Electronic appliances have undoubtedly simplified our everyday chores. However, their efficiency depends on their proper maintenance and operating them at recommended voltage and current range.
Voltage fluctuation is the leading cause of circuit failure, which brings us to the need for limiting amplifiers.
Available with voltage clamps, these amplifiers are used with circuits that have a limited input range, to protect the internal circuitry.
Working of Limiting Amplifiers
Designed to maintain constant power output, these amplifiers belong to a high-speed logic family. This allows them to function instantaneously by clipping the voltage before it reaches an alarming level.
Before the development of limiting amplifiers, engineers relied on Schottky diodes to make their own limiting circuits. For them, it was a tradeoff between simple Schottky network with reduced efficiency, or a complicated limiting network with several diodes, transistors, and resistors.
However, limiting amplifiers offered the ideal balance between design simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Their quick response and effective output regulation made them a far preferable option than the former two.
For those of you who’re not aware of how the limiting amplifier functions, here’s the gist of it:
For the amplifier to start functioning, the user connects the low and high (VL and VH) terminals to the desired DC levels. By doing so, you provide a varying range for your input.
In case of a voltage overdrive, the amplifier clamps the voltage to VH, protecting your internal circuitry. This clamping action continues as long as the overdrive remains. Once the voltage restores to its original values, the circuits resumes its linear operation.
Applications of Limiting Amplifiers
The fast recovery time and flexible voltage regulation of limiting amplifiers qualify them as ideal comparators.
Used as buffers in ADC, they prevent the damage associated with input overdrive. Furthermore, a limiting amplifier provides peak currents for charging input capacitances, while maintaining a stable response to step changes in your input.
Furthermore, the wide input bandwidth allows them to operate a wide range of high-frequency DC and AC signals. This makes them a vital component in AM modulator circuits.
Operating an amplifier near its linear range causes signal clipping in the output stage. Known as hard clipping, this leads to distorted or complete loss of voice in audio applications. By using limiting amplifiers as soft clipping circuits, you can overcome the audio loss in your output stage.
Looking for a Limiting Amplifier?
ADSANTEC provides a variety of limiting amplifiers with variable frequency and power requirements so that you no longer have to worry about voltage overdrive!
Our range of products includes limiting amplifiers, error detectors, transimpedance amplifiers, multiplexers, clock dividers, phase shifters, and much more.
Browse through our collection today and pick a product according to your circuit requirement!