Articles

High integration in today’s analog ICs is ever expanding, but there are times when a circuit designer needs to design a better differential stage to an amplifier, especially an audio amp or pre-amp, or a voltage controlled resistor, thermally ...

Most differential field bus technologies, like CAN and RS-485, specify a parameter called common-mode voltage. Common-mode voltage refers to the range of bus input voltages, with respect to the transceiver’s ground, within which the ...

Manual amplifier nulling circuits are simple topologies, typically consisting of just a trimmer pot and a couple of fixed resistors intended to allow offset adjustment by a (usually small) symmetrical fraction of bipolar supply voltages. So, ...

In many electronic circuits, there is always a demand for a device to isolate or separate one circuit from another. This special device is called a buffer. A buffer is a unity-gain amplifier that has an extremely high input resistance and an ...

A common problem for digital potentiometers (DigiPots) is the effect of wiper resistance, which produces quite noticeable non-linearities of regulation at both ends of the resistance range. These effects also lead to an increased tempco in these ...

Given their generally low cost, small size, robust construction, accuracy, versatility, and sensitivity, it’s no wonder that basic negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors rate among the most popular temperature sensors available. ...

Electronic designers must be aware of the ideal charging method, as it increases the battery’s lifetime and enhances its performance. Nowadays Lithium-ion/Lithium-polymer are used extensively in portable electronic devices that are frequently ...

I’ve always been interested in simple-looking components which solve well-defined, clear, bounded problems. One carpentry example I encountered and used many years ago is formally known as a hanger bolt, Figure 1. One end has a wood-screw ...

Navigating the burgeoning cities of the early twentieth century would have been a very different experience without the electromechanical railway and elevator systems designed by Frank Sprague. The basic layout of a modern metropolis a core of ...

The high-efficiency switching power supply has become a staple ingredient in many of today’s electronic systems. What is its origins and how has it evolved over the decades? Switched-mode power supplies are found in electronics all around us. ...