PGT 212

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY

CHAPTER 2 :Amplitude Modulator

and Demodulator Circuits
Part 2
By : Puan Dayang Khadijah Bt Hamzah
Basic Principles of Amplitude Modulation

• Modulator circuits cause carrier amplitude to be varied

in accordance with modulating signals. Circuits produce
AM, DSB, and SSB transmission methods.

• The basic equation for an AM signal is

νAM = Vcsin 2πfct + (Vmsin 2πfmt)(sin 2πfct)

• The first term is the sine wave carrier

• The second term is the product of the sine wave carrier
and modulating signals.
AM in the Time Domain
– Amplitude modulation voltage is produced by a
circuit that can multiply the carrier by the
modulating signal and then add the carrier.

– If a circuit’s gain is a function of 1+ m sin 2πfmt,

the expression for the AM signal is
νAM = A(νc)
Where A is the gain or attenuation factor.
Generation of AM Signal

Block diagram of a circuit to produce AM

AM in the Frequency Domain
– The product of the carrier and modulating signal can be
generated by applying both signals to a nonlinear component
such as a diode.
– A square-law function is one that varies in proportion to the
square of the input signals. A diode gives a good approximation
of a square-law response. Bipolar and field-effect transistors
(FETs) can also be biased to give a square-law response.
– Diodes and transistors whose function is not a pure square-law
function produce third-, fourth-, and higher-order harmonics,
which are sometimes referred to as intermodulation products.
– Intermodulation products are easy to filter out.
– Tuned circuits filter out the modulating signal and carrier
harmonics, leaving only carrier and sidebands.
 A square-law circuit for producing AM.

AM signal containing not only the carrier and sidebands but also the modulating signal.
 Tuned circuit filters

Figure 4-6 The tuned circuit filters out the modulating signal and carrier harmonics,
leaving only the carrier and sidebands.
Amplitude Modulators
• There are two types of amplitude modulators.
They are low-level and high-level modulators.

• Low-level modulators generate AM with small

signals and must be amplified before transmission.

• High-level modulators produce AM at high power

levels, usually in the final amplifier stage of a
transmitter.
Low-Level AM: Diode Modulator
– Diode modulation consists of a resistive mixing
network, a diode rectifier, and an LC tuned circuit.
– The carrier is applied to one input resistor and the
modulating signal to another input resistor.
– This resistive network causes the two signals to be
linearly mixed (i.e. algebraically added).
– A diode passes half cycles when forward biased.
– The coil and capacitor repeatedly exchange
energy, causing an oscillation or ringing at the
resonant frequency.
 Amplitude Modulators Circuit

Figure 4-7 Amplitude modulation with a diode.

Low-Level AM: Transistor Modulator
– Transistor modulation consists of a resistive
mixing network, a transistor, and an LC tuned
circuit.
– The emitter-base junction of the transistor serves
as a diode and nonlinear device.
– Modulation and amplification occur as base
current controls a larger collector current.
– The LC tuned circuit oscillates (rings) to generate
the missing half cycle.
Transistor Modulator Circuit

Figure 4-9 Simple transistor modulator.

Low-Level AM: PIN Diode Modulator
– Variable attenuator circuits using PIN diodes
produce AM at VHF, UHF, and microwave
frequencies.
– PIN diodes are special type silicon junction diodes
designed for use at frequencies above 100 MHz.
– When PIN diodes are forward-biased, they
operate as variable resistors.
– Attenuation caused by PIN diode circuits varies
with the amplitude of the modulating signal.
PIN Diode Modulator Circuit

Figure 4-10 High-frequency amplitude modulators using PIN diodes.

Low-Level AM: Differential Amplifier
– Differential amplifier modulators make excellent
amplitude modulators because they have a high
gain, good linearity and can be 100 percent
modulated.
– The output voltage can be taken between two
collectors, producing a balanced, or differential,
output.
– The output can also be taken from the output of
either collector to ground, producing a single-
ended output.
Low-Level AM: Differential Amplifier
– The modulating signal is applied to the base of a
constant-current source transistor.
– The modulating signal varies the emitter current
and therefore the gain of the circuit.
– The result is AM in the output.
Differential Amplifier Circuit (LL)

Figure 4-11 (a) Basic differential amplifier. (b) Differential amplifier modulator.
High-Level AM
– In high-level modulation, the modulator varies the voltage and
power in the final RF amplifier stage of the transmitter.
– The result is high efficiency in the RF amplifier and overall high-
quality performance.

High-Level AM: Collector Modulator

– The collector modulator is a linear power amplifier that takes the

low-level modulating signals and amplifies them to a high-power
level.
– A modulating output signal is coupled through a modulation
transformer to a class C amplifier.
– The secondary winding of the modulation transformer is
connected in series with the collector supply voltage of the class C
amplifier.
High-level collector Circuit

Figure 4-13 A high-level collector modulator.

High-Level AM: Series Modulator
– A series modulator produces high-level modulation
without a large and expensive modulation
transformer used in collector modulators.
– It improves frequency response.
– It is, however, very inefficient.
– A series modulator replaces the modulation transformer
with an emitter follower.
– The modulating signal is applied to the emitter follower.
– The emitter follower is in series with the collector supply
voltage.
– The collector voltage changes with variations in the
amplified audio modulating signal.
 Series Modulator Circuit

Figure 4-15 Series modulation. Transistors may also be MOSFETs with appropriate biasing.
Amplitude Demodulators
cont (3 April 2015)

• Demodulators, or detectors, are circuits that

accept modulated signals and recover the
original modulating information.

Figure : A diode detector AM demodulator.

Diode Detector
– On positive alternations of the AM signal, the
capacitor charges quickly to the peak value of pulses
passed by the diode.
– When the pulse voltage drops to zero, the capacitor
discharges into the resistor.
– The time constant of the capacitor and resistor is long
compared to the period of the carrier.
– The capacitor discharges only slightly when the diode
is not conducting.
– The resulting waveform across the capacitor is a close
approximation to the original modulating signal.
Cont:-

– Because the diode detector recovers the envelope

of the AM (modulating) signal, the circuit is
sometimes called an envelope detector.
– If the RC time constant in a diode detector is too
long, the capacitor discharge will be too slow to
follow the faster changes in the modulating signal.
– This is referred to as diagonal distortion.
Synchronous Detection
– Synchronous detectors use an internal clock signal at
the carrier frequency in the receiver to switch the AM
signal off and on, producing rectification similar to that
in a standard diode detector.
– Synchronous detectors or coherent detectors have less
distortion and a better signal-to-noise ratio than
standard diode detectors.
– The key to making the synchronous detector work is to
ensure that the signal producing the switching action is
perfectly in phase with the received AM carrier.
– An internally generated carrier signal from an oscillator
will not work.
Synchronous detector circuit

Figure 4-22 A practical synchronous detector.

Balanced Modulator
• A balanced modulator is a circuit that
generates a DSB signal, suppressing the carrier
and leaving only the sum and difference
frequencies at the output.
• The output of a balanced modulator can be
further processed by filters or phase-shifting
circuitry to eliminate one of the sidebands,
resulting in a SSB signal.
• Types of balanced modulators include lattice,
1496/1596 IC, and the analog multiplier.
1. Lattice Modulator

– A popular and widely used balanced modulator is

the diode ring or lattice modulator.
– The lattice modulator consists of an input
transformer, an output transformer and four
diodes connected in a bridge circuit.
– The carrier signal is applied to the center taps of
the input and output transformers.
– The modulating signal is applied to the input
transformer.
– The output appears across the output transformer.
Lattice Modulator Circuit

Lattice-type balanced
modulator.
Lattice Modulators : Explanation

– The carrier sine wave is considerably higher in

frequency and amplitude than the modulating
signal.
– The carrier sine wave is used as a source of
forward and reverse bias for the diodes.
– The carrier turns the diodes off and on at a high
rate of speed.
– The diodes act like switches that connect the
modulating signal at the secondary of T1 to the
primary of T2.
2. IC Balanced Modulators
– The 1496/1596 IC is a versatile circuit available for
communication applications.
– It can work at carrier frequencies up to 100 MHz.
– It can achieve a carrier suppression of 50 to 65 dB.
– The 1496/1596 IC can operate as a balanced
modulator or configured to perform as an
amplitude modulator, a product detector, or a
synchronous detector.
Analog Multiplier
– An analog multiplier is a type of integrated circuit
that can be used as a balanced modulator.
– Analog multipliers are often used to generate DSB
signals.
– The analog multiplier is not a switching circuit like
the balanced modulator.
– The analog multiplier uses differential amplifiers
operating in the linear mode.
– The carrier must be a sine wave and the multiplier
produces the true product of two analog inputs.
SSB Circuits
Generating SSB Signals: The Filter Method

– The filter method is the simplest and most widely used method
of generating SSB signals.
– The modulating signal is applied to the audio amplifier.
– The amplifier’s output is fed to one input of a balanced
modulator.
– A crystal oscillator provides the carrier signal which is also
applied to the balanced modulator.
– The output of the balanced modulator is a double-sideband
(DSB) signal.
– An SSB signal is produced by passing the DSB signal through a
highly selective bandpass filter.
– With the filter method, it is necessary to select either the upper
or the lower sideband.
SSB Circuits

Figure 4-31 An SSB transmitter using the filter method.

Generating SSB Signals: Phasing Method
– The phasing method of SSB generation uses a phase-
shift technique that causes one of the sidebands to be
canceled out.
– The phasing method uses two balanced modulators
which eliminate the carrier.
– The carrier oscillator is applied to the upper balanced
modulator along with the modulating signal.
– The carrier and modulating signals are both shifted in
phase by 90 degrees and applied to another balanced
modulator.
– Phase-shifting causes one sideband to be canceled out
when the two modulator outputs are added together.
SSB Circuits: Phasing Method

Figure 4-33 An SSB generator using the phasing method.

DSB and SSB Demodulation
– To recover the intelligence in a DSB or SSB signal,
the carrier that was suppressed at the receiver
must be reinserted.
– A product detector is a balanced modulator used
in a receiver to recover the modulating signal.
– Any balanced modulator can be used as a product
detector to demodulate SSB signals.
A balanced modulator used as a product
detector to demodulate an SSB signal
END of CHAPTER 2