A High-Voltage Bipolar Transconductance Amplifier for Electrotactile Stimulation

This paper describes a high-performance transconductance amplifier specifically designed for electrotactile (electrocutaneous) stimulation. It enables voltages up to +/- 600 V to be produced at the output that will allow the psychophysiological performance associated with stimulation of the fingertip using various stimulation waveforms to be studied more thoroughly. The design has a transconductance of up to 20 mA/V, an 8.8-M Omega output resistance, and can provide output currents up to +/- 20 mA. A complete schematic diagram is presented along with a discussion of theory of operation and safety issues as well as performance and derating plots from the implemented design.