Multistage Amplifier Introduction
John Amiel Dale C. Malgapo
malgapoamiel@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Multistage amplifier circuit is used to
have higher output gains which is greater
compared to a single transistor with a load
resistance. It is important to know the behavior of
this circuit configuration because it only operates
at a specific parameter including the frequencies
and signals.
By the end of this experiment, the students
should be able to learn how to measure output
voltages between transistors and recognize the
relationship of the first output gain to the second
output gain of the transistor amplifier.
KEYWORDS
 voltage gain -of the amplifier is defined
as the ratio of output voltage to the
input voltage. Av= V(output)/V(input)
 amplifier- uses electric power from a
power supply to increase the amplitude of
a signal.
 output impedance- of an electrical
network is the measure of the opposition
to current flow (impedance), both static
(resistance) and dynamic (reactance), into
the load network being connected that is
internal to the electrical source.
 Active region- is one in which Base
emitter junction is forward biased and
Base Collector junction will be reverse
biased in a transistor.
 input signal - signal going into an
electronic system.
INTRODUCTION
For a single transistor with a load
resistance, the aim is to have a high voltage gain
through the load. The output voltage depends on
the current flowing through the component. If the
load resistance is high, then the current flowing
through it is minimum making its potential also
minimum and if the resistance is low, the current
flowing through it is maximum making its
potential also maximum. This implies that low
resistance is more appropriate in order to have high
voltage output/gain. But, having high current
flowing through the load resistance and out of the
transistor may cause the transistor to heat up and
malfunction. In order to minimize this errors, the
first transistor is now coupled to a second
transistor. This is what they called a multistage
amplifier.
Multistage amplifier allows high output
gains compared to a single operating transistor.
There are two types of coupling two transistors
which are RC coupling and transformer coupling.
For this particular experiment, the students are
going to focus on RC coupling. Figure 1 shows a
typical RC coupled amplifier circuit. The two
transistors are connected in between a capacitor.
The DC analysis for this type of configuration
isolates both of the transistors from each other
because the connected capacitor will become
opened, while in AC analysis, the two transistors
become connected to each other producing high
output gains for the capacitor becomes shorted.
RESULTS
The circuit shown in figure 1 was
connected using the transistor amplifier circuit
board. The sine wave generator is thenIadjusted to
1kHz, 80 mVpk-pk ac input signal at the base of
transistor Q1.
The channel two probe was placed on the
first output signal of transistor 1 and the measured
value of Vo1 was 418 mV, indicating that the first
transistor amplifier produced voltage gain.
Then, having the channel two probe
placed on the second output signal of transistor 2,
the measured value of Vo2 was 12.8 V, indicating
that the second transistor amplifier produced a
much higher voltage gain.
The channel two probe was then placed
back to the first output signal of transistor 1 and
the peak-to-peak voltage is now adjusted to 200
mVpk-pk. The measured value of Vo1 was still 460
mV. It was noticed that even if the peak-to-peak
voltage becomes varied, there were no changes in
the first output voltage. It is also observed that
when the channel two probe was placed to the
second output signal, there were changes in the
voltage output. Therefore, transistor 2 caused the
distortion.
DOCUMENTATION
CONCLUSIONS
 The students were able to show the
amplification of an RC coupled circuit
using the probes of the oscilloscope. They
were able to show that the first transistor
provides an amplification factor in which
the second transistor uses in order to have
greater output gains.
 They were also able to show that a
multistage amplifier circuit can only be
operated at the right amount of
frequencies and signals in order to have
good amplification, otherwise distortion
through the transistors and in the range of
values of the output gains may occur.
REFERENCES
 Yu, P.Y., Cardona M.i(2010).
FundamentalsIof Semiconductors. New
York, Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht
London New York.
 Dimitrijev, S. (2011). Principles of
Semiconductor Devices. Oxford, Oxford
University Press.
 Horowitz, P.,iHill, W., (1989). TheIArt of
Electronics. Cambridge,
CambridgeiUniversity Press.
 Kidwell, W. (2014). Electrical Instruments
and
Measurementsi(Vol. 2). McGrawIHill
Book.