Dire Dawa University

Institute Of Technology
School Of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Electrical Engineering Lab III

Outline
 What is an Operational Amplifier (Op-amp)?
 The Ideal OPAMP
 Departure from Ideal OPAMP
 OPAMP configuration

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What is an Operational Amplifier (Op-amp)?
• An operational amplifier is an
integrated circuit that can amplify weak
electric signals.
• An operational amplifier has two input
pins and one output pin. Its basic role
is to amplify and output the voltage
difference between the two input pins.
divot on pin-1 end

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The Two Golden Rules of Op-Amp Circuits

• Op-Amp Current Rule (OACR): The current into or out

of each op-amp input terminal is approximately zero.
• Op-Amp Voltage Rule (OAVR): The voltage difference
between the two op-amp input terminals is approximately
zero

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Departures from Ideal Op-amp
• Though common and inexpensive op-amps like the 741 come remarkably close to the 
ideal op-amp, there are practical limitations which come into play in circuit design.
Some of the things which cause problems are:
• The input current isn't exactly zero.
• The input offset current isn't exactly zero either.
• The input impedance isn't infinite.
• There is a limited common mode voltage range.
• The output impedance isn't zero.
• There are voltage gain limitations including phase shifts.
• There is a finite input offset voltage.
• There is some temperature dependence.

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Differential Amplifier Applications
The important applications of Differential Amplifier are,
• Differential Amplifier circuits are used in the audio amplifier for accurate
and noiseless volume control.
• In analog and digital data transmission system differential amplifiers are
used for noise cancellation.
• Differential Amplifiers are used for audio and video processing.
• These amplifiers are used for amplitude modulation.
• They are also used as an electronic switch.
• They are also used for motor control.
• These amplifier circuits are also used as a high pass filter circuit.
• Differential amplifiers are used in earlier days in analog computers.
Differential Amplifier Advantages
The great advantages of Differential Amplifier are,
• Differential Amplifier has noise cancellation property.
• Differential Amplifier can reduce external interference.
• The nature of these amplifiers is linear.
• These amplifiers help to increase CMRR(Common Mode
Rejection Ratio) which further helps to avoid unwanted signal

Differential Amplifier Disadvantages

Some disadvantages of Differential Amplifier are,
• Complexity
• Proper biasing needed
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