Top 10 Fundamental Operational
Amplifiers Circuits
As well as resistors and capacitors that are passive components, operational
amplifiers are one of the basic building blocks of analogue electronic
circuits. Operational amplifiers are linear devices that have all the properties required
for nearly ideal DC amplification and are therefore used extensively in signal
conditioning or filtering or to perform mathematical operations such as adding,
subtracting, integration, and differentiation. The purpose of this article is to present 10
basics circuits for newcomers to electronics designs and to refresh the rusty minds of
engineers.
1 Voltage Follower
The most basic circuit is the voltage buffer, as it does not require any external
components. As the voltage output is equal to the voltage input, students might become
puzzled and wonder whether this kind of circuit has any practical application.
This circuit allows for the creation of a very high impedance input and low impedance
output. This is useful to interface logic levels between two components or when a power
supply is based on a voltage divider. The figure below is based on a voltage divider, and
the circuit cannot function. Indeed, the load impedance can have large variations, so
Vout voltage can change dramatically, mainly if the load impedance has a value of the
same magnitude as R2.
To solve this issue, an amplifier between the load and the voltage divider (see figure
below) is inserted. Thus, Vout depends on R1 and R2 and not on load value.
The primary goal of an operational amplifier, as its names states, is to amplify a signal.
For instance, the output of a sensor must be amplified in order to have the ADC
measure this signal.
2 Inverting Operational Amplifier
In this configuration, the output is fed back to the negative or inverting input through a
resistor (R2). The input signal is applied to this inverting pin through a resistor (R1).
The positive pin is connected to ground.
This is evident in the special case where R1 and R2 are equal. This configuration allows
for the production of a signal that is complementary to the input, as the output is exactly
the opposite of the input signal.
Due to the negative sign, the output and input signals are out of phase. If both signals
must be in phase, a non-inverting amplifier is used.
3 Non-inverting Operational Amplifier
This configuration is very similar to the inverting operation amplifier. For the non-
inverting one, the input voltage is directly to the applied to the non-inverting pin and the
end of feedback loop is connected to ground.
These configurations allow amplification of one signal. It’s possible to amplify several
signals by using summing amplifiers.
4 Non-inverting Summing Amplifier
To add 2 voltages, only 2 resistors can be added on the positive pin to the non-inverting
operational amplifier circuit.
It is worth noticing that adding several voltages is not a very flexible solution. Indeed, if
a 3rdvoltage is added with exactly the same resistances, the formula would be Vs = 2/3
(V1 + V2 + V3).
The resistors would need to be changed to get Vs = V1 + V2 + V3, or a 2nd option is to
use an inverting summer amplifier.
5 Inverting Summing Amplifier
By adding resistors in parallel on the inverting input pin of the inverting operation
amplifier circuit, all the voltages are summed.
Unlike the non-inverting summing amplifier, any number of voltages can be added
without changing resistor values.
6 Differential Amplifier
The inverting operational amplifier (see circuit number 2) amplified a voltage that was
applied on the inverting pin, and the output voltage was out of phase. The non-inverting
pin is connected to ground with this configuration.
If the above circuit is modified by applying a voltage through a voltage divider on the
non-inverting, we end up with a differential amplifier as shown below.
An amplifier is useful not just because it lets you add, subtract, or compare voltages.
Many circuits allow you to modify signals. Let’s see the most basic ones.
7 Integrator
A square wave is very easy to generate, by just toggling a GPIO of a microcontroller for
example. If a circuit needs a triangle waveform, a good way to do it is just integrating
the square wave signal. With an Operation Amplifier, a capacitor on the inverting
feedback path, and a resistor on the input inverting pin as shown below, the input signal
is integrated.
Be aware that a resistor is often connected in parallel to the capacitor for saturation
issues. Indeed, if the input signal is a very low frequency sine wave, the capacitor acts
like an open circuit and blocks feedback voltage. The amplifier is then like a normal
open-loop amplifier that has very high open-loop gain, and the amplifier is saturated.
Thanks to a resistor in parallel of the capacitor, the circuit behaves like an inverting
amplifier with a low frequency, and saturation is avoided.
8 Differentiator Amplifier
The differentiator works similarly to the integrator by swapping the capacitor and the
resistor.
All the configurations that were presented up to now.
9 Converter current – voltage
A photodetector converts light into current. To convert the current into voltage, a
simple circuit with an operational amplifier, a feedback loop through a resistor on the
non-inverting, and the diode connected between the two input pins allows you to get an
output voltage proportional to current generated by the photodiode, which is evident by
the light characteristics.
The above circuit applies Ohm’s law with the fundamental formula: voltage is equal to
resistance multiplied by current. The resistance is in Ohms and is always positive. But
thanks to operational amplifiers, a negative resistance can be designed!
10 Negative resistance
A feedback on the inverting pin forces the output voltage to be the double of the input
voltage. As the output voltage is always higher than the input voltage, the positive
feedback through the R1 resistor on the non-inverting pin simulates a negative
resistance.
Finally, a circuit with operational amplifier does not necessarily modify the input signal,
but records it like the peak detector amplifier.
11 Also: Peak Detector Operation Amplifier
The capacitor is used as a memory. When the input voltage on the non-inverting input is
higher than the voltage on the inverting input that is also the voltage across the
capacitor, the amplifier enters in saturation and the diode is forward and charges the
capacitor. Assuming the capacitor does not have a quick self discharge, when the input
voltage Ve is lower than voltage across the capacitor, the diode is blocked. Hence, the
peak voltage is recorded thanks to the capacitor.
Many more circuits are available with operational amplifiers, but understanding these
fundamental 10 circuits allows you to easily study more complex circuits.
