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E7B02

PRACTICAL CIRCUITS · Amplifiers: class of operation; vacuum tube and solid-state circuits; distortion and intermodulation; spurious and parasitic suppression; switching-type amplifiers

E7B02E7B →

What is a Class D amplifier?

  1. AAn amplifier that uses switching technology to achieve high efficiency
  2. BA low power amplifier that uses a differential amplifier for improved linearity
  3. CAn amplifier that uses drift-mode FETs for high efficiency
  4. DAn amplifier biased to be relatively free from distortion
Why A Class D amplifier does not operate its devices in the linear region at all; the transistors are driven fully on or fully off like switches, usually from a pulse-width-modulated drive signal, and a low-pass output filter recovers the desired waveform. Because a switch that is off passes no current and a switch that is on drops almost no voltage, device dissipation is very low and efficiency can exceed 90 percent. The tradeoff is that the raw output is rich in harmonics, so output filtering is essential.
Watch out The description of an amplifier biased for low distortion points to linear classes such as Class A or AB, which are the opposite design philosophy: good linearity paid for with low efficiency. 'Drift-mode FETs' is not a real amplifier class.
D is for Digital-like switching: devices are either fully on or fully off, so efficiency is high and a filter cleans up the output.
HamSandwich explanation, first draft. The question and answers are the NCVEC text.
← E7B01 All of E7B E7B03 →

The rest of E7B

  1. E7B01 For what portion of the signal cycle does each active element in a push-pull, Class AB amplifier conduct?
  2. E7B02 What is a Class D amplifier?
  3. E7B03 What circuit is required at the output of an RF switching amplifier?
  4. E7B04 What is the operating point of a Class A common emitter amplifier?
  5. E7B05 What can be done to prevent unwanted oscillations in an RF power amplifier?
  6. E7B06 What is a characteristic of a grounded-grid amplifier?
  7. E7B07 Which of the following is the likely result of using a Class C amplifier to amplify a single-sideband phone s…
  8. E7B08 Why are switching amplifiers more efficient than linear amplifiers?
  9. E7B09 What is characteristic of an emitter follower (or common collector) amplifier?
  10. E7B10 In Figure E7-1, what is the purpose of R1 and R2?
  11. E7B11 In Figure E7-1, what is the purpose of R3?
  12. E7B12 What type of amplifier circuit is shown in Figure E7-1?
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