Articles Amplifiers

An instrumentation amplifier offers precise gain without feedback resistors, and, at any value of gain, it provides high input impedances at its noninverting and inverting inputs. In a typical IC instrumentation amplifier, a single resistor that ...

A Microchip Inc datasheet covering the MCP4xxx family of digital potentiometers (Dpot) includes an interesting application circuit on datasheet page 15. See Figure 1 for a (somewhat edited) version of their Figure 4-5. Figure 1. Amplifier with Dpot ...

Also known as the source follower, the common-drain amplifier is notable for its low output impedance. This article introduces the basic common-drain configuration and examines its large-signal characteristics. Ideally, the output resistance of an ...

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, ...

This article describes a technique to compensate the DC voltage drift in the output of a directly-coupled AB-Class audio power amplifier. The main benefit of a directly-coupled output is improved bass response. Since the design eliminates the ...

Sometimes, the need arises for a low-distortion buffer amplifier capable of handling bipolar signals. You can use an op amp or integrated buffer for these applications, but for more flexibility, a discrete design may prove useful. Applications ...

The analog priority amplifier shown in Figure 1 was originally conceived as part of a multiple output power supply where the voltage regulation was based on the level of the highest channel. Another application was an engine control system with an ...

The pressure-sensor amplifier circuit of Figure 1 offers a number of advantages over the traditional approach using the classic three-op-amp instrumentation amplifier. The circuit can operate from a single supply and uses only two op amps and 1% ...

A Class D amplifier provides better efficiency and thermal performance than a comparable Class AB amplifier, but implementing a Class D amplifier still requires attention to good electrical- and thermal-design practices. Most engineers use a ...

While measuring op-amp input capacitance, what should you focus on? The answer is that you must ensure the measurement accuracy isn’t degraded by the stray capacitance and inductance of the PCB or test setup. You can minimize these issues by ...