RC Coupling

The most commonly used coupling in amplifiers is RC coupling. An RC coupling network is shown in the illustration. The network of R1, R2, and C1 enclosed in the dashed lines of the figure is the couplingnetwork. You may notice that the circuitry for Q1 and Q2 is incomplete. That is intentional so that you can concentrate on the coupling network.

R1 acts as a load resistor for Q1 (the first stage) and develops the output signal of that stage. Do you remember how a capacitor reacts to ac and dc? The capacitor, C1, "blocks" the dc of Q1's collector, but "passes" the ac output signal. R2 develops this passed, or coupled, signal as the input signal to Q2 (thesecond stage). This arrangement allows the coupling of the signal while it isolates the biasing of each stage. This solves many of the problems associated with direct coupling.

RC-coupled transistor amplifier.

RC coupling does have a few disadvantages. The resistors use dc power and so the amplifier has low efficiency. The capacitor tends to limit the low-frequency response of the amplifier and the amplifying device itself limits the high-frequency response. For audio amplifiers this is usually not a problem; there are techniques for overcoming these frequency limitations. Before you move on to the next type of coupling, consider the capacitor in the RC coupling. You probably remember that capacitive reactance (X C) is determined by the following formula:

This explains why the low frequencies are limited by the capacitor. As frequency decreases, XC increases. This causes more of the signal to be "lost" in the capacitor. The formula for XC also shows that the value of capacitance (C) should be relatively high so that capacitive reactance (XC) can be kept as low as possible. So, when a capacitor is used as a coupling element, the capacitance should be relatively high so that it will couple the entire signal well and not reduce or distort the signal.

RC COUPLED AMPLIFIER
8:29 PM Posted by Tittu Thomas Labels: amplifier, tutorials

The figure shows the circuit diagram of an RC COUPLED AMPLIFIER.

The circuit shown here using Voltage divider bias. Rc coupled amplifier is commonly used to amplify the given input signal. Here we considering the sinusoidal input signal and at output terminals we get the amplified version of input signal. ie; Amplitude increased by a factor equal to the gain of the amplifier. Try our RC COUPLED AMPLIFIER VOLTAGE GAIN CALCULATOR

WORKING Of RC Coupled Amplifier

Consider the positive going wave of sinusoidal signal. ie; Rising from zero to peak value and viceversa. Due to transistor parameters, any variation in the input terminal(base) may cause a large variations in the output terminal(collector) in common Emitter configuration. This is the basic principle used for Rc coupled amplifier, to amplify the signal. If the input signal rises from zero in the input, it cause a large rise in voltage (amplitude) at the output terminal. And similarly for negetive going wave. Inorder to achieve faithful amplification of input signal, the Q point must be selected in the middle of DC Load Line. To stabilize the Q point in the middle and make it independent of temperature variations we are using voltage divider bias.

WAVE FORMS of Rc Coupled Amplifier INPUT WAVE

OUTPUT

COMPONENTS AND THEIR USES R1 and R2 R1 and R2 provides necessary biasing to the Transistor Q. It will stabilize the Q point near the middle of DC Load line.

C in and C out

 It is called as Coupling Capacitor. It provides coupling to the input and output signals. It helps to achieve maximum power transform Rc and Re It helps to control or drop the supply voltage Vcc. It gives a safer limit of vcc for collector and emitter terminals. Ce Emitter capacitor, it also called as Bypass capacitor. It will bypass ac current and restricts dc, Due to this only dc voltage will drop across emitter resistor. If we neglecting the Bypass capacitor, ac voltage will drop across Re, which may reduce the gain of amplifier.

ADVANTAGES OF RC COUPLED AMPLIFIER We can be able to amplify any signal in Audio frequency range. It provides faithful amplification of input signal. Simple circuit diagram By using the transistor BC107 it provides an amplification factor of nearly 50. ie; it provides an output 50 times greater than the input.

DISADVANTAGES OF RC COUPLED AMPLIFIER Bjt Amplifier will oscillates on higher frequency range such as radio frequencies. Band width is comparably narrow than JFET amplifier DC BIASING CONDITIONS Voltage drop across collector resistor Rc should be equal to 40% of Vcc. Voltage drop across emitter resistor Re should be equal to 10% of Vcc. Voltage drop across Collector-Emitter terminal should be equal to 50% of Vcc. Try Our RC time constant calculator

Note:: The dc biasing conditions should be check only after removing all the capacitors.

COMPARE RC, DIRECT AND TRANSFORMER COUPLING

9:08 PM Posted by Tittu Thomas Labels: advantages, compare, coupling, direct, rc, transformer, tutorials

Difference Between Three Common Couplings

sl.no. Characteristics RC Coupling Transformer Coupling Large and Bulky Costlier Direct Coupling

1.

Size

Small

Very Small

2.

Cost Frequency Response Impedence Matching

Small

Very Small

3.

Excellent in Poor Audio Frequency

Best

4.

Not Good

Excellent

Good

5.

Application

Voltage Amplification

Power Amplification

Low Frequency Signal Amplification

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RC COUPLING --------------------------------------------------------Rc Coupling is the most Commonly used Coupling Between the two stages of a cascaded or multistage amplifier because it is cheaper in cost and Very compact circuit and provides excellent frequency response. Eg:- Rc Coupled Amplifier

--------------------------------------------------------IMPEDENCE COUPLING OR TRANSFORMER COUPLING --------------------------------------------------------Impedence Coupling results in more efficient amplification because no signal power is wasted in Inductor L. Such Coupling has the drawback of being larger, Heavier and Costlier than the RC COUPLING. Impedence Coupling is rarely used beyond audio range. --------------------------------------------------------DIRECT COUPLING --------------------------------------------------------Direct coupling is essential for Very low frequency applications Such as photoelectric current. It has got advantages of Simple and Very cheap circuit arrangement, outstanding ability to amplify low frequency signals. The Drawbacks of Direct Coupling includes Poor Temperature stability and unsuitability for amplification of high frequency signals. Direct coupled amplifiers are used When the load is Directly in series with the Output terminal of the active circuit element.

R-C Coupling
Author: N.H. Crowhurst

At higher frequencies, the charge on the capacitor hardly changes at all during an audiofrequency fluctuation. At low frequencies, however, there is time for the charge to change, which changes the voltage across the capacitor. If the frequency is low enough, the voltage across the

capacitor changes as much as the plate potential, and the potential of the grid of the second tube hardly changes at all. At intermediate frequencies, the voltage at the second-stage grid fluctuates by an intermediate amount. At the higher frequencies, the current through the grid resistor, due to the audio fluctuations, is the same as if the resistor were connected directly to the plate, without the steady d-c voltage difference being there. Where does this audio current come from? The plate circuit of the tube has to supply it. When the plate fluctuates negative, due to momentarily greater current through the coupling resistor, the grid of the following stage goes negative as the result of current flow through the grid resistor from grid to ground, adding to the momentary plate current. We use the term coupling resistor for the component that feeds B plus to the plate. Some call it the plate resistor, which must be carefully distinguished from plat resistance. Many call it the load resistor, which can be misleading. As we have just seen, current fluctuations related to stage amplification divide between this resistor and the grid resistor coupled to it by the coupling capacitor. So, at most frequencies, the load for the tube's plate is these two resistors effectively in parallel. We will call this the load resistance.

Characteristics of RC-coupling.

Because this increase in plate current is controlled by the voltage applied to the grid, this extra current means that the rise in current through the coupling resistor will not be so great as before

the capacitor and grid resistor were connected. The effect is the same as if the grid resistor were connected in parallel with the load resistor.

Taking audio fluctuations from the plate circuit

Whether the resistor to which the output side of the capacitor is connected goes to ground or to B+ will only make a difference to the charge on the capacitor and the steady voltage across it. The fluctuations across the capacitor and the audio currents will be the same either way because B-f is always a fixed voltage difference from the ground.

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www.visionics.a.se/html/.../RC%20Coupled%20Amplifier1.html http://mycircuits9.blogspot.com/2012/06/compare-rc-direct-and-transformer.html http://www.vias.org/crowhurstba/crowhurst_basic_audio_vol2_025.html