step 7 for 20 A < IB < 100 A, IB  10 A.
9. Continue Step 7 for 100 A < IB < 400 A, IB  100 A.
10. Now, modify your circuit so that it is as in Fig. 1(b). The voltmeter VM2 can be a 0-10V analog meter
with a resolution of 200 mV.
11. Vary VCC such that VM2 reads 200 mV.

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12. Repeat Steps 7-9. Ensure that every time you vary VBB, VCC remains a constant at 200 mV. You might
have to fiddle around with the coarse and fine adjustment knobs of the power supplies to ensure that
VCC remains a constant.
13. Repeat 11 and 12, for VCC = 5 V. Note down your readings in the format given in Table 1.

Table 1 Input Characteristics of a BJT

VCE = 0 VCE = 0.2 V VCE = 5 V

VBB IB VBE VBB IB VBE VBB IB VBE
(V) (A) (V) (V) (A) (V) (V) (A) (V)

14. In Table 1, calculate VBE as VBE = VBB − I B *10k , rounded off to the nearest mV.

15. Plot the relationship between IB and VBE for different values of VCE.
16. Set up the circuit as shown in Fig. 2. Adjust VBB such that the ammeter A1 reads 6 A.
17. Vary VCC from 0 to 15 V, in increments of 1 V. For each value of VCC, measure IC. Take care to ensure
that the value of IB remains a constant.
18. Carefully adjust VBB such that IB = 16 A and 24 A. Repeat Step 17, for each value of IB.
19. Note down your readings in the format given in Table 2.

Table 2 Output Characteristics of a BJT

IB = 6 A IB = 16 A IB = 24 A
VCE IC VCE IC VCE IC
(V) (mA) (V) (mA) (V) (mA)

20. Plot the relationship between IC and VCE for different values of IB.
21. In the circuit of Fig. 2, keeping VCC = 15 V, vary VBB such that IB changes from 2 A to 52 A. Measure
VCE and IC for each value of IB.
22. Note down your readings in the format given in Table 3.

Table 3
IB VCE IC
(A) (V) (mA)

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23. Based on the readings of Table 3, plot the relationship between IB and IC.
24. On the output characteristics obtained in Step 20, plot the relationship between VCE and IC.

10 k
0-2 mA 560 
A1 T1 10 k 0-2 mA
A1 T1 VM2 0-10 V

0-2 V
0-2 V VM1 VBB
VCC
VM1 VBB

Fig. 1(a) Fig. 1(b)

A2
0-20 mA

1 k
100 k 0-100 A
A1 T1 VM2 0-20 V

VBB VCC

Fig. 2

Answer the following questions:

1. As VCE is increased from 0 to 5 V, is there any change in the input characteristic ? Why ?
2. With VCE = 0 V, what is the current IB, when VBE is 0.6 V ?
3. What is the Early Voltage (VA) of the BC547 that you used ?
4. For VCC = 15 V and the BC547, what would be the operating point in the middle of the active region ?
5. What should be IB for the BC547 to be operating at the level determined in question 4 ?
6. What is the  of the BC547 that you used ?
7. What is the slope of the load line that you obtained in Step 24 ?

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Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

19ECE281 Analog Electronics Laboratory

Expt - 7

BJT Amplifier
Objective:

Through this experiment, the student will learn to design and implement a properly biased common-
emitter amplifier, for a specified gain, given the constraints of the power supply and a transistor of a particular
dc current gain () and to study its frequency response.

Instructions:

1. Go through the sections on common-emitter amplifiers in Sedra and Smith, before coming to the lab.
2. Please go through your instruction sheet carefully, before setting up the circuit. This will help you to
complete the experiment on time.
3. Measure the β of the transistor, when you are getting the components.
4. Get your circuits verified by the Lab Staff / Faculty-in-Charge, before powering them up.

Procedure:

Before coming to the lab, answer the following questions:

Given a BJT of  = 300 and a power supply of 10 V, design a common-emitter amplifier, such that it is biased in
the middle of the active region. The circuit of such an amplifier is shown in Fig. 1(a). You are to determine the
values of R1, R2 and RC.
VCC

RC
R1

C
+ A1 -
B
0-100 A E

R2

Fig. 1(a)
1. What will be the reading of the ammeter A1 ?
2. What will be the gain of your amplifier ?

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3. Can the gain of your amplifier be changed, without altering the condition of (1) above ? If not, why
not?
In the lab,

5. Set up the circuit as shown in Fig. 1(a). Use the BC547 for the BJT. Check the values of the various
resistors that you obtained in your design above, with the ones that will be given to you in the lab.
6. R2 will be a series combination of a 22 k resistor, in series with a 10 k potentiometer.
7. Adjust the potentiometer such that the potential at terminal C is 5 V.
8. Measure the potentials at B and E, as well as the reading of the ammeter A1.
9. Now, connect up your input voltage vi’ (function generator) as shown in Fig. 1(b). R3 is a 100 k resistor,
while R4 is a potentiometer of 1 k.
10. Cc is a ceramic / polyester capacitor of 1 F.
11. Observing the input voltage (it is sinusoidal) on a CRO, adjust it such that it has an amplitude of 5 V, at
a frequency of  1 kHz.
12. Adjust the resistor R4, so that you see a sinusoidal output vo. Measure the amplitudes of both vo and
the waveform at B (vi) . (Make sure that the CRO is set to ac mode when you measure the voltage at
B).
13. Determine the value of vi, for which the output begins to get distorted.
14. Vary the frequency (f) of vi’ from 1 Hz to 3 MHz in the following manner :
1 Hz < f < 100 Hz : f = 10 Hz;

100 Hz < f < 1 kHz : f = 100 Hz;

1 kHz < f < 1 MHz : f = 100 kHz;

1 MHz < f < 3 MHz : f = 1 MHz;

vo
15. Determine the voltage Av = in each case. Note down your readings in the form of Table 1.
vi

Table 1 Frequency Response of a BJT Common-Emitter Amplifier

Without RE With RE
f vi vo Av f vi vo Av

Note: The section of the experiment with RE is a bonus, worth an extra 5 points, if the earlier section is also
completed.

16. Add a resistor of 100  from the emitter to ground (RE).

17. Repeat Steps 14 and 15.

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VCC

RC
R3 R1

C 𝒗𝒐′
CC CC
𝒗′𝒊
+ A1 - B

0-100 A E

R4 R2

Fig. 1(b)
18. Plot the relationship between (log f) and |Av|, for both cases, with and without RE. Determine the
bandwidth.
Answer the following questions:

1. Why does the output get distorted, when the input voltage vi increases ?
2. If the coupling capacitors CC were absent, what would happen ?
3. What is the relationship between the voltage gain Av and the bandwidth fB ?

Note:
You need to be fully prepared to be able to complete this experiment in time. You are encouraged
to completely revise your material on BJT – based amplifiers, simulate and understand the operation of
the above circuits thoroughly before coming to the lab.

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