1.

Objective

To design and evaluate the performance of an active high pass filter.

2.0

Theory
A high-pass filter (HPF) is an electronic filter that passes high-frequency signals but

attenuates signals with frequencies lower than the cutoff frequency. In other word, it is a device
that modifies the time-varying signal with respect to its frequency, to remove unwanted
components and to allow desired components to pass. For high-pass filter, the function is to
allow high frequency to pass but starting at c, it will attenuate to become a low frequency.
High pass filtering is required when the main source of noise is below the frequency
range of the signals of interest. The simplest form of an active high pass filter is to connect a
standard inverting or non-inverting operational amplifier to the basic RC high pass passive filter
circuit [1].
3.0

Material and Equipment

1. Resistors (10k x 3, 1k x 1)
2. Capacitor (0.01 F x 1)
3. Signal function generator
4. Oscilloscope

4.0

Procedures
1. The active high-pass filter is formed. The components are connected to form a circuit and
arranged based on Figure 1.
2. The circuit is then connected with the oscilloscope.
3. The value of frequency, Vout and Vin are taken from the oscilloscope and recorded in the
table.
4. The resulting gain (Vout/Vin) is plotted as a function of the operating frequency.

Figure 1 : An active RC high-pass filter

5.0

Results

5.1

Experimental Data
Table 1 : High-pass filter gain and Frequency
Frequency, f

Vin (mV)

Vout (mV)

(kHz)

Gain
20log(

, (dB)

0.1

940

33.6

-28.93

0.5

920

74.0

-21.89

1.0

862

124.0

-16.84

20.0

860

920.0

0.59

30.0

860

1700

5.91

100.0

860

1560

5.17

150.0

860

1410

4.29

200.0

880

1380

3.91

250.0

880

1120

2.09

300.0

880

1040

1.45

5.2

Data Analysis

Frequency Response of High-Pass Filter

10
5.91

0.59

0
0.1

5.17
4.29
3.91
2.09
1.45

10

100

Gain (dB)

-5
-10
-15
-16.84
-20
-21.89
-25
-28.93
-30

Frequency (kHz)

Figure 2 : Graph of Frequency against Gain

Calculation for gain:
1) Frequency : 0.1 kHz
Vin= 940 mV
Vout = 33.6 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 33.6/940 )
= -28.93 dB

1000

2) Frequency : 0.5 kHz

Vin= 920 mV
Vout = 74.0 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 74.0/920 )
= -21.89 dB
3) Frequency : 1.0 kHz
Vin= 862 mV
Vout = 124.0 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 124.0/862 )
= -16.84 dB
4) Frequency : 20.0 kHz
Vin= 860 mV
Vout = 920 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 920/860 )
= 0.59 dB
5) Frequency : 30.0 kHz
Vin= 860 mV
Vout = 1700 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 1700/860 )
= 5.91dB
6) Frequency : 100.0 kHz
Vin= 860mV
Vout = 1560 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 1560/860 )
= 5.17 dB
7) Frequency : 150.0 kHz
Vin= 860 mV
Vout = 1410 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 860/1410 )
= 4.29 dB
8) Frequency : 200.0 kHz
Vin= 880 mV
Vout = 1380 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 1380/880 )
= 3.91dB

9) Frequency : 250.0 kHz

Vin= 880 mV
Vout = 1120 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 1120/880)
= 2.09 dB
10) Frequency : 300.0 kHz
Vin= 880 mV
Vout = 1040 mV

Gain = 20 log (

= 20 log ( 1040/880 )
= 1.45 dB
Calculation for cut off frequency:
R = 1k
C = 0.01 F
fc=
=
= 15.92 kHz
From the graph, the cut off frequency is estimated at 15.25 kHz. (Where the graph line is
significantly increasing)
Therefore,
Percentage error =

x 100%

x 100%

= 4.21 %
Calculation for pass band gain :
The pass band gain from the plotted graph is 5.91dB.
Theoretical gain = 20 log ( 1 +

= 20 log ( 1+

= 6.02 dB

Percentage error =

x 100%

= 1.8%
Calculation for roll-off rate :
The roll-off rate from the graph is

, while theoretically the roll-off rate is

The percentage error is,

=

x 100%

= 12.85%

Subject
Cut-off frequency
Pass-band gain
Roll-off rate

Theoretical
value
15.92 kHz
6.02 dB

Experimental
value
15.25 kHz
5.91 dB

Percentage error
4.21%
1.8%
12.85%

6.0

Discussion
According to the table, there are some differences at the voltage-in values and voltage-out

values which depended on the different values of frequencies. Each frequency also will affect the
values of gain. At frequency of 0.1 kHz, the voltage-in value has recorded the highest value
which is 940 mV. As for the voltage-out value, the value recorded is 33.6 mV. At the highest
frequency which is 300 kHz, the value of voltage-in is 880 mV and the voltage-out value is 1040
mV. For the gain, at frequency of 0.1 kHz, the value of gain is -28.93 dB whereas at frequency of
300 kHz, the gain is 1.45 dB. From the data, this showed that as the value of frequency becomes
higher, there will be a decrease in the value of the gain for the active high pass filter.
From the graph, certain values such as cut off frequency, pass band gain and roll off rate
can be identified. The cut off frequency is the frequency where the voltage gain is reduced to
0.707. At the cut off frequency also, the gain is down by 3 dB which also known as 3 dB down
point or -3dB. Besides, cut off frequency can also be defined as the frequency which
characterized a boundary between a pass band and a stop band. The pass band gain is the peak
value of the pass band frequencies which is between 0 Hz to cut off frequency. As for the roll-off
rate, it is known as rate of change of power at 10 times or decade or two times or octave change
of frequency in the stop band.
By comparing the theoretical values of cut off frequency, pass band gain and roll off rate
from the calculations and the values from the graph, errors can be identified. The cut off
frequency from the calculations is 15.92 kHz whereas from the graph, the cut off frequency is
15.25 kHz. The percentage error for comparing the theoretical value and experimental value of
the cut off frequency is 4.21 %. For the pass band gain, the theoretical value for the gain is 6.02
dB while from the graph, the value is 5.91 dB. The percentage error for the pass band gain is
1.8%. Other than that, for roll-off rate, the theoretical value is -20.00 dB whereas from the graph,
the value is -17.43 dB. The percentage error for roll-off rate is 12.85%.
This experiment is more focused to determine the functions of active high pass filter that
only allows a range of frequency that not exceed cut off frequency and the frequency above the
cut off frequency will be attenuated. In order to improve the performance of the filter, additional

circuitry is needed to be added to the basic filter. Besides, the poles of the filter are needed to be
increased.

7.0

Conclusion
From this experiment, the objective is achieved. All the data were taken and plotted in a

graph. The graph line is not that smooth due to some error that occurred during the data is taken.
This leaded to a slight difference between the theoretical value and the experimental value that
are gained from this experiment. Several precaution steps need to be considered when doing this
experiment in the future. One of them is by always taking the precaution before taking the
measurement because the apparatus is too sensitive. Besides, the connection of the circuit has to
be neatly connected so that the circuit can function well. The most important thing is to decide
carefully the suitable data range of this experiment so that the graph plotted is presentable. In a
nutshell, this experiment is succeeded.

8.0

References

[1]

Active High Pass Filter. (2014). Retrieved April 27, 2014, from http://www.electronicstutorials.ws/filter/filter_6.html

[2]

Frequency Response and Active Filters. (2014). Retrieved April 26, 2014, from
http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/echeeve1/Ref/FilterBkgrnd/Filters.html