Electronics student John Young examines his 12-transistor operational amplifier design.
Terez Harris and Doug Gentry observe their working amplifier circuit.
Closeup of an op-amp circuit.
Students in Electronics III are required to design, build, and test an
amplifier circuit to meet certain specifications. For Summer 96, the
specifications included a dc-coupled amplifier with a voltage gain of 20
dB, bandwidth of 50 kHz, and phase margin of 60 degrees, capable of
delivering +/- 10 V into a 1 kilohm load. Additional specifications
addressed the quiescent power dissipation, offset voltage, and total
harmonic distortion. Furthermore, the circuit had to meet these
specifications over the temperature range from -40 C to +80 C.