Amplifier design with npn transistor

amplifierbjt

I tried to design a common emitter amplifier for the first time, for an audio amplifier; however the gain is not as I expected. I don't understand why voltage changes when I measure the voltage from the right or left of the capacitor c2. My question is what kind of effect C2 has on the circuit? So I can change it in a way that my gain is not lost. Below graph red is the output voltage I get when I measured voltage at the leftside of C2 (Vc) and green is Vr3. (R3 is 1K which is not seen on schematics)
Thank you.

circuit
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Best Answer

You are not losing gain, and your scope traces even show that since they are both about the same height.

The difference is the DC level. At the left side of C2, the DC level can only ever be between power and ground. The circuit is therefore biased so that the signal is centered far enough from either extreme to allow swing in either direction. That's why the signal at the left side of C2 is not centered around 0.

However, a net DC bias is undesirable in a delivered audio signal. Even HiFi audio only goes down to 20 Hz, so doesn't include DC. Any DC on the audio signal would cause dissipation in a resistive load, but without doing anything useful. In fact, DC bias will make ordinary speakers work less well and heat them unnecessarily. Since DC bias is not needed and can cause trouble, audio amplifiers usually produce a output signal without DC bias, which is another way of saying it is centered around 0 V. This is the purpose of C2 in your circuit. It blocks DC but passes the AC audio signal.

So you're not loosing gain across C2. It's merely doing its job of blocking the DC level.