• Simple analog circuit provides voltage clipping and dc shifting for flash ADC 1/5/2008

  Many flash ADCs, such as National Semiconductor’s (www.national.com) ADC1175, have a recommended operating input-voltage range of 0.6 to 2.6V (Reference 1). However, in ....

  Current source makes novel Class A buffer 1/5/2008

  The basis for this Design Idea is a classic two-transistor current source (Figure 1). Current through R1 depends only on the VBE (base-emitter voltage) of Q2 ....

  Compact laser-diode driver provides protection for precision-instrument use 1/5/2008

  Continuous-wave laser diodes in precision-instrument applications require constant-current sources to drive them. Proper design of such a driver must involve careful tackling of robustness, stability, noise, and other ....

  Chop the noise gain to measure an op amp’s real-time offset voltage 1/5/2008

  One of the most important specifications of an op amp is its input-offset voltage. You can null out this voltage on many op amps, but the problem with determining the input-offset voltage is that the offset voltage varies ....

  AC-continuity tester finds single-ended faults in cables 1/4/2008

  An ac-based continuity tester for front-line test-and-repair jobs provides a simple go/no-go test for localizing faults in multiconductor cables (Figure 1). Open circuits ....

  Optoisolators compute watts and volt-amperes 1/4/2008

  A decade or so ago, I designed a simple circuit that included a quad optoisolator arranged in a full-wave analog-multiplier bridge (Figure 1). It sensed and calculated watts ....

  Single-supply circuit measures 48V high-side current 1/4/2008

  The nominal -48V rail, which finds wide use in wireless base stations and other telecommunications equipment in network central offices, can vary from -48 to -60V. Measuring its current draw typically requires components ....

  High-speed clamp functions as pulse-forming circuit 1/4/2008

  Amplifiers with positive feedback are the bases of signalgrade pulse-forming circuits. This setup ensures a trigger-like operation in which the input signal crosses the input-threshold level; in most cases, the input ....

  Three-state switch interface uses one microcontroller pin 1/4/2008

  Human interfaces for electronic gadgets sometimes require three states for control. A single- axis joystick has states to define motions to the right, to the left, and with no motion. Similarly, a timer has control buttons ....

  USB IC charges, supplies and protects 1/3/2008

  The USB port is fast becoming “the preferred means for portable- device-battery charging” according to Linear Technology—the company notes the need for a charge-management solution that can handle high ....

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