Page 1

EE 215 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering

Lab 3 - Operational Amplifiers (Op mps) Instructor: Tai-Chang Chen

Due date: during quiz session in week 10 (11/30-12/04)

Authors
C. Ramon, R.D. Christie, K.F. Böhringer
Objectives
At the end of this lab, you will be able to:
 Construct and test inverting and non-inverting op amp circuits
 Compute the input and output resistance of op amp circuits from measurements
 Design simple op amp circuits
Materials and Supplies
See Laboratory 1 for information on obtaining a laboratory parts kit and multimeter, and for identifying
many of the parts used in Laboratory 3.
Parts for this lab
The new part used in this lab is the LM741 Op
Amp. It is the small 8-legged black plastic bug-like
thing. This component form, or package, is called
an 8-pin Dual Inline Package, or DIP. DIPs of
different sizes (pin counts) are used for many types
of integrated circuits. The op amp for this lab may
be marked LM741 or HA17741, and may be from
National, Hitachi, or another manufacturer.
The number 741 indicates the basic functionality of
the part, e.g. op amp, inverter, or AND gate. 741 is
a general-purpose operational amplifier.
Letters and numbers preceding 741 indicate the type
of process used to make the component, e.g. CMOS Figure 1 - LM741 pin out (top view)
or TTL. Letters following 741 usually indicate the
package type, e.g. plastic, ceramic, DIP or surface
mount.
The op amp may be marked with a dot in one corner of the top, or a notch in one end, or both. Pin 1 is at
the corner with the dot. Pin 1 is the pin in the corner to the left of the notch, looking down. Pin
numbering runs counter- clockwise from pin 1. Looking down on the op amp, with pin 1 in the upper
left corner, pin 4 is in the lower left corner, pin 5 in the lower right corner, and pin 8 in the upper right
corner. See the pinout in Figure 1. Note that the op amp symbol is NOT printed on the package.
Data sheets can be found at www.national.com and other IC manufacturer sites. Use the part number,
LM741, to search.

Revised by Tai Chen 2020

 Page 2

Laboratory Procedures, Measurements and Questions

Record your data and the answers to questions on a separate sheet (or sheets) of paper and hand it in at
recitation section when the lab is due. You will also have to bring your breadboard with designated
circuits on it to your recitation section the week the lab is due.
Procedure 1: Inverting Amplifier (30 points)
Construct the circuit of figure P1-1.

𝑅𝑓

𝑅𝑆

1 MΩ
𝑣𝑆
𝑣𝑜
9V 9V

Figure P1-1 Inverting amplifier.

Notes: This circuit diagram uses the convention that when wires cross, a dot indicates an electrical
connection, and no dot means no connection. The small numbers near the triangle are the op amp pin
numbers.
The op amp should straddle the trough in the center of your breadboard, with pins 1-4 inserted into the
inner end holes of four different (unconnected) rows on one side of the trough, and pins 5-8 inserted into
the inner end holes of four different rows on the other side of the trough.
Refer to the pinout in Figure 1 for op amp pin identification.
The op amp pins usually sit a little wider than the breadboard holes. To put the op amp into the
breadboard, loosely set all the pins from one side into the desired holes in the breadboard. Then push in on
all of the pins on the other side while also pushing gently down on the op amp body until all of these pins
are loosely in their holes as well.
Check to be sure that all of the pins are in their holes, and none are curled under the op amp body. The
body should be sitting level over the breadboard. Now push firmly straight down on the body to insert
the pins all the way. The body should sit right down on the breadboard surface.
When removing the op amp, pull straight up on both ends simultaneously, and rock the package gently
back and forth. The object is to move the op amp straight up and not bend any pins while pulling it.
You can lever the ends a little at a time, alternating ends, using a small screwdriver or the adjustment
tool in your kit. Purists might want to buy an IC puller which hooks under the ends and pulls both up at
the same time.
Analysis 1
1.a (20 points) Use the circuit of Figure P1-1 to fill out Table P1-1.
For each combination of resistor values, use the ideal op amp model and nominal (not measured)
resistances to calculate the expected gain, and fill out the appropriate column. These are the design
time resistance values.

Revised by Tai Chen 2020

 Page 3

Then insert each combination of resistor values in the circuit of Figure P1-1 and measure the battery
(source) voltage 𝑣𝑆 , and the output voltage 𝑣𝑂 . Compute measured gain as output over input, or
𝑣𝑂 /𝑣𝑆 .
Finally, compute percent error as in Laboratory 1, but using the absolute values of the gains.
Table P1-1 Inverting Amplifier Gain Measurement
𝑹𝑺 𝑹𝒇 Calculated gain Measured gain % error
4.7 k 4.7 k
4.7 k 8.2 k
1.5 k 4.7 k
1.5 k 8.2 k

1.b (5 points) Use the resistances from the first line of Table P1-1 in the circuit of Figure P1-1. Find
the Thévenin equivalent resistance seen by the output of the circuit by measuring the open circuit
voltage, and then measuring the output voltage with a resistance across the output. Do NOT short
circuit the output. Use a minimum of 1 k resistance. (the equivalent circuits are shown below)
Compute the maximum possible value of the Thévenin equivalent resistance considering meter
accuracy. Compare with the 1.5V battery Thévenin equivalent found in Laboratory 2. Which is a
better voltage source?

𝑅𝑡ℎ 𝑅𝑡ℎ
+ +

𝑣𝑡ℎ = 𝑣𝑜𝑐 𝑣𝑂 = 𝑣𝑜𝑐 𝑣𝑡ℎ 𝑅 𝑣𝑅

−
−

1.c (5 points) Use the resistances from the first line of Table P1-1 in the circuit of Figure P1-1. Find
the Thévenin equivalent resistance seen by the input to the op amp circuit (i.e. the 1.5 V battery).
Measure the voltage and current at the input (𝑣4.7𝑘Ω and 𝑖4.7𝑘Ω ). Then add a 1 kresistor in series
with the battery and again measure voltage and current at the input (𝑣4.7𝑘Ω and 𝑖4.7𝑘Ω ). (the
equivalent circuits are shown below) Use this data to find the Thévenin equivalent. Calculate the
nominal Thévenin equivalent input resistance, assuming an ideal op amp, and compare to your
measured value.

4.7 𝑘Ω 𝑅1 1.0 𝑘Ω 4.7 𝑘Ω 𝑅1

+ +

𝑣𝑆 𝑣𝑡ℎ 𝑣𝑆 𝑣𝑡ℎ

− 𝑅𝑡ℎ = 4.7 𝑘Ω + 𝑅1 − 𝑅𝑡ℎ = 4.7 𝑘Ω + 𝑅1

.
Revised by Tai Chen 2020
 Page 4

Procedure 2: Non-Inverting Amplifier (30 points)

Construct the circuit of figure P2-1.

𝑅𝑓

𝑅𝑆

𝑣𝑆
𝑣𝑜
1.5 V 1 MΩ 9V 9V

Figure P2-1 Non-Inverting amplifier.

Analysis 2
2.a (20 points) Use the circuit to fill out Table P2-1, using the same process as in step 1.a.
Table P2-1 Non-Inverting Amplifier Gain Measurement
𝑹𝑺 𝑹𝒇 Calculated gain Measured gain % error
4.7 k 4.7 k
4.7 k 8.2 k
1.5 k 4.7 k
1.5 k 8.2 k

2.b (10 points) One of the resistor combinations in Table P2-1 has an error significantly higher than the
others. Why? (Hint: How does the output voltage compare to other voltages in the system?) (Comment:
If you already included this effect in computing calculated gain, and thus do not have one error higher
than the others, explain how you included it!)

Revised by Tai Chen 2020

 Page 5

Procedure 3: Op Amp Design (40 points)

Analysis 3
3.a (25 points) Design and construct a summing amplifier to implement the equation
𝑣𝑜 = −(0.25𝑣𝑎 + 0.4𝑣𝑏 )
where 𝑣𝑎 and 𝑣𝑏 are inputs to the circuit and 𝑣𝑜 is the output voltage.
Use 𝑅𝑓 = 10 kΩ. Use the resistors provided in your lab kit. (You may use multiple resistor
combinations.) Provide a circuit diagram (schematic) showing your design. Explain how you
computed the circuit values. Show mathematically that your circuit values result in the desired
equation. Bring your circuit to recitation and demonstrate it to your TA. If you do not show your
circuit to the TA, you will get no points for this procedure.
3.b (10 points) Use your circuit to fill out table P3-1. Attach the inputs to the power supply voltages,
the neutral, or use the 1.5 V battery as necessary to obtain the desired input voltage values. Measure
and record the input voltages (Meas). Use the measured inputs (Meas) to calculated the nominal output
voltages 𝑣𝑂 (calculated). Then measure the output voltage 𝑣𝑂 and record the value in the 𝑣𝑂
(measured) column. Calculate % error as previously described.
Table P3-1 Summing Amplifier Results
𝒗𝒂 Meas 𝒗𝒃 Meas vo (calculated) vo (measured) % error
9.0 V 1.5 V
-9.0 V -9.0 V
1.5 V 0V
1.5 V 9.0 V
0V -1.5 V

3.c (5 points) Use your circuit diagram (nominal values) to make a plot showing the valid range
of 𝑣𝑏 as a function of 𝑣𝑎 . (plot 𝑣𝑎 as x-axis and 𝑣𝑏 as y-axis)

Revised by Tai Chen 2020