FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology

Hamdard University

Experiment No. 05
OBJECTIVE:

To design Differentiator using 741 Op-amp.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:

• Function generator
• Op-amp 741
• Power Supply
• Oscilloscope
• Bread board
• Resistors
• Capacitors

THEORY:

A Differentiator is a circuit that is designed such that the output of the circuit is proportional to the
derivative of the input. It creates an output voltage proportional to the rate of change of the input
voltage. This leads to cool applications such as extracting edges for, square waves, converting sine
waves into cosines and triangle waves into square waves. But most circuits are susceptible to some
trouble and this one’s vulnerabilities are instability and noise. However, remedies are available to
reduce the troubles without losing the desired function.

The input signal to the differentiator is applied to the capacitor. The capacitor blocks any DC
content so there is no current flow to the amplifier summing point, X resulting in zero output
voltage. The capacitor only allows AC type input voltage changes to pass through and whose
frequency is dependent on the rate of change of the input signal. At low frequencies the reactance
of the capacitor is "High" resulting in a low gain (Rf/Xc) and low output voltage from the op-amp.
At higher frequencies the reactance of the capacitor is much lower resulting in a higher gain and
higher output voltage from the differentiator amplifier.

However, at high frequencies a differentiator circuit becomes unstable and will start to oscillate.
This is due mainly to the first-order effect, which determines the frequency response of the opamp
circuit causing a second-order response which, at high frequencies gives an output voltage far
higher than what would be expected. To avoid this the high frequency gain of the circuit needs to

Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hamdard University

Shara e Madinat Al-Hikmah, Muhammad Bin Qasim Avenue, Karachi 74600, Pakistan.
 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology
Hamdard University

be reduced by adding an additional small value capacitor across the feedback resistor Rf. Ideal
voltage output for the Differentiator Amplifier is given as:

Vout = - Rf C

Figure 1 Differentiator Circuit

PROCEDURE:

1. Connections are made as per the circuit diagram.

2. Apply the square or sine input signal at low frequency using AFO.
3. Note the corresponding output waveforms and plot the graph.

S.NO. INPUT SIGNAL INPUT WAVE OUTPUT WAVE

Amplitude Amplitude

Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hamdard University

Shara e Madinat Al-Hikmah, Muhammad Bin Qasim Avenue, Karachi 74600, Pakistan.
 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology
Hamdard University

1 Square wave 5v -4.87 0mv

2 Sine wave 10 v -118.6 mv
3 Triangular wave 2v -76.73mv

Waveforms observed on Multisim

Square wave input & spike output

Sine Wave Input & cosine wave output

Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hamdard University

Shara e Madinat Al-Hikmah, Muhammad Bin Qasim Avenue, Karachi 74600, Pakistan.
 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology
Hamdard University

EXERCISE:

1. Give reason of attaching resistor on inverting input of op-amp differentiator.

Ans: we try not to make the gain of differentiator amplifier infinite so we add a resistor in series
with cin in inverting input of op-amp.

2. Explain the limitations of an ordinary op-amp differentiator? Draw the circuit of a practical
differentiator that will eliminate these limitations.

Ans: An ordinary op-amp differentiator causes distortion in input at high frequency, it can only
operates on lower frequencies. To solve this problem we use a resistor in series with the input
capacitor and feedback capacitor in parallel with feedback resistor.

Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hamdard University

Shara e Madinat Al-Hikmah, Muhammad Bin Qasim Avenue, Karachi 74600, Pakistan.
 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology
Hamdard University

3. Show the gain limiting frequency for the circuit

Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hamdard University

Shara e Madinat Al-Hikmah, Muhammad Bin Qasim Avenue, Karachi 74600, Pakistan.
 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology
Hamdard University

Rf = (vout/ vin) x (1 / 4f C1)

33k = (1) (1/4 x f x 0.47 x 10^6)

f = 1 / 33 x 10^3 x 4 x 0.47 x 10^6

f = 16.118 Hz

4. A sine wave of 1vpeak at 1000Hz is applied to a differentiator with the following specification:
RF =1kΩ and C1=0.33µF, find the output waveform?

Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hamdard University

Shara e Madinat Al-Hikmah, Muhammad Bin Qasim Avenue, Karachi 74600, Pakistan.
 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology
Hamdard University

Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hamdard University

Shara e Madinat Al-Hikmah, Muhammad Bin Qasim Avenue, Karachi 74600, Pakistan.
 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology
Hamdard University

Hamdard Institute of Engineering & Technology, Hamdard University

Shara e Madinat Al-Hikmah, Muhammad Bin Qasim Avenue, Karachi 74600, Pakistan.