AA320 – Aerospace Instrumentation

Lab Five: Operational Amplifiers

University of Washington

Objectives

Op amps have many applications and this lab will explore many of them.
The first task is to wire up an op-amp and examine its basic properties (in line with the
op-amp rules you learned in class). You will then apply these rules to create simple op-amp
circuits: one which buffers an input voltage and another which produces a desired gain (in
our case, gains of G = 2 and another that you will calculate). In the optional final part,
by experimenting with various input frequencies, we will find that the op amp also has a
frequency response where high frequencies are attenuated. The bandwidth limit of op amps
will be explored and simple Bode plots devised.

Needed equipment and components

• Digital Multi-meter (DMM) • 100 k resistor
• DC Power supply • 20 k resistor
• Breadboard • 100  resistor
• Connecting wires • Operational amplifier (LF411)
• Step down transformer • 10k potentiometer
• Oscilloscope • 2x1 k resistor
• Function generator • 2x10 k resistor

Lab Tasks
Data should be recorded in your lab notebooks.
1. Operational Amplifier (“op amp”):
You will use a basic op amp (LF411) to illustrate some simple aspects of op amp behavior. Plan
your connections and make the circuit as “clean” as possible. This op amp (and virtually all op
amps) has the following correspondence between pins and schematic:

– +
V Vs Vs+, Vs–: power supply
V
+
Vout V +, V – : inputs
–
Vs

Open-Loop Gain (~ ): Here you will try (and will probably fail) to measure the open-loop gain of
an op amp. Purposely, it is extremely high. (The amplification capability of an op amp is only
useful when we employ negative feedback.) Construct the circuit shown below. Be careful with
wiring the op amp, so as not to “cook” it. The 10 k pot is used to vary the input to V+ between
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 the “rail” voltages: –15 V to +15 V, and the 1 k resistor is there just to ensure that you do not
destroy the op amp.

+ +
Vs Vs
1 kΩ
10 kΩ Vout
pot
Vin

– –
Vs Vs

Add a 10 k resistor between the 10 k pot and Vs+ and a 10 k resistor between the 10 k pot
and Vs- to increase the sensitivity of the voltage divider. Note that the “rail” voltages: Vs+ = +15 V
and Vs- = –15 V and “ground” are generated by pushing the Series button on your power supply.

To measure the gain, you must measure the difference in voltage across V+ and V- as well as the

voltage between Vout and V-. The ratio of these two voltages will be the gain. The difficulty
measuring this gain is that the amplification is so strong that even a small difference in voltage
between V+ and V- will likely cause the Op Amp to “rail” to its maximum and minimum outputs
(Vs+ or Vs-). Try for a few minutes to find a potentiometer setting that gives an output that does not
“rail”. If you do not find one, do not worry. This is difficult. You can explain why it is difficult in
your report and you should move on to the next experiment to ensure you finish the lab.

Connect the positive lead of one DMM to the tap on the pot (Vin) and the positive lead of your
second DMM to the output of the op amp (Vout). The negative leads of the voltmeters must be
connected to ground. Switch the DMMs to read DC voltage. Adjust the control on the pot so Vin is
close to zero volts (use the most sensitive scale on your DMM). Monitor Vout. Try to adjust Vin so
Vout is zero. Describe what happens when you try to do this.
Note: Ideally if V + = V –, the output, Vout, should be zero. Here, V – = 0 because it is connected to
ground, and V + = Vin. Actually, defects in op amps require V + to be a little different from V – to get
Vout = 0; typically, a few millivolts. That is why we use a potentiometer.

2. Unity-Gain Amplifier (“Follower” or “Buffer”):

Turn off your power supply and remove the lead connecting the op amp V – pin to ground. Connect
a 10 k resistor (RF) from V – to Vout (negative feedback), as shown on the next page. Remember
that now the amplifier will do everything it can to make V – equal to V + (“Rule 4”). Since the
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 current flowing into the V – pin is extremely small (op amp “Rule 3”) the voltage drop across
resistor RF is effectively zero, so Vout will be Vin.

+
Vs
1 kΩ
10 kΩ Vout

Vin

–
Vs RF = 10 kΩ

a) Adjust your pot so that Vin has values of –5 V, –2 V, 0 V, +2 V, +5 V, and record Vout in each
case. Is the op amp doing the right thing?
b) You might wonder what good this Gain = 1 amplifier is, if it just produces an output voltage
that is the same as the input voltage. The advantage is that Vout is independent (up to a point) of
the load on the output. You found during your homework in Week 1 that if you connect a load
resistor directly to the potentiometer output, the output voltage will depend on the value of the
load resistor. The Gain = 1 op amp is therefore useful as a “buffer,” to eliminate this
dependence. Such an op amp is also often called a “follower.”

+
Vs
1 kΩ Vout
10 kΩ

Vin Rload

–
Vs RF = 10 kΩ

To show this, set Vin = +1V and measure Vout with a 10 k load resistor between Vout and
ground as shown above. Repeat for a 1 k load resistor, and then for 100  load resistor.
Note that the load current generated by the op amp varies over a factor of 100 for these three
resistors.
Does the output voltage depend on the load?
3. Gain > 1 Amplifier:
a) Using the same setup as in exercise 3, connect a resistor R1 = 1 k from V – to ground (leaving
RF in place). The op amp will still keep V – equal to V +, but now V – is not equal to Vout, because
RF and R1 form a voltage divider. To make V – equal to V +, the op amp's output voltage Vout
must be larger than V + by a factor AV = (RF+R1)/R1. AV is called the “closed loop gain” .

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 +
Vs
1 kΩ
10 kΩ Vout

–
Vs RF = 10 kΩ
R1 = 1 kΩ

What is the predicted voltage amplification, AV, for this amplifier?

Adjust the pot to voltages of –1 V, –0.5 V, 0 V, +0.5 V and +1 V, and record Vout for each case.
Does the op amp do the right thing?
b) Now replace R1 by a 100  resistor. What is the computed value of AV now?
Adjust pot to input voltages of –0.1, 0, and +0.1 V, and record Vout. Do you get the correct
amplification?

4. Simple Inverting amplifier:

In the last part of the lab, the input signal was applied to the non-inverting input of an op amp, and
negative feedback was set up between the inverting input and the output. This next experiment will
see what happens when the input signal is sent to the inverting input of the op amp. Consider the
circuit diagram shown below. 5. For an ideal op amp, the input terminal voltages are equal, 𝑉 + =
𝑉 − . Further, with Kirchhoff's loop law we see that 𝐼1 = −𝐼𝐹 . Each current is given by Ohm's law,
𝐼 = 𝑉/𝑅. Therefore, the DC gain must be
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑅𝐹
𝐺= =−
𝑉𝑖𝑛 𝑅1
Note that the output voltage is inverted relative to the input voltage (i.e. an inverter).
We can build the circuit below using half of the output from the transformer box that was used in
Lab 3 as an AC signal for 𝑉1. Although not shown in the schematic, you should connect your
power supply leads set to ±15V to the 𝑉𝑆+ and 𝑉𝑆− pins of the op-amp respectively.

Monitor 𝑉1 on Ch1 of your scope and 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 on Ch2 (both DC coupled). As the signals will
be at line frequency (60 Hz), set your trigger source to “AC Line” (using the “Trigger” menu).
You may not have to do adjust any of this, as autoset may have done it for you.
Predict what 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 should be (amplitude). Capture your 𝑉1 and 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 traces.
Does your measured 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 agree with your prediction?
Measure the frequency of 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 .

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5. Inverting/summing amplifier:
Now add a second input signal, 𝑉2, from Channel 1 of the function generator, to 𝑉 − , through a 10
kΩ resistor as shown on the next page. The op-amp will still keep 𝑉 − at 0, but now from
Kirchhoff's loop law the currents must combine as 𝐼1 + 𝐼2 + 𝐼𝐹 = 0, so the op amp output will sum
the input signals according to
𝑅𝐹 𝑅𝐹
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = − ( 𝑉1 + 𝑉)
𝑅1 𝑅2 2
(A similar result would hold for any number of inputs, i.e. they would be summed). It can be seen
that if the input resistances are matched as 𝑅1 = 𝑅2 , then the output voltage will be a common gain
times the sum of the signals (as well as inverted).

Turn the transformer off, and the function generator on. Select a sine wave output, adjust the
frequency to 100 Hz, and adjust its amplitude until 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 (scope Ch2) has the same peak to peak
amplitude as you got from the transformer. Now set the frequency, 𝑓, to 1 Hz, and look at Ch2
(𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 ), with the scope still triggered on AC Line, and describe what you see. (Capturing a scope
trace will not really show what's happening).
Now turn the transformer back on. Describe what you see on 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 . Does it make sense?
Readjust the function generator frequency to 10 Hz and describe 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 .
Turn the transformer off. Set 𝑓 to 60 Hz. Turn the transformer back on. Set your scope time axis to
100 msec/div and capture. Do this for the frequencies 𝑓 = 58, 59, 61, an 62 Hz. Describe what you
see. Does it make sense?
Finally, set 𝑓 to 600 Hz. Capture your scope trace and describe.

Lab cleanup: Please disassemble your breadboard circuits and put all
components and wires back in storage, as they were when you started the lab.

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