ECE3254 Electronic Circuits Laboratory

Experiment #9

TITLE: POWER AMPLIFIERS: Class B and class AB

OBJECTIVE: Examine and evaluate characteristics of the class-B and class-AB power amplifier topologies.

DISCUSSION: Power amplifiers are intended to take power from a power supply, modulate it, and then transfer it to a load.
If the efficiency is high, most of the power will be sent to the load. If the efficiency is not high, this “lost” power will end up
being dissipated in the circuit, much to the pain and suffering of the drive transistors, since they will crinkle and die from the
overheating of their internal current paths.

Class A amplifiers are the type that we first consider when we look at a transistor as a control element. Unfortunately they are
wretched power amplifiers. The best possible efficiency of a class-A amplifiers is only 25%. Class-A amplifiers require that
the duty cycle of a transistor be 100%, so that even when there is zero signal, power is being dissipated in the circuit. And that
is why they are not so good as power amplifiers.

Most power amplifiers are of type “class-B”, for which the efficiency is as much as78%. Class-B amplifiers have a transistor
duty cycle of 50%, and the transistors are off when there is zero signal. At worst-case, efficiency of a class-B amplifier is 50%.

So class B, and its cousin. class AB are the usually the power amplifier topologies of choice. The BJT form of a class-B power
amplifier is represented by figure 9.1
upper rail
+VS

QN

VI
VL

RL

QP

Figure 9-1: Ideal Class-B amplifier -VS

lower rail

This form of circuit is called a “push-pull” output, because the current flows through the load into GND from the upper rail
during the positive half cycle and from GND through the load and to the lower rail during the negative half-cycle.

Unfortunately, the reality of the non-ideal transistors is that they do not turn on until a finite voltage occurs between the base
and the emitter (on the order of 0.6V for BJTs). So there is a “dead zone” around -0.6 < VI < +0.6 for which no current flows.
This “zero crossing” distortion has to be corrected by schemes applied to the front end of the circuit. Since it is a situation in
which the duty cycle is greater than 50% these options fall in the category of being between class A and class B, and therefore
are called class AB.

For this experiment we will set up a class-B and a class-AB option using complementary BJT power transistors, and identify
and measure the cross-over distortion of the class-B

PROCEDURE:

A-1: Set up the circuit of figure 9A-1 on your prototyping motherboard, with RL = 25 Ω and voltage rails of +12 and -
12V, as available from the sources on the MFJ box. The opamp is of type uA741C. Since you do not have any 25Ω resistances
in your parts kit so you will need to put four 100 Ω resistances in parallel. This is common practice in power amplifier appli-
cations since the power dissipated in the resistance RL can now shared between four resistances.

In this case the power dissipated in load is relatively small, on the order of 2.9W. Worst-case dissipation in each transistor is
approx 580 mW. But the transistors will still heat up rather much. Normally, we would supply them with heat sinks with big
Cadillac fins.

+12

VS uA741C QN
VI
TIP-31 (npn)
VL
RF
Rbox
10kΩ 25Ω
TIP-30 (pnp)
QP

Figure 9A-1: Ideal Class-B amplifier -12

The opamp is of type uA741C. It should use the same +12, -12 power rails and GND as used by the complementary pair of
power transistors.

The power transistors are of type package TOE-220A as shown by figure 9A-2. Take note that the leads are a little larger than
most wire sizes as used so far, so be gentle in inserting them into your prototyping boards.

Figure 9A-2: TOE-220AB package

B
(for TIP-30 and Tip-31 power transistors) C
E
 A-2: Connect O-scope CH1 to the VS input and O-scope CH2 to the VL output. Set the amplitude adjust resistance RF to
10kΩ. Connect the signal generator to VS and apply a 400Hz, 1.0 peak-peak sinusoidal signal to VS. Set the gain on CH2 to
half that of CH1 and overlay the CH1 and CH2 by adjustment of the O-scope trace positions. With the plots overlaid, the
cross-over distortion should be fairly well pronounced. Sketch these overlaid plots, with emphasis on measuring the cross-
over distortion, which will show up as an amplitude reduction as well as a “dead-zone” span. Measure the amplitude reduction
and the width (span) of the “cross-over” zone (on the time scale).

A-3: Now set the amplitude adjust resistance to 30k, 50k, 70k, and 90k respectively, in each case readjusting the gain on
CH2 so that it is of factor 4, 6, 8, 10, respectively of that for CH1. Make sketches of the overlaid plots and measurements of
the amplitude reduction and the span of the cross-over zone. It may be necessary to adjust scales in order to get a good zoom
on the cross-over zone.

B-1: Modify the circuit of figure 9A-1 to that of figure 9B-1. This option is a simple means to eliminate cross-over distor-
tion. Repeat the measurements of part A-2 and A-3 on this modified circuit.

+12

VS uA741C
VA uA741C QN
VI
TIP-31 (npn)
RF VL
Rbox
10kΩ
25Ω
TIP-30 (pnp)
QP

Figure 9B-1: Class-AB amplifier -12

B-2. Now attach an application (miniature speaker) load across the RL as shown by figure 9B-2. The miniature speaker is
in your parts/wires drawer. Evaluate the power transferred to the load as a function of (output) amplitude for the 440Hz source
by plotting VL for at least five points. Also record the value for input amplitude, VA, since it will be somewhat different. You
can adjust amplitude VA either by means of the Rbox or by VS . Assume that PL = 0.5VL2/RL. In this case RL is not just a sim-
ple resistance but an inductance in parallel with the 50Ω resistance.

B-3. Repeat your measurements for source frequencies 220 Hz and 880Hz. It is recommended that you use the push-
button switch on the MFJ box in series with the speaker, as shown by figure 9B-2. The push-button switch SW1 is for relief of
your hearing as much as for the relief of the drive transistors.

#Omit# B-4. With input amplitude VA fixed at 2.0V. increase the frequency until the output level VL rolls off to 0.7 x VA.
This frequency is approximately the frequency corner for the load and is important to your measure of the inductance of the
load.

B-5. Separate the speaker from the circuit and use the DMM to measure resistance of the speaker between its terminals.
 +12

VS uA741C
uA741C QN
VA VI
TIP-31 SW1
RF VL
Rbox
10kΩ Spkr
50Ω
TIP-30
QP

Figure 9B-1: Class-AB amplifier with application load -12

C-1. With gain factor = 10 and the speaker load removed from the circuit of figure 9B-1, increase the frequency to 40kHz
and measure the output amplitude. And make a sketch of the output waveform.

ANALYSIS:

1. (Logbook) Your sketches should tell the story of cross-over distortion. Make a table that shows the ratio of the amplitude
loss due to cross-over distortion vs signal amplitude.

2. (Logbook) Make plot for VL and PL as a function of frequency for fixed input amplitude VA.

3 (#Omit#). (Logbook) From parts B-4 and B-5 determine the inductance of the speaker.

4. (Logbook) What did part C-1 of the procedure tell you about the limitations of the circuit, and why this construct for a
class AB amplifier is not such a good solution for the higher frequencies?

5. (Formal Report) Run pSPICE on the following cir-

cuit (figure 9.2), showing VL for both positions of the +12
switch as output, for amplitude VI of 1.0V, 2.0V and uA741C
5V and frequency = 440Hz. VA
VI
QN

In order to do this most effectively, use the VSIN part. VL

Change its name to Vs. Click on the part and selec

VOFF = 0 25Ω
FREQ = 440Hz QP
VAMPL= {Va}

In making this last selection with the curly brack-

-12
ets, you are choosing to make VAMPL a symbolic
value, which can now be stepped through the ampli- Figure 9-2: Test circuit
tudes 1.0, 2.0, 4.0.

And in order to do so, also go to the PARTS menu and select PARAM, which pulls down a parameter called PARAME-
TERS. Click on this “part” and set
 NAME1 = Va VALUE1 = 1.0

Now go the Analysis > Setup > Parametric menu and set

Swept Var. Type = Global Parameter Sweep type = Value list Values: 1.0, 2.0, 5.0

You also will need to go to the Analysis > Setup > Transient menu and set

Final Time = 2ms Step Ceiling = 1us

which gives you about four full cycles of the waveform at 44Hz.

For QN and QP, you will need to use as PARTS, the Q2N6059 and Q2N6052, respectively, which are reasonably close to the
TIP-31 and TIP30 transistors that were used in the experiment. Notice that there are actually two transistors hiding in the
package. The transistor pairs make the cross-over distortion much the worse.

This transistor pair, usually called a Darlington pair, (and has nothing to do with automobiles races) gives a “super-beta” for-
ward current gain of βF on the order of 5000 - 10000. This high βF is much to the advantage of the transistors as push-pull
drivers for high current. And that is why they are used.

Run a Fourier analysis on for each of the output voltage levels (Analysis > Setup > Transient) and determine the THD and the
relative magnitude of the 3rd harmonic, each case. Make a table that shows VI, THD, 3harm and (the measured) cross-over
amplitude. Print out the Fourier table for each case. The Fourier-table is located toward the end of the output listing given
under Analysis > Examine Output.

Both positions of the switch can be shown concurrently by copying the circuit such that two copies will exist, one with the
switch in one position and one with the switch in the other position. Since the Fourier analysis can only be invoked for one
output you will need to run pSPICE twice, once for each output.

To invoke the Fourier analysis under pSPICE, the menu under Analysis > Setup > Transient should have settings as follows:

Center Frequency = 440 Number of harmonics = 10 Output vars: V(VL1)

The above settings assume that an output label VL1 has been given to the output for circuit #1.

The Fourier output should not be plotted. That is a foolish waste of paper. Instead, excise and print out the tables located at the
end of the output listing shown under Analysis > Examine Output. And you can also read the relative values of the different
harmonics and the THD directly.

APPENDIX 9A: Pinout for 741C opamp

non-inverting input +VS Vo

+VS

V+
Vo
V-

-VS V- V+ -VS

inverting input
Figure A9-1a: Operational amplifier symbol Figure A9-1b: 741C Opamp: 8-pin DIP