EC6304 – Electronic Circuits I Unit -1

Unit I
POWER SUPPLIES AND BIASING OF DISCRETE BJT AND MOSFET

1. What is an amplifier?
An amplifier is a device which produces a large electrical output of similar
characteristics to that of the input parameters.

2. What are transistors?

Transistor is three terminal devices that can function as electronic switches or
as signal amplifiers. They are current operated devices with high input impedance and
low output impedance. Since it transfers current from a high to a low resistance
region, it was named bipolar.

3. What is Biasing? And need for biasing.[NOV/DEC-08,11],[MAY/JUN-09,13]

Biasing In order to operate transistor in the desired region we have to apply external
dc voltages of correct polarity and magnitude at the two junctions of the transistor.
Need for Biasing: From the above discussion, it is clear that we have to supply
external d.c. voltages (d.c. biasing) of correct polarity and magnitude to the two
junction of the transistor, to operate in the desired region.
In transistor circuits, output signal power is always greater than input signal power.
Now the question is how this amplification of power is achieved. The d.c. sources(d.c.
biasing) supplies the power to the transistor circuit to get the output signal power
greater than input signal power.

4. What are the requirements for biasing circuits?

a. The Q point must be taken at the Centre of the active region of the output
characteristics.
b. Stabilize the collector current against the temperature variations.
c. Make the Q point independent of the transistor parameters.
d. When the transistor is replaced, it must be of same type.
e. Emitter diode should be forward bias and collector diode should be reverse
biased.
f. There should be a zero signal collector current.

5. Explain about the characteristics of a transistor?

Input characteristics: it is drawn between input voltage & input current while
keeping output voltage as constant.
Output characteristics: It is drawn between the output voltage &output current
while keeping input current as constant.

6. What is operating point?

For the proper operation of the transistor a fixed level of current and voltages
are required. This values of currents and voltages defined at a point at which the
transistor operate is called operating point.

7. What is D.C load line? [NOV/DEC-06][MAY/JUN-12]

The d.c load line is defined as a line on the output characteristics of the
transistor which gives the value of Ic & Vce corresponding to zero signal condition

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EC6304 – Electronic Circuits I Unit -1

8. Why do we choose q point at the center of the loadline?

The operating point of a transistor is kept fixed usually at the center of the
active region in order that the input signal is well amplified. If the point is fixed in the
saturation region or the cut off region the positive and negative half cycle gets clipped
off respectively.
9. Name the two techniques used in the stability of the Q point .explain.
Stabilization technique: This refers to the use of resistive biasing circuit
which allows IB to vary so as to keep IC relatively constant with variations in
Ico,β,&VBE.
Compensation techniques: This refers to the use of temperature sensitive
devices such as thermostats diodes. They provide compensating voltages &currents to
maintain operating point constant.

10. Define stability factor?[MAY/JUNE-09,10][ NOV/DEC-09,12]

Stability factor is defined as the rate of change of collector current with
respect to the rate of change of reverse saturation current.

11. What are the basic relationships of BJT transistor?

12. What are the basic rules of an operating amplifier?

The operating point should be fixed on the load line. The upper end of the
load line lies on the saturation region &lower end lies on the cutoff region.

13. What are the methods for biasing? [MAY/JUNE-09,10][ NOV/DEC-09,12]

The transistor needs two bias voltages VBB and VCC. The VBB supply is used
for biasing of the emitter junction and VCC supply for biasing the collector base
junction. Also it is possible to bias both the junctions using a single supply.
Common Methods :
1. Fixed Bias or Base Bias.
2.Collector feedback bias
3. Voltage divider bias or Emitter bias or self bias

14. What are the disadvantages of collector to base bias?

a. The collector current is high.
b. If AC signal voltage gain feedback into the resistor Re , it will reduce the gain
of the amplifier.

15. Why is the operating point selected at the Centre of the active region?
[NOV/DEC 07]
The operating point is selected at the Centre of the active region to get to
perfect amplification. Moreover there is no distortion.

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EC6304 – Electronic Circuits I Unit -1

16. Give the expression for stability factor.[MAY-07,08]

S= (1+β)/[(1-β)(δ IB/δ IC)]

17. Define the stability factors S’ and S’’. [MAY-07,08]

The stability factor S’ is defined as the rate of change of IC with VBE, keeping
β & IC0 constant

The stability factor S” is defined as the rate of change of IC w ith β, keeping VBE&
IC0 constant.

18. What are the advantages of fixed bias circuit?

i. This is simple circuit which uses a few components. The operating point can be
fixed anywhere on the Centre of the active region.
j. The β value is high, stability factor is very large. so the operating point does not
maintain by properly.

19. What are the advantages of self bias circuit?

The stability factor value is very very small compare than other biasing circuit.
This biasing should maintain an operating point

20. Give the stability factor S for the fixed bias circuit.
The stability factor for the fixed bias circuits is

β = current gain of the transistor

21. What do you meant by thermal runway?[NOV/DEC-06]

Due to the self heating at the collector junction, the collector current rises.
This causes damage to the device. This phenomenon is called thermal runway.

22. What t is heat sink?

A heat sink is an environment or object that absorbs and dissipates heat from
another object using thermal contact (either direct or radiant). Heat sinks are used in a
wide range of applications wherever efficient heat dissipation is required; major
examples include refrigeration, heat engines and cooling electronic devices.

23. What is biasing of FET ?

Like BJT, the parameters of FET are also temperature dependent. In FET, as
temperature increases drain resistance also increases, reducing the drain current. Thus
reducing the possibility of thermal runway.

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24. How FET is known as voltage variable resistor?[DEC-06]

In the region before pinch off, where VDS is small the drain to source
resistance rd can be controlled by the bias voltage VGS. Therefore FET is useful as a
voltage variable (VVR) or voltage dependent resistor (VDR).

25. Why the input impedance of FET is more than that of a BJT?
The input impedance of FET as more than that of BJT because the input
circuit of FET is reversed biased where as the input circuit BJT is forward biased.

26. What are the methods of bias compensation technique?

1. Diode compensation due to Ico,β,&VBE
2. Thermistor compensation
3. Sensistor compensation

27. What is meant by compensation techniques? [NOV/DEC-11]

Compensation techniques use temperature sensitive devices such as diodes,
transitors, thermistors, etc. to maintain operating point constant.

28. What is a power supply?

Equipment, which converts the alternating waveform from the power lines into
an essentially direct voltage, is known as power supply.

29. What are all the subsystems in a power supply?

A power supply consists of following three subsystems.
i. Rectifier.
j. Filter
k.Voltage regulator.

30. What is the function of rectifier?

Rectifier is capable of converting a sinusoidal input waveform. Its average value
is zero, into a unidirectional waveform, with a non-zero average component.

31. What is rectifier?

Any electrical device which offers a low resistance to the current in one
direction but a high resistance to the current in the opposite direction is called a
rectifier. The rectifying device is usually a semiconductor diode.

32. What is half – wave rectifier?

The rectifier circuit which converts only the positive half cycle of the AC
input voltage input voltage into useful DC output voltage is known as half-wave
rectifier.

33. Write down the average DC voltage across the load in a half-wave
rectifier circuit.
The average DC voltage is given by, Vdc = IdcRL = Vm/{ (1+Rf/RL)
Rf = Diode forward resistance
RL= Load resistance
Vm= Maximum amplitude or peak amplitude of the sinusoidal

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AC input voltage
34. Define ripple factor.
A measure of the purity of the DC output of a rectifier circuit is called the
ripple factor ‘r’ and is defined as,
r = RMS value of AC components of wave
Average value of wave

35. What is meant by peak inverse voltage?

The maximum reverse voltage capability of a diode is known as peak inverse
voltage.

36. What is meant by rectifier efficiency?

This is a figure used as a measure of merit to compare rectifiers. The rectifier
efficiency is defined as,
= DC power delivered to the load
AC input power from transformer secondary

37. What is full-wave rectifier?

A rectifier circuit, which converts both positive and negative half cycle of the
input AC voltage into useful DC voltage, is known as full wave rectifier.

38. What are all the drawbacks of a full wave rectifier?

The draws \backs of full wave rectifier are,
i. Centre tapped transformer is required.
ii. Diodes having twice the PIV rating are necessary in this rectifier.

39. What are all the advantages of bridge rectifier circuit?

The advantages of bridge rectifier circuit are,
i. The transformer utilization factor is high (0.812)
ii. It is suitable for large amount of DC power circuits.
iii. The peak inverse voltage across each diode is the peak Vm only not 2Vm
as in the case of two diode rectifier.

40. What are all the disadvantages of half wave rectifier?

The disadvantages of half wave rectifier are,
i. Excess ripple (r=1.21)
ii. Low rectification efficiency (40.6%)
iii. Low transformer utilization factor.
iv. DC saturation of transformer secondary winding.

41. Define transformer utilization factor of a rectifier circuit.

The transformer utilization factor TUF is defined as,
TUF = DC power delivered to the load
AC rating of the transformer secondary
42. What is filter circuit?
Filter circuits are used to reduce the rectifier output ripple. Either bypassing the
AC output components around the load by a shunt capacitance or limiting this
magnitude to a low value in the load by a series inductance or a combination of these
two for more efficient circuits achieves this.

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43. What are all the different types of filters?

The different types of filters are,
i. Capacitor filter
ii. Series inductor filter
iii. LC filters
1. Capacitance input filter
2. Inductance input filter.
iv. RC filters.

44. How ripples are minimized in the capacitor filters?

In these types of filters a high value of capacitor is placed across directly to the
load resistor. This capacitor gets charged during the conduction period of the rectifier
and when Vm decreases C gets discharged through RL with a time constant CR L. The
capacitor offers only low impedance of 1/2 fc. this ripple component of current gets
bypassed through ‘C’

45. What are all the advantages and disadvantages of capacitor filters?
The advantages of capacitor filters are,
i. At high loads,
ii. Small ripple voltage,
iii. High output voltage.
The disadvantages are,
i. Poor regulation.
ii. High peak diode current.

46. Why we go for LC filter?

The simple shunt capacitor filter reduces ripple voltage but increase the
current through the diode. This large current may damage the diode. The simple L filter
reduces both peak value of output current and output voltage. So we go for LC filters.
This LC filters causes enough removal of ripple and restriction on the diode current.

47. What are all the merits and demerits of CLC filter?
The merits of CLC filter are,
i. Higher Dc voltage approximating Vm
ii. Smaller ripple factor.
The demerits of CLC filter are,
i. Poor voltage regulation.
ii. Higher peak inverse voltage.
iii. High peak diode current.

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