The Norton Operational Amplifier, LM3900

The LM3900 is a 14-pin DIP containing four identical op-amps, each with
inverting and noninverting inputs and an output. However, these op-amps are
very different from the usual op-amp, and must be used in a completely different
way. The usual op-amp responds to a differential voltage at its inputs, but the
LM3900 responds to a differential current. Instead of a differential amplifier, the
input stage is the current-differencing circuit shown at the right. The current
mirror at the noninverting input subtracts the current at that input, I+, from the
current at the inverting input, I-, to form the difference current I- - I+ that is furnished to the amplifier
with overall gain of 70 dB. If I- is greater than I+, the output saturates low, and if I- is less, the output
saturates high. Feedback from the output to the inverting input acts to reduce the difference current,
which in normal operation is very small. This is just like the usual op-amp, except with current instead of
voltage. The output, however, is a voltage as with the usual op-amp. The label "Norton" refers to the
Norton equivalent circuit for a current source.

Another difference that is immediately obvious is that the inputs are one diode drop,
about 0.55 V in the LM3900, above ground, and vary little from that voltage. There is
no common-mode voltage range at all! It has been replaced by a common-mode current
range by the current differencing. Equal currents supplied to the two inputs are not
amplified. The LM3900 is specially useful when only a single power supply is available.
Its output swings from very near ground to a diode drop below the positive supply. In
these experiments, we'll use a +12 V supply. The LM3900 can use from 4 to 36 V total
supply voltage. There is one set of power connections for the four amplifiers, but they
are otherwise independent. Connections for the LM3900 are shown at the left.

The first circuit to look at is the inverting amplifier, shown at the

right. Note the symbol for the Norton op-amp, that has a current
source between the inputs, and an arrow on the noninverting input.
This is an AC amplifier, with coupling capacitors at input and output
so there is no worry about DC bias levels, which can be chosen as
necessary. The input and feedback resistors are as with the familiar
circuit, and the gain in this case should be -2. The difference is the
39k resistor at the noninverting input. It supplies a current (12 - 0.55)/39 mA to this input, and the output
endeavors to supply an equal current to the inverting input, which requires a DC output voltage of
(20/39)(12 - 0.55) + 0.55 = 6.4 V, a convenient bias. The bias is set by the current I+, not by a voltage
divider, as it would be with the usual op-amp. The LM3900 is very convenient for AC amplifiers. When
you test this circuit, the scope traces for input and output can be superimposed with proper setting of the
gain, and the inversion is obvious.

A unity-gain buffer is shown at the left. It looks like the same circuit for the
usual op-amp, but here the resistors are necessary. The input resistor turns the
applied voltage into a current, while the feedback resistor causes the output to
rise to a value supplying an equal current to the inverting input. The circuit is
not as precise as the usual one, with small shifts
due to the diode drops at the input, but the
circuit is useful and furnishes a reasonable input
resistance of 1M. The extremely high input resistance of the voltage or
FET-input op-amp is not obtained, however.

The unity-gain buffer is a special case of the noninverting amplifier, shown

at the right with biasing by means of a voltage divider. The divider supplies
a current into what is effectively a unity-gain buffer to reproduce its voltage
at the output. This amplifier has a gain of +10, of course, or 20 dB. Again, the high input impedance of
the voltage op-amp is not obtained.

Another biasing scheme for the inverting amplifier is shown at the

left. It relies on the diode drop at the inverting input to supply a
current proportional to Vbe, which is then amplified by the feedback
resistor. In this case, the bias is about 10 x 0.55 = 5.5V. Actual
measurement gave 5.7 V. Here, the current supplied by the output
is returned to the inverting input, where it flows out the 120k bias
resistor, so the bias is positive. In this case, the bias does not
depend on the supply voltage.

A voltage regulator with a Zener in the feedback loop is shown at the right. The
510 resistor supplies a bias current of 0.55/0.51 = 1 mA to the Zener to reduce
noise and improve stability. This voltage is added to the Zener voltage at the
output. A 4.2 V Zener (1N5230) gave 4.76 V, a 2.3 V Zener (1N5226) gave 2.84
V. A pass transistor can be added at the output for additional current capacity (the
LM3900 can be depended on only for about 20 mA when sinking current).

A relaxation oscillator is shown at the left. With the values shown, this circuit
oscillated at 3840 Hz, the output swinging from near zero to 11.3 V. The slew
rate of the LM3900 was evident in the output waveform. To understand this
circuit, assume for simplicity that the output swings from 0 to the supply
voltage V. When the output is 0, a current I+ = V/10 A is supplied to the
noninverting input. When the output is V, a larger current I+ = V/5 is supplied.
These are the trip levels expressed in currents. When the capacitor is
discharged, I- = 0, so the output is high, and the trip level is 3(V/5) = 0.6V.
The capacitor charges until its voltage reaches this level, but then the ouput goes low and it begins to
discharge again. The lower trip level is 3(V/10) = 0.3V. When the capacitor voltage reaches this level, the
ouput again goes high, and the cycle repeats. For a 12V supply, these levels are about 7.2 and 3.6 volts.
This is a very rough calculation, so we expect only general agreement. The measured values (from the
scope) were 3.0 V and 8.4 V, and the capacitor voltage waveform was quite rounded on top and bottom--
in fact, it would be a passable sine wave if you were not too particular. Buffered, this would be an easy
way to get a sine wave.

The relaxation oscillator makes use of a Schmitt trigger, with positive

feedback. An inverting Schmitt trigger is shown at the right. The input and
supply voltages can be exchanged to give a noninverting circuit. The output
goes from high to low when the input reaches 7 V, and from low to high when
it goes below 6 V, with a hysteresis of 1 V. The hysteresis can be displayed
directly on the scope, using the X-Y display. Connect Ch 1 to the input
voltage, and Ch 2 to the output. A 100 Hz triangle wave from a function
generator makes a suitable input. Alternatively, use 0.5 Hz and watch the dot move. This is a very graphic
illustration of Schmitt trigger operation.

The Norton op-amp can also be used to make active filters and oscillators; see the National
Semiconductors application note AN-72 for details.

References

The National Semiconductors application note AN-72 of Sept. 1972, revised June 1986, is a good
introduction to the LM3900, with a great variety of applications.