CHAPTER 3
Discrete Transistor Circuitry
This chapter deals with small-signal design using discrete transistors, specifically BJTs. Many things found in standard textbooks are skated over quickly. It concentrates on audio issues and gives information that I do not think appears anywhere else, including the distortion behaviour of various configurations.
Why Use Discrete Transistor Circuitry?
Circuitry made with discrete transistors is not obsolete. It is appropriate when:
- A load must be driven to higher voltages than an opamp can sustain between the supply rails. Opamps are mostly restricted to supply voltages of +/-18 or +/-20 volts. Hybrid-construction amplifiers, typically packaged in TO3 cans, will operate from rails as high as +/-100 V, ...
