Chapter 5 Operational Amplifiers

Note: We are temporarily skipping the remaining sections of Chapter 4. We

will cover them after completing Chapter 5.

Operational Amplifier - An operational amplifier (op amp) is a high gain
differential amplifier with nearly ideal external characteristics. Internally the
op amp is constructed using many transistors.
V
O

V
+

V
-

V
+
-
I
+

I
-

+V
DC

-V
DC

+
_
I
o

Terminology:
V
+
= non-inverting input voltage
V
-
= inverting input voltage
V
o
= output voltage
I
o
= output current
I
+
= non-inverting input current
I
-
= inverting input current
V
DC
= positive and negative DC supply
voltages used to power the op amp
(typically 5V to 30V)
V = V
+
- V
-
= difference voltage
Note: Sometimes the supply voltage
connections are not shown
Reading Assignment: Chapter 5 in Electric Circuits, 9
th
Edition by Nilsson
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Operational Amplifiers
U1
uA741
3
2
7
4
6
1
5
+
-
V
+
V
-
OUT
OS1
OS2
8-pin package (3D view)
8-pin package pinout
uA741 symbol in PSPICE
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Typical Operational Amplifier Schematic
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Open-loop versus closed-loop operation:
Open-loop:
Relatively rare
Op amp specifications may be important

OL
OL
o
o OL OL
A = open-loop gain
(typical value: A = 100,000)
V = differential input voltage
V
In general, V = A V or A =
V

Closed-loop:
Most commonly used
Some sort of feedback from output to input exists
The input voltage, V
in
, is defined according to the
application
CL
o
CL
in
A = closed-loop gain
V
A =
V
V
O

V
+

V
-

V
+
-
+
_
V
O

+
_
Feedback
V
in

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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
An op amp circuit can be easily analyzed using the following ideal
assumptions.
Ideal op-amp assumptions:
Assume that V = 0, so V
+
= V
-

Assume the input resistance is infinite, so I
+
= I
-
= 0
Realize the all voltages defined above are node voltages w.r.t. a common
ground (as illustrated below)
Illustration: Draw an op amp showing a common negative terminal for all
node voltages.
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Determine an expression for V
o
in the inverting amplifier shown
below. Illustrate the results using both DC and AC inputs.
V
o

+
_ V
in

R
1

R
2

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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Find V
o
, I
1
, V
2
, and I
o
below.
V
o

+
_ 2V
4k
12k
1k
6k
3k
9k V
2

+
_
I
1

I
o

Load Connections: V
o
is typically determined independent of the load (the
circuit connected to the output). Once V
o
has been determined, it essentially
acts like a voltage source to the load.
Load Current: I
o
is the output current for an op amp. It can be found
using KCL.
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Determine an expression for V
o
in the non-inverting amplifier
shown below.
V
o

+
_
V
in

R
1

R
2

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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Determine V
o
in the inverting summing amplifier shown below.
V o

+
_
V 1

R 1
R
F
V 2

R 2
V 3

R 3
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Determine V
o
in the non-inverting summing amplifier shown
below.
V
o

+
_
V
1

R
1

R
F


V
2

R
2

V
3

R
3

R
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Determine V
L
in the circuit shown below.
+
_
2k
3k
3k
2k
4k
V
L

+
_
12k
4k
+
_
12 V
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Determine V
o
in the circuit shown below.
10k
+
_
2 V
8k
+
_
20k
2k
4k
+
_
12k
V
o

12
Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Practical Limitations in op amps
Operational amplifier circuits are generally easy to analyze, design, and
construct and their behavior is fairly ideal. There are, however, some
limitations to op amps which the engineer should recognize. There are three
primary limitations as well as some minor limitations that will be discussed in
later courses.
The three primary limitations in op amps are:
1) Limited voltage - In general, the output voltage is limited by the DC supply
voltages.
2) Limited current - The output current has a maximum limit set by the
manufacturer (check the data sheet).
3) Frequency limitations - Op amp performance may deteriorate significantly
as frequency increases (studied in later courses)
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Voltage Limitations
V
o
for any op amp circuit is limited by the supply voltage. In general,
If V
o
attempts to exceed these limits, the output is limited to +V
DC
or -V
DC
and
we say that the op amp is saturated or is in saturation.
Practically, V
o
is often about 2V under the supply voltage, or
DC o DC
-V V V

DC o DC
-V 2 V V - 2
Example: Consider the inverting amplifier shown below (covered earlier).
1) Determine the voltage gain, A
CL
= V
o
/V
in

V
o

+
_ V
in

4k
12k
+12V
-12V
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
2) Determine V
o
for various possible values of V
in
(fill out the table shown
below)
V
in
V
o
V
in
V
o
0V
1V -1V
2V -2V
3V -3V
4V -4V
5V -5V
3) Graph V
o
versus V
in
. Identify the saturation and linear regions of
operation.
V
o

V
in

15
Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Consider the inverting amplifier shown below (covered earlier).
1) If R
2
= 4k, determine range of values for V
in
such that the op am will
operate in the linear range
2) If V
in
= 2V, determine R
2
(max) such that the op am will operate in the
linear range
V
o
+
_ V
in

2k
R
2
-12V

+12V

16
Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Sketch V
o
(on the same graph) for the circuit shown below if V
in
is a
triangle wave as specified below.
V
o
+
_ V
in

2k
4k

-10V

+10V

V
in

10V
-10V
20V
-20V
0V
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Current Limitations
The maximum output current, I
o
for an op amp is specified by the manufacturer.
Exceeding this limit will typically destroy the op amp. The output current can
be calculated using KCL at the output node. An op amp circuit should be
designed to insure that its output current does not exceed the maximum value,
I
o
(max), specified by the manufacturer.
Example: If I
o
(max) is specified at 25 mA by the manufacturer, determine the
minimum value of R
L
that can safely be used in the circuit shown below.
V
o

+
_
4 V
500
1000
R
L

I
o

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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Using node equations to analyze op amp circuits
As op amp circuits become more complex, simultaneous equations may be
needed to analyze them. Node equations are a natural choice since many op
amp voltages are expressed as node voltages. Note: Writing a KCL (node)
equation at the output node is not typically helpful except to find I
o
since it
introduced another unknown (I
o
).
Example: Determine V
o
in the circuit shown below.
+
_
2 V
1k
1k
+
_
2k
V
o

3k
Note: Writing a KCL
equation (node equation) at
the output is only helpful for
finding I
o
since it introduces
another unknown (I
o
).
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Determine V
o
in the circuit shown below.
V
o

+
_
5k
10k
2k
+
_
10V
4k
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: The circuit shown below is a current amplifier. Determine an
expression for I
L
. Also find the current gain, A
I
= I
L
/I
S
.
V
o

+
_
R
1
R
L

R
2

I
S

I
L

21
Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Op amp models
So far we have analyzed op amps using a few ideal assumptions about op amps
(such as V
+
= V
-
and I
+
= I
-
= 0) . How would we convey these assumptions to
a circuit analysis program like PSPICE? Typically, we would construct a
circuit model that acts like the op amp that we desire. A simple op amp model
is shown below. Also note that PSPICE can be used to model op amps with
specific part numbers (such as the uA741 in the PSPICE library EVAL.SLB).
In these cases, ORCAD develops very detailed circuit models that match the
characteristics of the particular op amp. The ORCAD model might look like
the model shown below plus additional components to more accurately model
additional features.
R
V
o

+
-
A
OL
V
V
+
_
V
-

V
+

Simple op-amp model
Lines added only
for emphasis
Typical values for the
op amp model shown:
A
OL
= 100,000
R
in
= 2M - 10M
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Determine V
o
in the circuit
shown in two ways:
1) by making ideal op amp assumptions
+
_
2V
1k
+
_
4k
V
o

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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Example: Determine V
o
in the circuit
shown in two ways:
2) by using an ideal op amp model with
R
in
= 2M and A
OL
= 100,000.
+
_
2V
1k
+
_
4k
V
o

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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis
Analyzing operational amplifier circuits using PSPICE:
There are two ways to analyze op amp circuits using PSPICE.
1) Use the general op amp model just introduced (consisting of a resistor and a
voltage-controlled voltage source.
2) Use one of the op amp models from a PSPICE library (such as the uA741).

Refer to two examples on the course web site:
1) Op Amp Example using a General Op Amp Model
2) Op Amp Circuit using a Library Model ( uA741)
Note: End of Test #2 material here.
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Chapter 5 EGR 260 Circuit Analysis