A control console for supplying an AC drive signal to the power generating unit of a powered surgical tool, said control console including: a transformer with: a primary winding with opposed ends and a center tap to which a DC voltage is applied; and a secondary winding across which the AC drive signal is induced for application to the tool power generating unit; and a circuit that ties the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding between ground and open states so as to cause an AC voltage to develop across the primary winding, wherein the circuit that ties the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding between the ground and open states is a linear amplifier, said linear amplifier including: plural transistors (162, 184) that function as active resistors so that there is an active resistor between each end of the primary winding and ground; and a differential amplifier to which voltages present at the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding are applied, characterized in that: said differential amplifier produces as a feedback signal a signal based on the differences between the voltages present at the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding; and the console further comprises a control circuit (80, 115), that, based on an external control signal and the feedback signal, sets the resistances of the active resistors (162, 184) so as to set the peak to peak voltage across the primary winding. a transformer with: a primary winding with opposed ends and a center tap to which a DC voltage is applied; and a secondary winding across which the AC drive signal is induced for application to the tool power generating unit; and a circuit that ties the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding between ground and open states so as to cause an AC voltage to develop across the primary winding, wherein the circuit that ties the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding between the ground and open states is a linear amplifier, said linear amplifier including: plural transistors (162, 184) that function as active resistors so that there is an active resistor between each end of the primary winding and ground; and a differential amplifier to which voltages present at the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding are applied, plural transistors (162, 184) that function as active resistors so that there is an active resistor between each end of the primary winding and ground; and a differential amplifier to which voltages present at the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding are applied, characterized in that: said differential amplifier produces as a feedback signal a signal based on the differences between the voltages present at the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding; and the console further comprises a control circuit (80, 115), that, based on an external control signal and the feedback signal, sets the resistances of the active resistors (162, 184) so as to set the peak to peak voltage across the primary winding. said differential amplifier produces as a feedback signal a signal based on the differences between the voltages present at the opposed ends of the transformer primary winding; and the console further comprises a control circuit (80, 115), that, based on an external control signal and the feedback signal, sets the resistances of the active resistors (162, 184) so as to set the peak to peak voltage across the primary winding.