EC-13.3 Circuits and Devices on the Bench
You can build a small analog circuit from a schematic, bias it and verify the operating point before looking at any signal, measure gain and bandwidth, and account for the difference between the measurement and the calculation.
Before:S4-1. Analog CircuitsEC-8. Measurements, Instrumentation and Experimental MethodEC-9. Microcontrollers and Embedded SystemsEC-19. Introduction to Electronics, Design and MakingUnlocks:EC-14. Engineering Design and System IntegrationEC-16. Ethics, Safety, Sustainability and Standards
This stage is where a reader first meets the gap between a circuit on paper and a circuit on a board, and the gap is always in the same places: the operating point, the source and load impedances, and the parts of the model that were ignored. Working through it once with an amplifier makes every later analog measurement faster.
Work through these
From schematic to a board that matches it
Building from a schematic means checking each connection against it before power is applied, not after. A wiring error found by inspection costs a minute, and one found by smoke costs a part and a session.
NPTEL: Analog Electronic Circuits (IIT Kharagpur) · CourseThe operating point first, before any signal
Measure the direct voltages at every node and compare them with the design. If the bias is wrong, everything measured afterwards is a measurement of the wrong circuit, and no amount of signal work will reveal it.
NPTEL: Analog Electronic Circuits (IIT Kharagpur) · CourseMeasuring gain, and the two places it is measured wrongly
Gain is the ratio of output to input measured at the same time and at the same frequency. Reading the generator's display instead of the actual input, and measuring at a frequency outside the flat region, are the two usual errors.
NPTEL: Analog Electronic Circuits (IIT Kharagpur) · CourseFinding the bandwidth by sweeping rather than assuming
Raise the frequency until the output falls by a factor of about one point four in amplitude. Doing it by hand once makes every later frequency response plot meaningful rather than decorative.
NPTEL: Analog Electronic Circuits (IIT Kharagpur) · CourseLoading, and measuring the same circuit two ways
Connecting a probe or a load changes the circuit, and the change is largest where the impedance is highest. Measuring with and without the load, and predicting the difference, turns an error into a result.
NPTEL: Measurement and Instrumentation (IIT Guwahati) · CourseAccounting for the difference from the calculation
A measurement ten per cent from the prediction is normal and needs an explanation, not a shrug. Component tolerance, a neglected parameter, loading and temperature are the four usual candidates.
NPTEL: Analog Electronic Circuits (IIT Kharagpur) · Course
Sign in to keep your progress.
Free resources
We haven't checked most of these for screen reader use yet.
Links last checked 3 Sept 2026.
Stuck here?
Ask a mentor. A real person answers, and they can see exactly which topic you're on. Usually within a couple of working days.
Checking your session…
Topics shown in module order.