Electronics Lab Third Year

Questions

Q: Multistage

A: An amplifier circuit that uses more than one active component

(transistor)

Q: Gain

A: The amount by which an amplifier increases signal voltage, current, or

power; expressed as a ratio of the output to input value

Q: Distortion

A: Undesired change to a signal waveform

Q: Active region

A: The region on the transistor load line between the saturation point and the
cutoff point

A Q-Point (quiescent point)

Q: The dc steady state operating point set by the dc bias conditions

Q: Cutoff point

A: the point on the load line where the collector current is essentially zero

Q: Saturation point

A: The point on the load line where the collector current is maximum

Q: Beta
A: The symbol used for the ratio of the dc collector current to the dc base
current

Q: Cascaded

A: Then the output of the first stage is connected to the input of the second
stage

Q: Frequency response

A: The manner in which gain varies with the frequency of the input signal

Q: Bandwidth

A: The range of signal frequencies over which the gain is relatively constant

Q: How is the amplifier in the diagram shown wired?.

Option A. Common base.

Option B. Common emitter.

Option C. Common collector.

Correct Answer is. Common emitter.

Q: For good stabilized biasing of the transistor of the CE amplifier of figure.
We should have:

a) RE/RB << 1

b) RE/RB >> 1

c) RE/RB << hrb

d) RE/RB >> hrb

A: b

Q: Current stability of a CC amplifier can be increased by

a) Reducing both emitter and base resistance

b) Increasing both emitter and base resistance

c) Reducing emitter resistance and increasing base resistance

d) Increasing emitter resistance and decreasing base resistance

A: d

Q: Which of the following statements are correct for basic transistor

amplifier configuration?

a. CB amplifier has low input impedance and a low current gain

b. CC amplifier has low output impedance and a low current gain

c. CE amplifier has very poor voltage gain but very high input
impedance

d. The current gain of CB amplifier is higher than the current gain of CC

amplifier

A: a

Q: Which of the following configuration ifs normally used in cascading?

a. Common-emitter configuration
b. Common-base configuration

c. Common-collector configuration

d. None of the above

A: a

Q: In the BJT amplifier, the transistor is biased in the forward active region
putting a capacitor across RE will:

a. Decrease the voltage gain and decrease the input impedance

b. Increase the voltage gain and decrease the input impedance

c. Decrease the voltage gain and increase the input impedance

d. Increase the voltage gain and increase the input impedance

A: d

Q: In a common emitter BJT amplifier, the maximum usable supply voltage

is limited by:

a. Avalanche breakdown of base–emitter junction

b. Collector–base breakdown voltage with emitter open (BVCBO)

c. Collector–emitter breakdown voltage with base open (BVCEO)

d. Zener breakdown voltage of the emitter -base junction

A: c

Q: Introducing a resistor in the emitter of a common emitter amplifier

stabilizes the dc operating point against variations in:

a. Only the temperature

b. Only the β of the transistor

c. Both temperature and β

d. None of the above

A: c

Q: In a CE transistor amplifier, if collector–emitter voltage increases the

instantaneous operating point:

a. Moves up the load line

b. Moves down the load line

c. Moves at right angle to the load line

d. Remains stationary

A: a

Q: The h-parameter equivalent circuit of a junction transistor is valid for:

a. High frequency, large signal operation

b. High frequency, small signal operation

c. Low frequency, small signal operation

d. Low frequency, large signal operation

A: c

Q: The condition necessary to calculate hoe of a transistor:

a. DC base current is to be zero

b. Base to emitter voltage is to be constant

c. Collector current is to be constant

d. Base current is to be constant

A: d

Q: The approximate value of input impedance of a common emitter

amplifier with emitter resistance Re is given by:

a. hie + A1Re
b. hie + (1 + hfe) Re

c. hie

d. (1 + hfe) Re

A: b

Q: "To decrease the voltage gain of a common emitter amplifier you would
increase the resistance in the."

Option A. base circuit.

Option B. emitter circuit.

Option C. collector circuit.

Correct Answer is. collector circuit.

Explanation. Decreasing the collector resistance (RL) increases the output

voltage of the transistor.

Q: The current I/P and O/P waveforms in a common emitter amplifier are.

Option A. out of phase.

Option B. in phase.

Option C. 90° out of phase.

Correct Answer is. out of phase.

Q: Amplifiers may be classified as.

Option A. voltage amplifiers or power amplifiers.

Option B. voltage amplifiers or impedance amplifiers.

Option C. common emitter or common collector amplifiers.

Correct Answer is. voltage amplifiers or power amplifiers.

Q: An amplifier can provide both voltage gain and current gain when it is
connected in the.
Option A. common collector configuration.

Option B. common emitter configuration.

Option C. common base configuration.

Correct Answer is. common emitter configuration.

Explanation. Only the common emitter configuration provides both current

and voltage gain greater than 1.

Q: How do you increase voltage gain of an amplifier?

Option A. decrease base circuit bias.

Option B. decrease input resistance.

Option C. decrease output resistance.

Correct Answer is. decrease input resistance.

Explanation. Amplifier gain = feedback resistance / input resistance.

Q: A transistor is said to be in the quiescent state when.

Option A. no currents are flowing.

Option B. it is unbiased.

Option C. no signal is applied to the input.

Correct Answer is. no signal is applied to the input.

Explanation. The quiescent state of a transistor is when DC is supplied to the

base to bias the transistor. No signal is applied.

Q: In the circuit diagram shown, R1 and R2 are used to.

Option A. set the transistor gain.

Option B. increase the base voltage.

Option C. set the DC bias level.

Correct Answer is. set the DC bias level.

Explanation. The resistors R1 and R2 are to set the bias level of the
transistor, i.e. to put the transistor into quiescence.

Q: An advantage of a common emitter is.

Option A. it has high power gain.

Option B. it is a voltage follower.

Option C. it has high voltage gain.

Correct Answer is. it has high power gain.

Q: When testing a transistor with an ohmmeter, what is the resistance of the

emitter/collector?.

Option A. Low resistance both ways.

Option B. High resistance one way.

Option C. High resistance both ways.

Correct Answer is. High resistance both ways.

Q: A capacitor-resistor coupled multistage amplifier lets.

Option A. DC pass only.

Option B. AC and DC pass to the next stage.

Option C. AC pass only.

Correct Answer is. AC pass only.

Explanation. A capacitor lets AC pass only

Q: Resistors and capacitors are used to couple stages of amplifiers so that.

Option A. only DC can be applied.

Option B. only AC can be applied.

Option C. equal amounts of AC and DC can be applied.

Correct Answer is. only AC can be applied.

Q: In a Common Emitter Amplifier RE is used for.

Option A. load control.

Option B. biasing.

Option C. stabilisation.

Correct Answer is. stabilisation.

Explanation. The emitter resistor is a stabilizing resistor.

Q: In the diagram the relationship of the input to the output is.

Option A. 180 degrees out of phase.

Option B. 90 degrees out of phase.

Option C. in phase.

Correct Answer is. 180 degrees out of phase.

Explanation. A Common Emitter configuration inverts the signal.

Q: A transistor in Common Emitter mode gives.

Option A. high voltage gain only.

Option B. high current gain only.

Option C. high power gain.

Correct Answer is. high power gain.

Q: The emitter, base and collector currents in a common emitter circuit,

follow ohm's and kirchoff's law, which is.

Option A. Ie = Ic - Ib.

Option B. Ib = Ie + Ic.

Option C. Ie = Ib + Ic.

Correct Answer is. Ie = Ib + Ic.

Q: Feedback

A: The return of a portion of an amplifier's output to its input.

Q: Series feedback

A: A feedback signal applied in series with the input signal.

Q: Current feedback

A: A feedback signal that is proportional to output current.

Q: Feedback ratio

A: The portion of the output voltage that is fed back to the input; also

Q: Shunt feedback

A: Feedback voltage that is effectively applied in parallel with the input

signal.

Q: Shunt-series

A: A multistage amplifier in which the input stage has shunt feedback.

Q: Series-shunt

A: A multistage amplifier in which the input stage has series feedback.

Q: Analysis of transistor feedback amplifier

A:
Q: What is an op-amp?

A: An operational amplifer is an electronic device that is used to increase the

voltage of a signal. It can be connected in several different ways.

Q: Resistance in an op amp

A: Input resistance is very large so it acts like a closed circuit, and output is
small compared to the other resistors in the circuit.

Q: What does an op amp actually look like?

A: An op-amp chip
Q: What are the connections on an op amp?

A: There are two inputs - the inverting input (the one with the minus) and
the non-inverting input (the one with the plus), and one output. It also has
two power supply rails + Vs and –Vs

Q: Which input is the inverting input?

A: The one with the negative sign

Q: Which input is the non-inverting input?

A: The one with the plus sign

Q: Which input is the one with the minus sign?

A: The inverting input

Q: Which input is the one with the plus sign?

A: The non-inverting input.

Q: What is the role of the power supply rails?

A: To provide the energy needed to amplify the signal.

Q: What is the usual supply voltage for an op amp?

A: +15V/-15V

Q: What are typical input voltages for an op amp?

A: Usually +15V/-15V, but also +12V/-12V or +9V/-9V If no voltage is

shown you should assume ±15V

Q: What is the function of the resistor R₂?

A: It provides negative feedback from the output. this helps control the gain
of the amplifier. It is usually labelled Rf. (f for feedback)
Q: What is positive feedback?

A: This is where part of the output signal is fed back into the input. The
output signal keeps on getting bigger until it causes distortion - like someone
walking in front of a loudspeaker with a microphone.

Q: What is negative feedback?

A: This is where a small part of the output signal is fed back into the input,
but it reduces the input. This helps control the output. This is used in
operational amplifer circuits.

Q: What is meant by the gain of a circuit?

The gain is the Output voltage/ input voltage

OR The gain is the Output power /Input power NOTE - there is NO unit

Q: What do we mean by the mode of an op amp?

A: The mode of an op amp is the way it is connected. For Higher you need
to know two modes.

Q: What are the op amp modes used in Higher?

A: Inverting mode (two resistors) and Differential Mode (four resistors)

Q: Draw a diagram of an op amp in inverting mode.

A: R₂is usually labelled Rf.

An op amp in differential mode.

Q: What happens to the non-inverting input in inverting mode?

A: It is tied to 0V (i.e. it is not used)

Q: What input is used as V₁?

A: The inverting input (the one with the minus)

Q: What input is used as V₂?

A: The non-inverting input (the one with the plus)

Q: What is the equation for the gain of an inverting op amp?

A: Vo/Vi = - Rf/R₁

Q: What three things must you remember about the output of an inverting op
amp?

A:

A - The output signal is negative when the input is positive, and vice versa
B - The output is multiplied by the ratio Rf/R₁

C - The frequency is the same throughout

Q: What will you observe if Rf = 10kΩ and R₁= 5kΩ?

A: The output signal will be twice as big as the input signal (Rf/R₁= 10/5 =
2) and inverted.

Remember to check the power supply of the op-amp in case it becomes

saturated.

Q: What is meant by saturation'?

A: This is when the output voltage, by calculation, would be greater than the
power supply voltage of the amplifier. This cannot happen, so you are
limited to ±Vs (or 85% of this).

Q: Why is the output voltage limited to ±15V?

A: The op amp becomes saturated, so cannot go beyond the power supply

voltage.

OR The output voltage cannot exceed the power supply voltage.

Q: What is the theoretical maximum output voltage of an op amp which has

Vs at ±12V

A: ±12V

Q: What is the maximum output voltage of an op amp in practice?

A: ± 85% Vs

Q: What is the equation for V₀ in an inverting op amp circuit?

A: V₀ = - (Rf / R₁) Vi

Q: Is it correct to say that the voltage has become saturated in an op amp?

NO - you will not get any marks. You must say that the op amp is saturated.
Q: What is the equation for the output voltage of a differential op amp?

A: Vo = (V₂-V₁) Rf/R₁

Q: What will you notice about the output from a differential op amp?

A:

A. The output is NOT inverted - if the input is positive the output is positive
and vice versa.

B The output is multiplied by (Rf/R1) ₁until the op amp becomes saturated.

Q: If the input to an inverting op amp is a sine wave and it is operating just

at the point of saturation - what is the effect on the output voltage?

A: The output voltage will still be a sine wave, but the tops of each wave
will be clipped (flattened) as well as it being inverted.

Q: What circuit could be used as the input to a differential op amp?

A: The Wheatstone bridge.

Q: How can the two modes be identified?

A: Simples - The inverting op amp has two resistors, the differential op amp
has four resistors. Not so simples - The non-inverting input is tied to zero
volts in the inverting amplifier (giving just one input)

Q: How are all the resistors in the differential op amp related?

A: Rf/R₁= R₃/R₂mIn effect you will just have to deal with Rf/R₁

Q: Why is a Wheatstone bridge circuit a good input for a differential

amplifier?

A: The op amp output is the difference between the two inputs (V₂-V₁)
multiplied by Rf/R.

Q: In this graph you will see three different load lines plotted, representing
three different values of load resistance in the amplifier circuit:
Which one of the three load lines represents the largest value of load
resistance (Rload)? Which of the three load lines will result in the greatest
amount of change in voltage drop across the transistor (∆VCE) for any given
amount of base current change (∆IB)? What do these relationships indicate
about the load resistor's effect on the amplifier circuit's voltage gain?

A: The load line closest to horizontal represents the largest value of load
resistance, and it also represents the condition in which VCE will vary the
most for any given amount of base current (input signal) change.

Negative feedback op-amp circuits

Q: What variable is being stabilized by negative feedback?

A: Output voltage.

Q: How is the feedback taking place (step by step)?

A: When output voltage rises, the system takes action to drop more voltage
internally, leaving less for the output.

Q: What would the system's response be like if negative feedback were not
present?

A: Without negative feedback, the output voltage would rise and fall directly
with the input voltage, and inversely with the load current.

Q: For all practical purposes, how much voltage exists between the inverting
and noninverting input terminals of an op-amp in a functioning negative-
feedback circuit?

A: There will be (practically) no voltage between the input terminals of an

operational amplifier when it is used in a negative feedback circuit (Zero
volts)

Q: Determine the frequency of this waveform, as displayed by an

oscilloscope with a vertical sensitivity of 2 volts per division and a timebase
of 0.5 milliseconds per division:

A: This is just a straightforward exercise in determining period and

translating that value into frequency (400 Hz)

Q: Assuming the vertical sensitivity control is set to 2 volts per division, and
the timebase control is set to 10 μs per division, calculate the amplitude of
this ßawtooth" wave (in volts peak and volts peak-to-peak) as well as its
frequency.
A:

Epeak = 8 V

Epeak−to−peak = 16 V

f = 6.67 kHz

Q: Most oscilloscopes can only directly measure voltage, not current. One
way to measure AC current with an oscilloscope is to measure the voltage
dropped across a shunt resistor. Since the voltage dropped across a resistor is
proportional to the current through that resistor, whatever wave-shape the
current is will be translated into a voltage drop with the exact same wave-
shape.

However, one must be very careful when connecting an oscilloscope to any

part of a grounded system, as many electric power systems are. Note what
happens here when a technician attempts to connect the oscilloscope across a
shunt resistor located on the "hot" side of a grounded 120 VAC motor
circuit:
Here, the reference lead of the oscilloscope (the small alligator clip, not the
sharp-tipped probe) creates a short-circuit in the power system. Explain why
this happens.

A: The "ground" clip on an oscilloscope probe is electrically common with

the metal chassis of the oscilloscope, which in turn is connected to earth
ground by the three-prong (grounded) power plug.

Q: Most oscilloscopes have at least two vertical inputs, used to display more
than one waveform simultaneously:
While this feature is extremely useful, one must be careful in connecting two
sources of AC voltage to an oscilloscope. Since the "reference" or "ground"
clips of each probe are electrically common with the oscilloscope's metal
chassis, they are electrically common with each other as well.

Explain what sort of problem would be caused by connecting a dual-trace

oscilloscope to a circuit in the following manner:
A: The oscilloscope will create an earth-grounded short circuit in this series
resistor circuit:

If the signal generator is earth-grounded through its power cord as well, the
problem could even be worse:

Q: Assuming the vertical sensitivity control is set to 0.5 volts per division,
and the timebase control is set to 2.5 ms per division, calculate the amplitude
of this sine wave (in volts peak, volts peak-to-peak, and volts RMS) as well
as its frequency.
A:

Epeak = 2.25 V

Epeak−to−peak = 4.50 V

ERMS = 1.59 V

f = 40 Hz

Q: Shunt resistors are low-value, precision resistors used as current-

measuring elements in high-current circuits. The idea is to measure the
voltage dropped across this precision resistance and use Ohm's Law (I =
V/R) to infer the amount of current in the circuit:

Since the schematic shows a shunt resistor being used to measure current in
an AC circuit, it would be equally appropriate to use an oscilloscope instead
of a voltmeter to measure the voltage drop produced by the shunt. However,
we must be careful in connecting the oscilloscope to the shunt because of the
inherent ground reference of the oscilloscope's metal case and probe
assembly.

Explain why connecting an oscilloscope to the shunt as shown in this second

diagram would be a bad idea:
A: The ground-referenced clip on an oscilloscope probe is a constant source
of potential trouble for those who do not fully understand it! Even in
scenarios where there is little or no potential for equipment damage, placing
an earth ground reference on a circuit via the probe clip can make for very
strange circuit behavior and erroneous measurements.

Ground loops are to be avoided in measurement circuits because they may

be the source of some very strange effects, including the coupling of noise
voltage from entirely unrelated circuits to the one being measured. To avoid
this problem, the best solution for measuring the voltage dropped across the
shunt resistor is to use two scope probes and set the scope up for differential
voltage measurement:
Q: Is Voltage read horizontally or vertically on a scope screen?

A: Voltage is measured vertically.

Q: What does the Bolts/Div control on an oscilloscope do?

A: The Volts/Div control sets the amount of volts represented by each

division on the vertical scale.

Q: What does the Sec?Div control on an oscilloscope do?

A: The Sec/Div control sets the amount of time represented by each division
on the horizontal scale.

Q: When the positive-going zero crossing of a sine wave occurs at 0, at what

angle does each of the following points occur?

(a) positive peak

(b) negative-going zero crossing

(c) negative peak

(d) end of first complete cycle

A:

(a) The positive peak is at 90

(b) The negative-going zero crossing is at 180.

(c) The negative peak is at 270.

(d) The cycle ends at 360.

Q: A half cycle is completed in ____ degrees, or ___ radians.

A: A half-cycle is completed in 180 or ~~ radians

Q: A full cycle is completed in _____ degrees, or ____ radians

A: A full cycle is completed in 360 or 2~~radians.

Q: List the four major control sections of the oscilloscope.

A:

1. Vertical controls

2. Horizontal controls

3. Trigger controls

4. Coupling a signal into the Scope

Q: If the trace 6 division from the reference line on the display, the DC
potential is ___volts if VOLTS/DIV knob is at a 2-volt setting

A: 12

Q: When the coupling switch is in the ___ position, the scope can display
combined AC and DC voltages.

A: DC

Q: When measuring a negative voltage, the horizontal reference ground

should be positioned at ___ of the display

A: Top

Q: When the scope is in the DC position, it can read __voltage.

A: DC and AC

Q: When the scope is in the AC position, it can read ___ voltage.

A: An AC

Q: If the trace moves 4 divisions from one peak to the other peak, the AC
potential is ____ volts if the VOLTS/DIV knob is at a 2-volt setting.

A: 8

Q: One cycle has how many alternations?

A: Two