
AD600/AD602 
REALIZING OTHER GAIN RANGES 
Larger gain ranges can be accommodated by cascading 
amplifiers. Combinations built by cascading two amplifiers 
include 20 dB to +60 dB (using one AD602), 10 dB to +70 dB 
(using  of an AD602 followed by  of an AD600), and 0 dB to 
80 dB (using one AD600). In multiple-channel applications, 
extra protection against oscillation can be provided by using 
amplifier sections from different packages. 
Rev. E | Page 16 of 28 
AN ULTRALOW NOISE VCA 
The two channels of the AD600 or AD602 can operate in 
parallel to achieve a 3 dB improvement in noise level, providing 
1 nV/√Hz without any loss of gain accuracy or bandwidth. 
In the simplest case, as shown in Figure 35, the signal inputs 
A1HI and A2HI are tied directly together. The outputs A1OP 
and A2OP are summed via R1 and R2 (100 Ω each), and the 
control inputs C1HI/C2HI and C1LO/C2LO operate in parallel. 
Using these connections, both the input and output resistances 
are 50 Ω. Thus, when driven from a 50 Ω source and terminated 
in a 50 Ω load, the gain is reduced by 12 dB, so the gain range 
becomes –12 dB to +28 dB for the AD600 and 22 dB to 
+18 dB for the AD602. The peak input capability remains 
unaffected (1 V rms at the IC pins, or 2 V rms from an 
unloaded 50 Ω source). The loading on each output, with a 
50 Ω load, is effectively 200 Ω, because the load current is 
shared between the two channels, so the overall amplifier still 
meets its specified maximum output and distortion levels for a 
200 Ω load. This amplifier can deliver a maximum sine wave 
power of 10 dBm to the load. 
VPOS
VNEG
100
100
50
GAIN-CONTROL
VOLTAGE
V
G
– +
V
IN
V
OUT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
REF
A1
A2
AD600 OR
AD602
+
–
+
–
C1HI
A1CM
A1OP
A2OP
A2CM
C2HI
C1LO
A1HI
A1LO
GAT1
A2LO
A2HI
C2LO
GAT2
+5V
–5V
0
Figure 35. An Ultralow Noise VCA Using the AD600 or AD602 
A LOW NOISE, 6 dB PREAMPLIFIER 
In some ultrasound applications, a high input impedance 
preamplifier is needed to avoid the signal attenuation that 
results from loading the transducer by the 100 Ω input resistance  
of the X-AMP. High gain cannot be tolerated because the  
peak transducer signal is typically ±0.5 V, while the peak input 
capability of the AD600 or AD602 is only slightly more than 
±1 V. A gain of 2 is a suitable choice. It can be shown that if the 
preamplifier’s overall referred-to-input (RTI) noise is the same 
as that due to the X-AMP alone (1.4 nV/√Hz), the input noise 
of nX2 preamplifier must be √(3/4) times as large, that is, 
1.2 nV/√Hz. 
+5V
–5V
+5V
–5V
1μF
0.1μF
0.1μF
V
IN
INPUT
GROUND
OUTPUT
GROUND
R1
49.9
R2
174
R5
42.2
1μF
R3
562
R7
174
R8
49.9
Q1
MRF904
Q2
MM4049
100
R
IN
 OF X-AMP
R6
562
1μF
R4
42.2
1μF
0
Figure 36. A Low Noise Preamplifier for the AD600/AD602 
An inexpensive circuit using complementary transistor types 
chosen for their low r
bb
 is shown in Figure 36. The gain is 
determined by the ratio of the net collector load resistance to 
the net emitter resistance. It is an open-loop amplifier. The gain 
is ×2 (6 dB) only into a 100 Ω load, assumed to be provided by 
the input resistance of the X-AMP; R2 and R7 are in shunt  
with this load, and their value is important in defining the gain. 
For small-signal inputs, both transistors contribute an equal 
transconductance that is rendered less sensitive to signal level 
by the emitter resistors, R4 and R5. They also play a dominant 
role in setting the gain.