ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Operational Amplifier (Op-Amp)
The operational amplifier, or op amp, is a low-cost and versatile integrated circuit
consisting of many internal transistors, resistors, and capacitors manufactured into
a single chip of silicon.
OP-Amp: Components
Used As:
The OP-Amp has Single Output and Two Inputs:
Amplifiers
1. Noninverting input [+]: output is in phase with input.
Integrators
2. Inverting input [-]: output is 180 out of phase with input.
Summers
Differentiators
Comparators
A/D and D/A converters
Active filters
Sample and hold amplifiers

Ideal characteristics:
1. Very high open-loop gain: A = 100,000+,
but unpredictable
2. Very high input resistance: Rin > 1 M
3. Low output resistance: Rout = 50-75 ohm

Fig. Op amp terminology and

schematic representation

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Op Amps: inside structure..

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Op Amps: assumptions..
1. It has infinite impedance at both inputs; hence, no current is drawn from the
input circuits. Therefore,
2. It has infinite gain. As a consequence, the difference between the input voltages
must be 0; otherwise, the output would be infinite. Therefore,
3. It has zero output impedance. Therefore, the output voltage does not depend
on the output current.

OP-Amp: Examples: Fig. shows an op-amp with an open-loop gain of 100,000. Find the output
for the following conditions:

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Voltage Follower

Very useful circuit

Can boost the current of a signal without increasing the voltage
Can transform a high-impedance signal into a robust low-impedance signal
Has a voltage gain of 1

Using a voltage follower to prevent load down

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Inverting Amplifier
The most common op-amp configuration
The voltage gain is determined by the resistor values
This is an inverting amplifier because the input signal goes to the inverting
input, which means the output is out of phase with the input.
Feedback loop always goes from the output to the inverting input of the op
amp, implying negative feedback.

Fig. The inverting amplifier circuit.

H.W. An inverting amp is to have a gain of 10. The signal source is a sensor with an
output impedance of 1 k. Draw a circuit diagram of the completed amplifier.

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Non-inverting Amplifier
Positive gain
Useful in isolating one portion of a circuit from another
This circuit amplifies the input voltage without inverting the signal.

H.W. Draw the circuit diagram of a non-inverting amp with a gain of 20.

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Summing Amplifier
The summing amplifier has an output voltage that is the sum of any number of
input voltages.
It is used to add analog signals
The circuit output is the negative sum of the inputs.

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp

Op Amp: Vout?

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ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Differential Amplifier
A differential amplifier amplifies the difference between two input voltages.
The output of the amplifier (Vout) is a single voltage level referenced to ground,
sometimes called a single-ended voltage.
In analyzing this circuit, use the principle of superposition.

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Differential Amplifier

Inverting amplifier

Noninverting amplifier

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ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Differentiator

The relationship between voltage and current for

a capacitor:

Therefore, the output signal is an inverted, scaled

derivative of the input signal.

Caution:
One note of caution concerning using differentiation
in signal processing is that any electrical noise in the
input signal will be accentuated in the output. In
effect, the differentiator amplifies the fast-changing
noise. Integration, on the other hand, has a
smoothing effect, so noise is not a concern when
using an integrator.

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ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Integrator

The relationship between voltage and current for

a capacitor:
Integrating gives,
where is a dummy variable of integration

Therefore, the output signal is an inverted, scaled

integral of the input signal.

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Improving the characteristics of Integrators

aminul islam khan

ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Instrumentation Amplifier

Instrumentation amplifiers are commercially available as monolithic ICs (e.g., Analog

Devices 524 and 624 and National Semiconductor LM 623). A single external resistor is
used to set the gain. This gain can be higher and is more stable than gains achievable
with a simple difference amplifier.

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ME 361: Instrumentation and Measurement

Electronics : OpAmp
Instrumentation Amplifier
An instrumentation amplifier can also be constructed with inexpensive discrete op
amps and precision resistors.

Applying Ohms law to the feedback

resistors gives
and

Solving,

and

Now the rest of this amplifier is equivalent to a differential amplifier

So,

If

Then,

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