All About Circuits

Latest Analog Technical Articles

Categories

How to Build a Wall-Following Robot

How to Build a Wall-Following Robot

This is the final part in a series of articles on building a robot that can follow lines or walls and avoid obstacles!


Adaptive Gain Control with the Least Mean Squares Algorithm

Adaptive Gain Control with the Least Mean Squares Algorithm

An introduction to the least mean squares algorithm and adaptive gain control through a simple example.


Negative Feedback, Part 7: Frequency-Dependent Feedback

Negative Feedback, Part 7: Frequency-Dependent Feedback

This article will help you to understand why the frequency response of a feedback network can seriously, and sometimes unexpectedly, degrade stability.


Negative Feedback, Part 6: New and Improved Stability Analysis

Negative Feedback, Part 6: New and Improved Stability Analysis

This article will show you a handy alternative approach to assessing stability via open-loop gain and the feedback factor.


Buck Converters and Their Cool Applications

Buck Converters and Their Cool Applications

The buck converter is a ubiquitous DC-DC converter that efficiently converts a high voltage to a low voltage efficiently. Efficient power conversion extends battery life, reduces heat, and allows for smaller gadgets to be built. The buck converter can be used in lots of cool applications.


Navigating the Boost Converter’s Vulnerability with Alternative Power Conversion Topologies

Navigating the Boost Converter’s Vulnerability with Alternative Power Conversion Topologies

Here are some great power conversion topologies that can be used as alternatives to the boost converter; they are much less vulnerable to short circuit load conditions.


Negative Feedback, Part 5: Gain Margin and Phase Margin

Negative Feedback, Part 5: Gain Margin and Phase Margin

How to use frequency-domain simulations to analyze loop gain and evaluate the stability of your amplifier circuit. We need a way to determine whether a circuit is sufficiently stable—in other words, stable enough to ensure that the circuit will perform properly despite part-to-part variations and environmental or operational conditions that affect the characteristics of the open-loop gain or the feedback network. There is where gain margin and phase margin come into play.


Use LTspice to Understand the LM741 OpAmp: Part 2

Use LTspice to Understand the LM741 OpAmp: Part 2

How an op amp works with LTspice simulation. We left off last time finishing up how the input stage of an op-amp works. The next important stage is made up by transistors Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q7.


Understanding Analog-to-Digital Converters: Deciphering Resolution and Sampling Rate

Understanding Analog-to-Digital Converters: Deciphering Resolution and Sampling Rate

Resolution and sampling rate are two important factors to consider when selecting an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). In order to understand these fully, concepts such as quantisation, and the Nyquist Criterion must be understood to a certain degree.


Add Short Circuit Protection to Your Boost Converter

Add Short Circuit Protection to Your Boost Converter

The boost converter is a DC-DC converter used to created an output voltage that is higher than the input voltage. Boost converters are also used to drive LEDs placed in series in products like LED flashlights. The boost converter suffers from vulnerability to a short circuit load. Learn how to protect them from shorts!


Everything You Need to Know About Direct Digital Synthesis

Everything You Need to Know About Direct Digital Synthesis

Direct Digital Synthesis is used to generate precise analog waveforms that can quickly change frequencies. It's used in test equipment, spread spectrum techniques and to enable frequency sweeps.


Negative Feedback, Part 4: Introduction to Stability

Negative Feedback, Part 4: Introduction to Stability

Why are negative-feedback amplifiers susceptible to oscillation? What is the fundamental criterion for stability? Let’s find out.


Use LaunchPad to Make a Laser Tripwire Alarm

Use LaunchPad to Make a Laser Tripwire Alarm

Use the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) feature of LaunchPad to build a laser tripwire alarm. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with LaunchPad while simultaneously making something cool.


Projects Nov 18, 2015 by Tim Youngblood
Use LTspice to Understand the LM741 OpAmp

Use LTspice to Understand the LM741 OpAmp

An inside look at how the 741 operational amplifier operates with LTspice simulation. We'll go over internal structure and differential amplifiers and continue with everything you've ever needed to know about this operational amplifier.


Negative Feedback Part 3: Improving Noise, Linearity, and Impedance

Negative Feedback Part 3: Improving Noise, Linearity, and Impedance

Use negative feedback to increase your amplifier’s signal-to-noise ratio, reduce its nonlinear distortion, and improve its input- and output-impedance characteristics.


Understanding Electricity with Hydraulics

Understanding Electricity with Hydraulics

An overview of how the concepts of electron flow and the role of individual circuit components can be related to the flow of fluid in pipe networks. The analogy between hydraulics and electricity is a useful tool for teaching and for those who are struggling to understand how circuits work.


Negative Feedback, Part 2: Improving Gain Sensitivity and Bandwidth

Negative Feedback, Part 2: Improving Gain Sensitivity and Bandwidth

Having introduced the general negative feedback structure, we will now demonstrate that negative feedback has a beneficial effect on two important characteristics of amplifier circuits.


Control Your AC Mains with a Microcontroller

Control Your AC Mains with a Microcontroller

Learn how to put together your own toaster oven controller with a handful of inexpensive, through-hole parts. The emphasis is on safety, low price, and minimal modification of the toaster oven.


Projects Nov 09, 2015 by Patrick Lloyd
Negative Feedback, Part 1: General Structure and Essential Concepts

Negative Feedback, Part 1: General Structure and Essential Concepts

This article, the first in a series, will introduce you to the fundamental concepts required for understanding and analyzing negative feedback amplifiers.


Build 9 Simple, Low-noise Linear Voltage Regulators Using the Same PCB

Build 9 Simple, Low-noise Linear Voltage Regulators Using the Same PCB

What linear voltage regulator circuits lack in efficiency, they make up in simplicity and low noise. Here's a scheme for 9 voltages from 2.5V to 15V on the same PCB design.