Current in a non-inverting amp.

[sanado]

Hey guys, was just considering what happens when you apply a high current to the base in a non-inverting amplifier. Looking at a transfer characteristic, it would result in the signal being 'cut off' as it would be greater than the Vcc. My question is this, what happens to the collector current at this stage. Is it at a maximum or minimum. I believe it would be minimum which would result in a minimal voltage drop across Rc. This would leave a large Vout which would be 'clipped'. Am i right in this assumption, remembering that it is non-inverting?

 

[jbsteele]

Yes, you are correct. When the base current is at a high level, the collector current will be at a minimum, resulting in a minimal voltage drop across Rc and a large Vout which will be 'clipped'.

 

[Moetasim]

Yes, you are correct in your assumption. In a non-inverting amplifier, the collector current would be at a minimum when the base current is high, resulting in a minimal voltage drop across the collector resistor (Rc). This would lead to a large output voltage (Vout) which would be 'clipped' or limited by the power supply voltage (Vcc). This is because the amplifier is operating in saturation mode, where the collector-emitter voltage is at its minimum and the collector current is at its maximum. As the base current increases, the transistor enters saturation and the collector current remains constant, resulting in a constant output voltage. Therefore, applying a high current to the base in a non-inverting amplifier would result in a 'clipped' output signal.