Why Totem Pole Circuit Used ?

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
An audio power amplifier applies a positive voltage at a high current and a negative voltage at a high current to a low resistance speaker. So the upper transistor (NPN) in the totem pole pulls the speaker positive then the lower transistor )PNP pulls the speaker negative.
 

tom66

Joined May 9, 2009
2,595
A totem pole circuit is where an NPN transistor is put in series with a PNP to form a dual-rail amplifier, right?
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,429
My first encounter with the term was with TTL. I lifted this off of Wikipedia.



I think the term has expanded somewhat, for any output using two transistors, usually (but not inclusive) being the same type. The LM555 for example has an output that looks a lot like this, and I've heard it called totem pole:



I think the term has gotten looser over time, but basically it is two transistors that connect the output to the power supply rails, but is not rail to rail. I would not class the boosters shown on the second half of the above picture as totem pole, though it could be argued.
 

R!f@@

Joined Apr 2, 2009
9,918
Totem pole are used in TTL chips only

In Amps, they are refereed as push pull stage or class AB amplifier
 
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marshallf3

Joined Jul 26, 2010
2,358
Think of the origin of the phrase = "things stacked upon another"

You can just as well totem-pole resistors or coils (chokes, inductors) ....
 
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