Laboratory Activity No.
2
Small-Signal CE Amplifiers
I. Objectives
To demonstrate the ac operation of the common-emitter (CE) amplifier
To demonstrate the effects that a bypass capacitor has on amplifier voltage gain
II. Discussion
The input signal to a CE amplifier is applied across the emitter-base junction of the device. The output from
this circuit is taken from the collector terminal of the component.
The CE amplifier is one of the most commonly used BJT amplifier configurations. The amplifier has a
relatively high voltage gain, a relatively high current gain, a voltage phase shift of 180 degrees between its input
(base) and output (collector) terminals.
In this exercise, we will observe the ac operation of the CE amplifier. We will also observe the effects of the
emitter bypass capacitor, a component used to increase the voltage gain of the CE amplifier.
III. Tools:
1 Variable dc power supply
1 Variable ac signal generator
1 Dual-trace oscilloscope
1 VOM or DMM
1 2N3094 NPN transistor (Alternative: BC548 NPN transistor)
5 Resistors: 390, 1.5k, 2.2k, 3.3k, and 100k
1 50k Potentiometer
1 100uF Electrolytic capacitor
IV. Simulated/Actual Circuit
V. Output
1. Construct the circuit, note: attach R L for steps 7 through 9 only.
2. Apply power to the circuit and adjust R1a to provide midpoint bias.
3. For future reference, measure and record the value of V C .
V C =11.1V
4. Apply a 1kHz, 20m Vpp ac signal to the input of the amplifier.
Note: You should set the signal generator so that you have 20mVpp at the base terminal of the transistor.
5. Measure and record the peak-to-peak output voltage at the collector terminal of the transistor.
V out =678 mV
6. Using the measured values, calculate the voltage gain of the amplifier.
A v =33.9 V
7. The coupling capacitors in an amplifier are used to block dc while coupling an ac signal. In other words, when
you have an ac signal with some measurable dc average on one side of the capacitor, you should get only the
ac signal on the other side. The dc average of the signal should be eliminated. Using your dc voltmeter,
measure the dc average of the ac signal on the transistor side of C C 2.
V ave =0 V on the transistor side of C C 2
8. Measure and record the dc average of the ac signal on the output side of C C 2
V ave =11.074 V on the output side of C C 2
9. Do your measurements support the statement that a coupling capacitor passes ac while blocking dc?
10. It was stated in the Discussion section that the CE amplifier produces a 180 degrees voltage phase shift from
input (base) to output (collector). Connect channel A of you oscilloscope to the base of the transistor and
channel B to the collector. Adjust the vertical sensitivity of you channels so that each signal fills approximately
two major divisions on the CRT. Neatly redraw the display on your oscilloscope.
11. Remove the emitter bypass capacitor and repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 of the procedure.
V ¿ =20 mV V PP
V out =68.8 mV V PP
A v =3.44 V
12. What happened to A v when bypass capacitor was removed?
The presence of a bypass capacitor resulted in a decrease in the voltage gain 𝐴𝑣. The
amplifier circuit gained negative feedback characteristics after removing the bypass of the
emitter resistor.
VI. Questions and Problems
1. You have been shown that the voltage gain of a CE amplifier can be found as
RC
A v=
re
Another form of this equation allows us to calculate the ac resistance of the emitter (r e ) as follows:
RC
re=
Av
Using the measured value of A v (from step 6 of the procedure) and the rated value of RC , calculate the value
of r e
r e =44.247 Ω
2. You have also been shown that the value of r e can be approximated as
26 mV
re=
IE
where
V CC −V CE
I E=
RC+ RE
Using your circuit values and this equation calculate, the value of r e .
r e =54.60 Ω
3. What is the percent of error between the two values of r e that you have calculated?
% of error = 18.96%
How would you account for this percent of error?
The error is likely due to approximations made in the theoretical formula for r e , experimental
uncertainties, or variations in measured values of parameters such as A v and I E .
Differences in actual circuit conditions compared to ideal assumptions can also contribute to
the discrepancy.
4. Which value of r e do you believe to be more accurate? Explain your answer.
26 mV
The calculated r e using the theoretical approximation r e = (which gave 54.60Ω) is
IE
more accurate because it is derived directly from the transistor’s physics, rather than relying
on the measured gain A v, which may be affected by experimental errors, parasitics, or
variations in transistor parameters.
5. When the emitter resistor is not bypassed, the voltage gain of a CE amplifier can be approximated as
RC
A v=
RE
Using the rated values of RC and R E, calculate the value of A v for the unbypassed circuit.
A v = 3.85V
6. Calculate the percent of error between the calculated value of A v (question 5) and the measured value
(procedure step 11).
% of error = 11.92%
How would you account for this percent of error?
The error could be due to component tolerances, variations in transistor parameters, or
measurement inaccuracies in the experiment. Real-world conditions such as temperature
changes and parasitic elements in the circuit may also affect the actual voltage gain.
7. Compare the value of V C measured in step 3 of the procedure with the value of V ave measured in step 7. How
do these values compare? Explain your answer.
The values of V C and V ave should ideally be close, but any discrepancy could be attributed
to variations in circuit loading, transistor characteristics, and measuring instrument precision.
If V ave is lower than V C , it may be due to additional circuit losses or measurement errors.
8. Discuss in your own words, what you observed in this exercise.
The exercise demonstrates how theoretical calculations and experimental measurements can
differ due to real-world circuit factors.
The percent errors indicate that while theoretical models are useful, practical implementations
always involve some level of deviation.
The differences in r e calculations highlight the impact of small-signal transistor parameters.
The experiment also emphasizes the importance of careful measurements and considering
tolerances when designing amplifier circuits.
Rubrics of Grading for Participation:
Classification Excellent Good Needs Improvement
Output (80) The group presented complete The group presented complete The group presented
and correct data. but some data are incorrect incomplete data
(80) (70) (60)
Question (20) Exact and Correct Answer Partially Correct Incorrect
(20) (10) (0)
Rubrics of Grading for Laboratory Report:
Classification Excellent Good Needs Improvement
Engineering Lettering (50) The report utilized proper The report mostly utilized The report did not utilize proper
engineering lettering (50) proper engineering lettering engineering lettering (30)
(40)
Time of Submission (30) Submitted on time (30) Submit after the whole class Submit after the day class but
submit but within the day of the not more than 4 days. (10)
class (20)
Content (20) The data are well-presented The data are well-presented but The data are not well-presented
and complete (20) not complete (10) and not complete (0)
