Experiment No.

11

COMPARATOR AND SCHMITT TRIGGER CIRCUIT USING OP-AMP

THEORY
Comparator
A voltage comparator is a two-input circuit that compares the voltage at one input to
the voltage at the other input. Usually one input is a reference voltage and the other input a
time varying signal. If the time varying input is below or above the reference voltage, then
the comparator provides a low or high output accordingly (usually the plus or minus power
supply voltages, since the op-amp is used in the open loop configuration, a small difference
( − ) makes the output to saturate). For the comparator circuit shown in Figure 1, the
output will be at its negative saturation value when the input is greater than the reference and
at its positive saturation value when the input is less than the reference. If Vr is zero, the
comparator can be used as a zero-crossing detector. If Vr is not zero, the comparator can be
referred to as a level detector. One problem encountered with the simple comparator is the
instability of its output resulting from noise when the input is in the neighborhood of Vr. The
Schmitt trigger provides a method for dealing with this problem.

Schmitt Trigger
Schmitt Trigger circuits are designed with feedback that provides hysteresis in the
transfer characteristics. It is basically a comparator with +ve feedback. Figure 4 shows a
typical Schmitt trigger circuit along with its transfer characteristic. As the input voltage
increases it reaches a threshold voltage (the upper threshold point - UTP) at which the output
voltage goes to negative saturation. As the input voltage decreases it reaches another
threshold voltage (the lower threshold point - LTP) at which the output voltage goes to
positive saturation. With the voltage difference between UTP and LTP larger than the noise,
the output remains stable (ie avoids noise triggered oscillation around Vr).

Fig 1: Comparator circuit and transfer characteristics

Electronic Circuits Lab, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering Trivandrum 1

+4V

Vi
t

+VSat

VO

-VSat

Vr = 0V Vr = +4V

Fig 3. Waveforms comparator

+VCC

- 7
2
Vi 6
LM 741 Vo
+ 4
3
-VCC

R2
R1

Vr

Fig 4: Schmitt trigger and transfer characteristics

Electronic Circuits Lab, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering Trivandrum 2

Vsat = 10 V and therefore Vout  10 V

Use superposition theorem to create the following equations:

Vsat R1 Vr R2
LTP  2  
R1  R2 R1  R2

Choose R2 = 22 kΩ and solve the above equations for R1 and Vr, we get
R1= 1.15 kΩ Choose standard value of 1.2 kΩ
Vr = 2.6 V

+12 V

Vi - 7
2
10 Vp, 1 kHz 6
LM 741 Vo
Sine wave
+ 4 +3V
3 +2V
-12 V Vi
t

R2 22 kΩ
+VSat

R1 1.2 kΩ
VO

Vr = 2.6 V
-VSat

Fig 5. Circuit diagram of Schmitt trigger circuit and waveforms

PROCEDURE
1. Set up circuit as shown in the connection diagram
2. Set the input voltage 20 V peak to peak, 1 kHz in function generator, and apply input
signal to the circuit.
3. Observe the output waveform in CRO.
4. Obtain the response for different Vr (for comparator circuit only).
RESULT
AC Comparator and Schmitt trigger circuits were designed and set up. And the output
waveform is observed on CRO.

Electronic Circuits Lab, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering Trivandrum 3