Operational Amplifier(part-5)

Blog Number:-029
Hello everybody,
I hope you all will be fine.

In the last session we had discussed about Summing Operational Amplifier. In this session we will discuss about Differential Operational Amplifier. 

Differential Operational Amplifier:-

                          

            Thus far we have used only one of the operational amplifiers inputs to connect to the amplifier, using  either the “inverting” or the “non-inverting” input terminal  to amplify a single input  signal with the   other input being connected  to ground. But as a standard operational amplifier has two     inputs, inverting and no-inverting, we can also connect signals to both of these inputs at the same time producing another common type of operational amplifier circuit called a Differential Amplifier.

Basically, as we saw in the first tutorial about operational amplifiers, all op-amps are “Differential Amplifiers” due to their input configuration. But by connecting one voltage signal onto one input terminal and another voltage signal onto the other input terminal the resultant output voltage will be proportional to the “Difference” between the two input voltage signals of V1 and V2.

Then differential amplifiers amplify the difference between two voltages making this type of operational amplifier circuit a Subtractor unlike a summing amplifier which adds or sums together the input voltages. This type of operational amplifier circuit is commonly known as a Differential Amplifier configuration.

Differential Amplifier

By connecting each input in turn to 0v ground we can use superposition to solve for the output voltage Vout. Then the transfer function for a Differential Amplifier circuit is given as:

When resistors, R1 = R2 and R3 = R4 the above transfer function for the differential amplifier can be simplified to the following expression:

Differential Amplifier Equation

If all the resistors are all of the same ohmic value, that is: R1 = R2 = R3 = R4 then the circuit will become a Unity Gain Differential Amplifier and the voltage gain of the amplifier will be exactly one or unity. Then the output expression would simply be Vout = V2 – V1. Also note that if input V1 is higher than input V2 the output voltage sum will be negative, and if V2 is higher than V1, the output voltage sum will be positive.

The Differential Amplifier circuit is a very useful op-amp circuit and by adding more resistors in parallel with the input resistors R1 and R3, the resultant circuit can be made to either “Add” or “Subtract” the voltages applied to their respective inputs. 

So, that's all for this session. If you have any doubt related to the topic, Please comment.
Thank you.