application Related Articles

I IntroductionSummary: A photoresistor, or light-dependent resistor (LDR), is a passive electronic component that decreases in resistance as light intensity increases. Driven by the expansion of IoT and smart home automation, the global photoresistor market is projected to reach $553.75 million by 2025. This guide covers LDR working principles, circuit diagrams, types, and step-by-step Arduino integration.Photoresistor or light-dependent resistor (abbreviated as LDR) or photoconductor is a special resistor made of semiconductor materials such as cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide. Its working principle is based on the internal photoelectric effect. The stronger the light, the lower the resistance value. With the increase of the light intensity, the resistance value decreases rapidly, and the bright resistance value can be as small as 1KΩ or less. The photoresistor is very sensitive to light, and it shows a high resistance state when there is no light, and the dark resistance can generally reach 1.5MΩ.This article includes an overview of the basic information of the photoresistor and two Arduino tutorials for the photoresistor. The content is very comprehensive and detailed. You can choose the part you want to read or read the full text. We hope this article is helpful to you!II What is a Photoresistor?2.1 What is the Definition of a Photoresistor?A photoresistor (also known as a light-dependent resistor, LDR, or photo-conductive cell) is a passive electronic component that decreases its electrical resistance as the luminosity on its sensitive surface increases.2.2 What is the Symbol for a Photoresistor?The standard schematic symbols for a photoresistor are generally represented by the designators "RL", "RG", or "R", often accompanied by a resistor icon enclosed in a circle with incoming arrows indicating light. The following figure shows the schematic symbols of the photoresistor.Figure1. Photoresistor SymbolRecommended Reading: To learn more about Resistor Symbol.2.3 What is the Composition of a Photoresistor?(1) The structure of the photoresistorA photoresistor is primarily composed of a photosensitive semiconductor layer, a glass substrate or moisture-proof film, and comb-shaped ohmic electrodes.Figure2. The Structure of PhotoresistorMaterials for manufacturing photoresistorsThe materials used for manufacturing photoresistors are primarily semiconductors such as metal sulfides, selenides, and tellurides. Usually, coating, spraying, sintering and other methods are used to make a very thin photoresistor and comb-shaped ohmic electrode on the insulating substrate, and then the lead is taken out and encapsulated in a sealed housing with a light-transmitting mirror to prevent moisture from affecting its sensitivity.III How Does the Photoresistor Work?3.1 What is the Working Principle of Photoresistors?How does a photoresistor workThe working principle of a photoresistor is based entirely on the internal photoelectric effect, where incident light energy excites electrons into the conduction band, thereby lowering the component's electrical resistance.A voltage is applied to the metal electrodes at both ends of the photoresistor, and a current flows through it. When irradiated with light of a certain wavelength, the current will increase with the increase of light intensity, thereby achieving photoelectric conversion. After the incident light disappears, the electron-hole pairs generated by the photon excitation will recombine, and the resistance of the photoresistor will return to its original value.The photoresistor has no polarity and is purely a resistive device. It can be used with either DC voltage or AC voltage. The conductivity of a semiconductor depends on the number of carriers in the semiconductor conduction band. Why is the value of the photoresistor related to the wavelength of the incident light?Simply put, it is the effect of transitions between energy levels. Photons at different wavelengths have different energies, and an electron can only absorb one photon. After an electron absorbs a photon, whether it can be converted from non-conductive to conductive electrons depends on the photon’s Energy, and the number of electrons that can conduct electricity determines the resistance of the photoresistor. Therefore, the light wavelength also affects the resistance of the photoresistor.Recommended Reading: See more about light sensor, wavelength, spectrum and photometric physical quantity.3.2 What is the Internal Photoelectric Effect?The internal photoelectric effect is a phenomenon where the absorption of photons causes a change in the electrical conductivity of a semiconductor material. This differs from the external photoelectric effect, which involves the complete escape of electrons from the material's surface.The internal photoelectric effect can be divided into two main categories:Photoconductive effect: The change in electrical resistance due to light exposure.Photovoltaic effect: The generation of a photo-induced electromotive force (voltage) across a P-N junction. PhotoconductivityThe photoconductive effect is one of two internal photoelectric effects. The internal photoelectric effect refers to the phenomenon that the electrical conductivity of a semiconductor exposed to light changes or a photo-induced electromotive force is generated. Among them, the phenomenon that the conductivity of the semiconductor changes due to light is called the photoconductivity effect.Figure3. Energy Level of AtomPhotovoltaic EffectThe photovoltaic effect occurs when a P-type and N-type semiconductor are combined, creating a P-N junction. The process unfolds as follows:Electrons in the N-type semiconductor and holes in the P-type semiconductor diffuse, forming a depletion region near the interface.When light irradiates the P-N junction, photons with sufficient energy generate minority carriers (electron-hole pairs).Under the action of the internal electric field, excited electrons flow to the N-type region, and holes flow to the P-type region.This accumulation generates an additional electromotive force (voltage) at both ends of the P-N junction.If connected to an external circuit, current flows from the P region to the N region, producing usable electrical power.Figure4. Photovoltaic EffectIV How Do You Wire a Photoresistor Application Circuit?Schematic circuit for conventional applicationsFigure5. Schematic CircuitModule parameters:Working voltage: DC3.3-5VPhotoresistor Model: 5516Module pins: 3-pin or 4-pin (an additional analog output AO for 4-pin)Common circuit diagram （3）Photoresistor application circuit diagramThe following figure is a schematic diagram of the application of the photoresistor in the light control switch. The photoresistor is connected in series with the resistor R1. When there is no light, that is, the voltage across R1 does not reach the turn-on voltage of the Q1 transistor. Once exposed to light, the resistance of the photoresistor drops rapidly. The voltage across R1 rises and the transistor turns on, which causes the transistor Q2 in the subsequent stage to turn on, and finally, the switch K opens and the bulb works.Figure6. Common Photoresistor Application Circuit Diagram(4) Photoresistor dimming circuitThe following figure is a typical light-controlled dimming circuit. Its working principle is: when the surrounding light becomes weak, the resistance of the photoresistor RG increases, which increases the partial voltage added to the capacitor C, which in turn makes the thyristor's conduction angle is increased to achieve the purpose of increasing the voltage across the lamp. Conversely, if the surrounding light becomes brighter, the resistance of RG decreases, resulting in a smaller conduction angle of the thyristor, and the voltage across the lamp decreases at the same time, dimming the light, thereby controlling the illuminance of the lamp.Figure7. Photoresistor Dimming CircuitNote: The rectifier bridge in the above circuit must be a DC pulsating voltage, and it cannot be converted into a smooth DC voltage by capacitor filtering, otherwise the circuit will not work properly. The reason is that the DC pulsating voltage can not only provide the basic conditions for the zero-crossing shutdown of the thyristor, but also enable the charging of the capacitor C to start from zero every half cycle, and accurately complete the synchronous phase-shift triggering of the thyristor.V What Are the Types of Photoresistors?5.1 Classification by MaterialsBased on material composition, photoresistors are classified into intrinsic (pure semiconductor) and extrinsic (doped semiconductor) types. Polycrystalline and single crystal photoresistors can also be divided into cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), lead sulfide (PbS), lead selenide (PbSe), indium antimonide (InSb) photoresistors, etc. 5.2 Classification by Spectral CharacteristicsSpectral TypeCommon MaterialsPrimary Applications (2026)Ultraviolet (UV)Cadmium sulfide, Cadmium selenideUV detection, environmental monitoringInfrared (IR)Lead sulfide, Lead telluride, Indium antimonideAstronomical detection, non-contact measurement, IR communicationVisible LightSelenium, Silicon, Germanium, Zinc sulfideIoT smart lighting, automatic street lights, exposure devices(1) Ultraviolet photoresistor: sensitive to ultraviolet rays, including cadmium sulfide, cadmium selenide photoresistors, etc., used to detect ultraviolet rays.(2) Infrared photoresistors: mainly lead sulfide, lead telluride, and lead selenide. Photoresistors such as indium antimonide are widely used in missile guidance, astronomical detection, non-contact measurement, human disease detection, infrared spectroscopy, infrared communication and other national defense, scientific research, and industrial and agricultural production.(3) Visible light photoresistors: including selenium, cadmium sulfide, cadmium selenide, cadmium telluride, gallium arsenide, silicon, germanium, zinc sulfide photoresistors, etc. Mainly used in various photoelectric control systems, which account for a significant portion of the projected $553.75 million global photoresistor market in 2025. Applications include IoT smart lighting, automatic turning on and off of navigation lights, street lights and other lighting systems, automatic water supply and automatic water stop devices, automatic protection devices on machinery and "position detectors" Thickness detectors for thin parts, automatic exposure devices for cameras, photoelectric counters, smoke alarms, photoelectric tracking systems, etc.Figure8. Light Dependent ResistorVI The Main Parameters and Basic Characteristics of the Photoresistor6.1 What Are the Main Parameters of a Photoresistor?The main parameters of a photoresistor define its operational limits, sensitivity, and response time in various lighting conditions.1) Bright resistance (kΩ): refers to the resistance value of the photoresistor when exposed to light.2) Dark resistance (MΩ): refers to the resistance value of the photoresistor when there is no light exposure (dark environment).3) Maximum working voltage (V): refers to the highest voltage the photoresistor is allowed to withstand under the rated power.4) Bright current: refers to the current that the photoresistor passes when it is irradiated by light under the specified applied voltage.5) Dark current (mA): refers to the current that the photoresistor passes under the specified applied voltage when there is no light.6) Time constant (s): refers to the time required for the photoresistor to start from the light jump to stabilize 63% of the bright current.7) Resistance temperature coefficient: refers to the relative change of the resistance value of the photoresistor when the ambient temperature changes by 1°C.8) Sensitivity: refers to the relative change of the resistance value of the photoresistor with and without light irradiation.Figure9. LDR6.2 Basic Characteristics(1) Dark resistance and bright resistanceThe stable resistance value measured by the photoresistor under room temperature and total darkness is called dark resistance. The current flowing at this time is called dark current. For example, MG41-21 type photoresistor dark resistance is greater than or equal to 0.1M.The stable resistance value measured by the photoresistor at room temperature and under certain lighting conditions is called bright resistance. The current flowing at this time is called the bright current. The bright resistance of MG41-21 type photoresistor is less than or equal to 1k.    The difference between bright current and dark current is called photocurrent.    Obviously, the larger the dark resistance of the photoresistor, the better, and the smaller the bright resistance, the better, that is, the dark current should be small and the bright current should be large, so the sensitivity of the photoresistor is high.Figure10. Bright Current and Dark Current(2) Volt-ampere characteristicsUnder a certain illuminance, the relationship between the voltage applied across the photoresistor and the current flowing through the photoresistor is called the volt-ampere characteristic. The volt-ampere characteristic of the photoresistor is approximately a straight line, and there is no saturation phenomenon. Due to the limitation of power dissipation, the voltage across the photoresistor cannot exceed the maximum operating voltage during use. The dotted line in the figure is the allowable power consumption curve, from which the normal operating voltage of the photoresistor can be determined. (3) Photoelectric characteristics    The relationship between the photocurrent of the photoresistor and the illuminance is called the photoelectric characteristic. The photoelectric characteristics of the photoresistor are nonlinear. Therefore, it is not suitable as a detection element, which is one of the shortcomings of the photoresistor. In automatic control, it is often used as a switching photoelectric sensor.Figure11. Characteristics of the Photoelectric Effect(4) Spectral characteristicsFor incident light of different wavelengths, the relative sensitivity of the photoresistor is different. The spectral characteristics of various materials are shown in Figure 2.6.4. It can be seen from the figure that the peak value of cadmium sulfide is in the visible light region, and the peak value of lead sulfide is in the infrared region. Therefore, when selecting the photoresistor, the types of components and light sources should be considered in order to obtain satisfactory results. (5) Frequency characteristicsWhen the photoresistor is exposed to pulsed light, the photocurrent will reach a steady-state value after a period of time. When the light suddenly disappears, the photocurrent will not be zero immediately. This shows that the photoresistor has time-delay characteristics. Because different materials have different time delay characteristics of photoresistors, their frequency characteristics are also different. Figure 2.6.5 shows the relationship between the relative sensitivity Kr and the light intensity change frequency f. It can be seen that the use frequency of lead sulfide is much higher than that of thallium sulfide. However, most photoresistors have large time delays, so they cannot be used in situations where fast response is required. This is a defect of photoresistors. (6) Temperature characteristicsLike other semiconductor devices, the photoresistor is greatly affected by temperature. When the temperature increases, its dark resistance will decrease. Changes in temperature also have a great influence on spectral characteristics. Figure 2.6.6 is the spectral temperature characteristic curve of the lead sulfide photoresistor. It can be seen from the figure that its peak value moves to the short wavelength direction as the temperature rises. Therefore, in order to improve the sensitivity, or in order to receive far-infrared light, cooling measures are taken.Figure12. Temperature CharacteristicsSpectral Temperature Characteristics of Lead Sulfide Photoresistor A commonly used photoresistor is a cadmium sulfide photoresistor, which is made of semiconductor material. The resistance of the photoresistor changes with the intensity of the incident light (visible light). Under dark conditions, its resistance (dark resistance) can reach 1~10MΩ; under strong light conditions (100LX), its resistance (Bright resistance) Only a few hundred to thousands of ohms. The sensitivity of the photoresistor to light (the spectral characteristics) is very close to the human eye's response to visible light (0.4~0.76) μm. As long as the human eye can sense the light, it will cause its resistance to change. Therefore, when designing the light control circuit, the incandescent bulb (small electric bead) light or natural light is used as the control light source, which greatly simplifies the design.Figure13. Photoresistor Characteristic CurveThe corresponding resistance change of the photoresistor with the intensity of the incident light is not linear, so it cannot be used for the linear conversion of the photoelectricity. This is where the user should pay attention. Beginners can purchase a photoresistor (MG45 type), at night a 60~100W incandescent lamp, use a multimeter to directly measure the resistance of the photoresistor. When measuring, the photoresistor should be aimed at the light of the incandescent lamp, and then gradually distance from the lamp (from near to far), observe the change of the resistance value indicated by the multimeter, and the special characteristics of the photoresistor can be visually verified.Commonly used photoresistor models are sealed MG41, MG42, MG43 and unsealed MG45 (cheap price). Their rated power is below 200mW.VII How to Use a Photoresistor with Arduino?7.1 LED Control with Photoresistor and ArduinoLED Control with LDR (Photoresistor) and Arduino7.2 How to Measure Light Intensity Using a Photoresistor (Arduino)In the data collection of modern smart home systems, the measurement of light intensity is highly necessary. For example, indoor IoT lighting can be automatically adjusted according to the intensity of the light to provide users with the most comfortable environment. The tutorial here will use a photoresistor to cooperate with Arduino to complete the light data collection.(1) MaterialsArduino UNO development boardBreadboardPhotoresistor1K-10K resistance(2)Wiring method Figure14. Wiring MethodThe resistance of photosensitive resistors is very high in the condition of no light. The stronger the light, the smaller the resistance. By measuring the voltage variation on both sides of the photosensitive resistance, the variation of the photosensitive resistance can be known and the light intensity can be obtained. In the connection diagram, we find that a partial voltage resistor is connected in series for the photosensitive resistor.Figure15. CircuitIn the above figure, RL is a photoresistor, R1 is a series resistor, Vout=RLR1+RL∗Vin, in the dark, the resistance of RL will be very large, so Vout is also very large, close to 5V. Once the light is irradiated, the value of RL will decrease rapidly, so Vout will decrease accordingly. It can be seen from the above formula that R1 should not be too small, preferably around 1k~10k, otherwise the ratio will not change significantly. (3) CodeThe code part is very simple, just read the analog value of the interface connected to the photoresistor.1 light = analogRead(0);Open the serial monitor of Arduino, illuminate the photoresistor with the flashlight of the mobile phone, and observe the result:2 Serial.println("lignt :");3 Serial.println(light);7.3 Use Experiment of Arduino Photoresistor(1) MaterialsArduino UNO x1Photoresistor x1resistance 10K, 4.7K, 1K x several (or need one, but you can test the difference between different resistance values and data)(2)Wiring method Figure16. Wiring Method(3)Program#define AD5 A5 //Define analog port A5#define LED 13 //Define digital port 13 int Intensity = 0;//Illuminance value void setup() //Program initialization{   pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);//Set LED to output mode   Serial.begin(9600);//Set baud rate 9600} void loop() // Program body loop{   Intensity = analogRead(AD5); //Read the value of analog port AD5 and save it in the Intensity variable   Serial.print("Intensity = "); //Serial output "Intensity = "   Serial.println(Intensity); //The serial port outputs the value of the Intensity variable and wraps   delay(500); //Delay 500ms}(4) Power on, view serial dataTest Results:Figure17. Test ResultsThe above data is the change of the value with the flashlight and no light.(5) SummaryThe positive and negative poles are reversed and the values are reversed. The larger the resistance value, the larger the change range. Using 5V, the range is larger than 3.3V.Recommended Reading: Arduino&mBlock light sensorVIII How to Use Multimeter to Detect the Quality of Photoresistor?Measure the dark resistance: Use a black piece of paper to cover the light-transmitting window of the photoresistor. At this time, the pointer of the multimeter remains basically unchanged, and the resistance value is close to infinity. The larger the value, the better the performance of the photoresistor. If this value is very small or close to zero, it means that the photoresistor has been burnt through and damaged and can no longer be used.Measure the bright resistance value: Point a light source to the light-transmitting window of the photoresistor. At this time, the pointer of the multimeter should have a large amplitude swing, and the resistance value is significantly reduced. The smaller the value, the better the photoresistor performance. If this value is large or even infinite, it indicates that the internal open circuit of the photoresistor is damaged and can no longer be used.Test intermittent light response: Align the light-transmitting window of the photoresistor with the incident light, and use a small piece of black paper to shake the upper part of the light-shielding window of the photoresistor to make it receive light intermittently. At this time, the pointer of the multimeter should swing left and right with the black paper. If the pointer of the multimeter always stops at a certain position and does not swing with the shaking of the paper, it means that the photosensitive material of the photoresistor has been damaged.IX A Quiz about the PhotoresistorPhotoresistors, potentiometers, and thermistors are all ________.A. OutputsB. Digital inputsC. Analog inputsD. ThroughputsAnswer: CFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat is the difference between a photoresistor and a photodiode?A photoresistor is a passive component that changes resistance based on light intensity, making it slower but easier to use. A photodiode is an active semiconductor with a P-N junction that converts light into current, offering much faster response times for high-speed applications.Is a photoresistor an analog or digital component?A photoresistor is fundamentally an analog component. Its resistance changes continuously in response to varying light levels. However, when paired with a microcontroller like an Arduino and a voltage divider, its analog signal can be easily converted into digital data.What are the main types of photoresistors?Photoresistors are primarily categorized into intrinsic and extrinsic types. Intrinsic photoresistors use pure semiconductors like silicon, while extrinsic types use doped materials to detect longer wavelengths, such as infrared light, making them ideal for specialized sensors.How is a photoresistor used in smart home circuits?In modern IoT and smart home systems, photoresistors act as ambient light sensors. They automatically trigger actions like turning on outdoor security lights, adjusting indoor smart bulb brightness, or activating motorized blinds when sunlight reaches a specific threshold.{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph":[ { "@type": "Article", "headline": "Photoresistor Basics: Working Principle, Types, and Arduino Tutorial", "datePublished": "2020-06-19T00:00:00Z", "dateModified": "2026-03-14T15:57:00+08:00", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "ApogeeWeb" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "ApogeeWeb" } }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity":[ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the difference between a photoresistor and a photodiode?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A photoresistor is a passive component that changes resistance based on light intensity, making it slower but easier to use. A photodiode is an active semiconductor with a P-N junction that converts light into current, offering much faster response times for high-speed applications." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is a photoresistor an analog or digital component?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A photoresistor is fundamentally an analog component. Its resistance changes continuously in response to varying light levels. However, when paired with a microcontroller like an Arduino and a voltage divider, its analog signal can be easily converted into digital data." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What are the main types of photoresistors?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Photoresistors are primarily categorized into intrinsic and extrinsic types. Intrinsic photoresistors use pure semiconductors like silicon, while extrinsic types use doped materials to detect longer wavelengths, such as infrared light, making them ideal for specialized sensors." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How is a photoresistor used in smart home circuits?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "In modern IoT and smart home systems, photoresistors act as ambient light sensors. They automatically trigger actions like turning on outdoor security lights, adjusting indoor smart bulb brightness, or activating motorized blinds when sunlight reaches a specific threshold." } } ] }, { "@type": "HowTo", "name": "How to Use Multimeter to Detect the Quality of Photoresistor", "step":[ { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Measure the dark resistance", "text": "Use a black piece of paper to cover the light-transmitting window of the photoresistor. At this time, the pointer of the multimeter remains basically unchanged, and the resistance value is close to infinity. The larger the value, the better the performance of the photoresistor. If this value is very small or close to zero, it means that the photoresistor has been burnt through and damaged and can no longer be used." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Measure the bright resistance value", "text": "Point a light source to the light-transmitting window of the photoresistor. At this time, the pointer of the multimeter should have a large amplitude swing, and the resistance value is significantly reduced. The smaller the value, the better the photoresistor performance. If this value is large or even infinite, it indicates that the internal open circuit of the photoresistor is damaged and can no longer be used." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "name": "Test intermittent light response", "text": "Align the light-transmitting window of the photoresistor with the incident light, and use a small piece of black paper to shake the upper part of the light-shielding window of the photoresistor to make it receive light intermittently. At this time, the pointer of the multimeter should swing left and right with the black paper. If the pointer of the multimeter always stops at a certain position and does not swing with the shaking of the paper, it means that the photosensitive material of the photoresistor has been damaged." } ] } ]}

I IntroductionA capacitor is an electronic component composed of an insulator between two conductors, like a sandwich. We can understand it as a container that holds the electric charge. In actual capacitors, two conductors are filled with an insulating dielectric. There are numerous types of dielectrics, so the types of capacitors formed are also different. For example, according to dielectric materials, capacitors can be divided into gas dielectric capacitors, liquid dielectric capacitors, inorganic solid dielectric capacitors, and organic solid dielectric capacitors; according to polarity, they can be divided into polarized capacitors and non-polarized capacitors. This article will introduce the various types of capacitors in detail and some additional basic knowledge of them, mainly explaining from the perspective of the manufacturing process and structure.Capacitors: types, use and testing. CatalogI IntroductionII The Basic Principle of CapacitorsIII Film Capacitor  3.1 Metal Foil Film Capacitor  3.2 Metallized Film CapacitorIV Electrolytic Capacitor  4.1 Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors  4.2 Tantalum Electrolytic Capacitors  4.3 Niobium Electrolytic CapacitorsV Ceramic Capacitor  5.1 Ceramic Disc Capacitor  5.2 Multi-layer Ceramic Capacitor  5.3 Monolithic Capacitors  5.4 Classification of Ceramic MediaVI SupercapacitorVII Fixed, Trimmer and Variable Capacitors  7.1 Mica Capacitor  7.2 Paper Capacitor  7.3 Trimmer Capacitor  7.4 Variable CapacitorVIII Comparison of Polarized Capacitors and Non-polarized Capacitors  8.1 Medium  8.2 Performance  8.3 Capacity  8.4 Structure  8.5 Application Environments and UseIX Axial and Radial Leaded CapacitorsX A Quiz About Capacitor TypesⅪ FAQII The Basic Principle of CapacitorsCapacitors, along with inductors and resistors, are the three basic passive devices in electronics. The function of the capacitor is to store electrical energy in the form of electric field energy.Taking the parallel plate capacitor as an example, we briefly introduce the basic principle of capacitance.Figure1. Parallel Plate CapacitorAs shown in the figure above, a DC voltage is applied to two metal plates that are close to each other and are parallel to each other (the dielectric between the plates). After stabilization, the metal plate connected to the positive electrode of the voltage will exhibit a certain amount of positive charge, while the metal plate connected to the negative electrode of the voltage will exhibit an equal amount of negative charge. In this way, an electrostatic field is formed between the two metal plates, so the capacitor stores electrical energy in the form of electric field energy, and the stored charge is Q. The amount of charge stored in the capacitor Q is related to the voltage U and its own property (that is, the capacitance value C), that is, Q=U*C. According to the theoretical derivation, the capacitance formula of the parallel plate capacitor is as follows:In this formula:C is the capacitance value, the unit is F (Farad)ε is the dielectric constant of the medium, F/mS is the area of the metal flat plate, m²d is the distance between metal plates, mThe ideal capacitor contains a dielectric, and there is no free charge, so it is impossible to produce charge movement, which is the current.  How does the ideal capacitor pass AC power? AC PowerVoltage can form an electric field inside the capacitor, and alternating voltage will produce an alternating electric field. According to the law of full current in Maxwell's equations:This means that either a current or a changing electric field can generate a magnetic field. Maxwell defines ε(∂E/∂t) as a displacement current, which is an equivalent current and represents the change of the electric field. (The current here represents the current density, or J)Let the AC voltage change sinusoidally, ie:The actual displacement current is equal to the current density times the area:Therefore, the capacitive reactance of the capacitor is 1/ωC. When the frequency is high, the capacitive reactance will be very small, which means passing the high frequency. DC BlockingThe DC voltage does not change with time, the displacement current ε(∂E/∂t) is 0, and the DC component cannot pass through.The characteristics of actual capacitors are non-ideal and have some parasitic effects; therefore, a more complicated model is needed to represent the actual capacitors. The commonly used equivalent model is as follow:Figure2. Equivalent ModelSince the medium is not absolutely insulated, there is a certain conductivity; therefore, any capacitor has a leakage current, expressed by the equivalent resistance Rleak;The conductors and electrodes of the capacitor have a certain resistivity, and there is a certain dielectric loss of the dielectric; these losses are uniformly expressed as the equivalent series resistance ESR;There is a certain inductance in the conductor of the capacitor, which has a greater impact at high frequencies, expressed as the equivalent series inductance ESL;In addition, there is a certain hysteresis in any medium, that is, after the capacitor is quickly discharged, the voltage is suddenly disconnected, and the capacitor will recover part of the charge, which is represented by a series RC circuit（Related post: LC circuit）.Most of the time, the main concern is the ESR and ESL of the capacitor. Quality FactorAs with inductors, the quality factor of the capacitor can be defined, which is the Q value, which is the ratio of the stored power of the capacitor to the power loss:Qc=(1/ωC)/ESRThe Q value is a relatively important parameter for high-frequency capacitance. Self-Resonance FrequencyBecause of the existence of ESL, a resonant circuit is formed together with C, and its resonant frequency is the self-resonant frequency of the capacitor. Before the self-resonant frequency, the impedance of the capacitor becomes smaller as the frequency increases; after the self-resonant frequency, the impedance of the capacitor becomes smaller as the frequency increases, which is inductive. As shown in the following figure:Figure3. Self-Resonance FrequencyAccording to the capacitance formula, in addition to the size of the capacitor, the size of the capacitance is related to the Permittivity of the dielectric. The performance of the dielectric affects that of the capacitor, and different media are suitable for different manufacturing processes.Capacitors can be divided into three main categories according to the manufacturing process: Film Capacitor Electrolytic Capacitor Ceramic CapacitorIII Film CapacitorFilm capacitors are made by winding two plastic films with metal electrodes into a cylindrical shape, and finally encapsulated; because its medium is usually plastic material, also known as plastic film capacitors. Its internal structure is rough as shown in the following figure:Figure4. The Structure of Film CapacitorFilm capacitors can be divided into two categories according to the manufacturing process of their electrodes:3.1 Metal Foil Film Capacitor For metal foil film capacitors, a thin metal foil, usually aluminum foil, is directly added to the plastic film as an electrode. This process is relatively simple, the electrode is easy to lead out, and can be applied to large current occasions.3.2 Metallized Film CapacitorMetalized film capacitors form a thin metal surface directly on the surface of the plastic film by vacuum deposition process as an electrode. Because the thickness of the electrode is very thin, it can be wound into a capacitor with a larger capacity. However, due to the thickness of the electrode, it is only suitable for small current applications.Figure5. Metallized Film ConstructionThe metalized film capacitor has the function of self-repair, that is, if there is a breakdown point inside the capacitor, an avalanche effect will occur at the damaged place, and the vaporized metal will form a vaporized assembly surface at the damaged place, the short circuit disappears, and the damaged point is repaired. Therefore, the reliability of the metalized thin film capacitor is very high, and will not fail due to a short circuit. There are two winding methods for film capacitors:Inductive winding method Before winding, the lead has been connected with the internal electrode.After the non-inductive winding method, gold plating and other processes are used to connect the internal electrodes of the two end surfaces into one surface, so that a smaller ESL can be obtained, and the high frequency performance should be higher.In addition, there is a laminated type non-inductive capacitor, the structure is similar to MLCC, the performance is better, and it is easy to make SMD package.Figure6. Winding MethodsThe characteristic of the film capacitor is that it can achieve large capacity and high withstand voltage. However, due to process reasons, its size is difficult to be small, and it is usually used in strong electric circuits, such as the power electronics industry.Figure7. Winding MethodsIV Electrolytic CapacitorElectrolytic capacitors use metal as an anode, and form a metal oxide film on the surface as a medium, and then wet or solid electrolyte and metal as a cathode. Electrolytic capacitors are mostly polarized. If the metal on the cathode side also has an oxide film, it is a non-polarized electrolytic capacitor.Depending on the metal used, there are three types of electrolytic capacitors:4.1 Aluminum Electrolytic CapacitorsAluminum electrolytic capacitors should be the most widely used electrolytic capacitors and the cheapest. Its basic structure is shown in the following figure:Figure8. The Structure of Aluminum Electrolytic CapacitorThe manufacturing process of aluminum electrolytic capacitors is roughly as follows:First, the aluminum foil will form a very rough surface by electroetching process, which increases the surface area of the electrode and can increase the capacitance;The anode is oxidized by a chemical method to form an oxide layer as a medium;Then, a layer of electrolytic paper is added between the anode aluminum foil and the cathode aluminum foil as a separator, and is pressed and wound;Finally, fill the electrolyte, the electrolytic paper will absorb the electrolyte, and the package is molded.Wet aluminum electrolytic capacitors using electrolyte are the most widely used, with the advantages of large capacitance, high rated voltage, and low cost. The disadvantages are also obvious, that is, shorter life, poor temperature characteristics, and larger ESR and ESL. For hardware development, it is necessary to avoid over-design. In the case of meeting performance requirements, cheap is the biggest advantage.Recommendation: How to Test Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors4.2 Tantalum Electrolytic CapacitorsThe most widely used tantalum electrolytic capacitor should use manganese dioxide as a solid electrolyte. The internal structure of the solid tantalum electrolytic capacitor is rough as shown in the figure below:Figure9. The Internal Structure of the Solid Tantalum Electrolytic CapacitorCompared with aluminum electrolytic capacitors, the dielectric constant of tantalum oxide (tantalum pentoxide) is much higher than that of aluminum oxide (aluminum oxide). With the same volume, the capacity of tantalum capacitors is larger than that of aluminum electrolytic capacitors. Tantalum capacitors have a longer life and more stable electrical performance.Figure10. The Internal Structure of the Solid Tantalum Electrolytic CapacitorTantalum capacitors also use conductive polymer as electrolyte, the structure is similar to the manganese dioxide tantalum capacitor in the above figure, which is to replace manganese dioxide with a conductive polymer. Conductive polymers have higher conductivity than manganese dioxide, so ESR will be lower. In addition, there are wet tantalum capacitors, which are characterized by super large capacity, high withstand voltage, and low DC leakage current, which is mainly used in military and aerospace fields.Figure11. Wet Tantalum Capacitors4.3 Niobium Electrolytic CapacitorsNiobium electrolytic capacitors are similar to tantalum electrolytic capacitors, in that niobium and its oxides replace tantalum. The dielectric constant of niobium oxide (niobium pentoxide) is higher than that of tantalum oxide (tantalum pentoxide). The performance of niobium capacitors is more stable and more reliable.V Ceramic CapacitorCeramic capacitors use ceramic materials as dielectric materials. There are many types of ceramic materials with different dielectric constants and stability, which are suitable for different occasions.Ceramic capacitors mainly include the following:5.1 Ceramic Disc CapacitorThe main advantage of the ceramic capacitor is that it can withstand high voltage, and it is usually used as a safety capacitor, which can withstand 250V AC voltage. Its appearance and structure are shown below:Figure12. The Structure of Ceramic Disc Capacitor5.2 Multi-layer Ceramic CapacitorMulti-layer ceramic capacitors, that is, MLCCs, chip multi-layer ceramic capacitors are currently the most widely used capacitor types in the world. Their standardized packaging and small size are suitable for automated high-density chip production.The internal structure of the multilayer ceramic capacitor is shown below:Figure13. Internal Structure of Chip Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor5.3 Monolithic CapacitorsBecause multilayer ceramics need to be sintered and porcelainized to form an integrated structure, the multilayer ceramic capacitors in lead packages are also called monolithic capacitors.The structure of monolithic capacitors is that several ceramic film blanks are covered with electrode paddle material, and after being laminated, they are wound into an inseparable whole at a time, and the outside is encapsulated with resin.Monolithic capacitors are a new type of capacitors with small volume, large capacity, high reliability and high-temperature resistance. Low-frequency monolithic capacitors with high dielectric constant also have stable performance and are actively small.5.4 Classification of Ceramic MediaAccording to EIA-198-1F-2002, ceramic media are mainly divided into four categories:Class I: Ceramic medium with temperature compensation characteristics, the dielectric constant is mostly low, not more than 200. It is usually a paraelectric medium. Under temperature, frequency and bias voltage, the dielectric constant is relatively stable and the change is small. The loss is also very low, the dissipation factor is less than 0.01.Figure14. Coding of Class 1 Capacitors According to EIA SpecificationThe most stable and most used is the C0G capacitor, or NP0. NP0 is the code name for the IEC/EN 60384-1 standard as Negative Positive Zero, using N and P for Positive and Negative deviations.Due to the low dielectric constant, the capacitance value of C0G capacitor is small and can be up to 0.1uF. The 0402 package usually has a maximum of 1000pF. Class II, III: Among them, the temperature characteristic A-S belongs to Class II, and the dielectric constant is about several thousand. The temperature characteristic T-V belongs to Class III, and the dielectric constant can be as high as 20000. It can be seen that the performance of Class III is more unstable. According to the classification of IEC, both Class II and III belong to the second category, high dielectric constant media. For example, X5R and X7R are Class II capacitors, which are widely used in power supply decoupling, while Y5V belongs to Class III capacitors, and their performance is not stable.Figure15. EIA Coding of Class 2 and 3 CapacitorsThe capacitance value of Class II and III capacitors can be up to several hundred uF, but due to the high dielectric constant medium, most of them are ferroelectric medium (Ferroelectric), and the temperature stability is poor. In addition, the dielectric constant of ferroelectric media will decrease under DC bias voltage. Class IV: The manufacturing process is different from the usual ceramic materials. The internal ceramic particles are all a thin oxide layer on the outside, and the core is a conductor. This type of capacitor has a large capacity but a small breakdown voltage. Due to the unstable performance and high loss of these capacitors, they have been basically eliminated.VI SupercapacitorSupercapacitor refers to a new type of energy storage device between a traditional capacitor and a rechargeable battery. There are two ways to store charge: EDLC and pseudocapacitance. It not only has the characteristics of rapid charge and discharge of the capacitor but also has the energy storage characteristics of the battery. The capacity of the supercapacitor is particularly large. It can replace the battery as a power supply device, and can also be used in conjunction with the battery. Supercapacitors charge fast, can be fully charged and discharged, and can be charged to any desired voltage, as long as the rated voltage is not exceeded. There are many applications of supercapacitors, for example, many cities in China have supercapacitor electric buses. There are also applications in some electronic products, such as some driving recorders, which can continue to supply power for several days.Figure16. SupercapacitorsVII Fixed, Trimmer and Variable CapacitorsA capacitor with a fixed capacitance is called a fixed capacitor. According to the different media can be divided into ceramics, mica, paper, film, electrolysis. Having described film capacitors, electrolytic capacitors, and ceramic capacitors, let's look at the other two types of fixed capacitors.  7.1 Mica CapacitorMica capacitors can be divided into foil type and silver type. Silver electroplating is very direct on mica sheets by vacuum evaporation or sintering method. Due to the elimination of the air gap, the temperature coefficient is greatly reduced and the capacitance stability is higher than foil type. Mica capacitors are widely used in high-frequency electrical appliances and can be used as standard capacitors. The glaze capacitor is made of a special mixture with a concentration suitable for spraying into a film. The medium is then sintered with a silver layer electrode to form a "monolithic" structure. Glass glaze capacitor is comparable to a mica capacitor in performance and can withstand various climates. It can generally work at 200℃ or higher, with rated working voltage up to 500 V and loss tan = 0.0005 ~ 0.008.Figure17. Silver Mica Capacitors7.2 Paper CapacitorPaper capacitors are widely used in radio and electronic equipment. Generally, two aluminum foils are used as electrodes, which are separated by overlapping winding of capacitor paper with a thickness of 0.008 ~ 0.012 mm. Simple manufacturing process, low price, can obtain a large capacitance, generally below 0.25 F, but the capacity error is large and difficult to control, good quality is ±10%, loss (tan ≤ 0.015), temperature and frequency characteristic stability is poor. The paper capacitors commonly used in the past are non-sealed, impregnated only with ground wax, paraffin wax and chlorinated diphenyl, etc., which are prone to aging and poor stability. They are easily affected by humidity, insulation resistance decreases after being affected by moisture, and atmospheric pressure also affects them. The paper capacitor whose core is sealed inside the metal or ceramic tube is of good quality and has little influence on the external climatic conditions. It can be normally used in the situation with the relative humidity up to 95 ~ 98 %. The electrode of metalized paper capacitor uses vacuum evaporation to directly attach the metal to the capacitor paper, which is only about 1/4 of the volume of the ordinary paper capacitor. Its main feature is its "self-recovery" function, that is, it can be "self-healing" after a breakdown. It is an improved type of paper capacitor. Oil-immersed capacitors have a higher voltage than ordinary paper capacitors, good stability, suitable for high-voltage circuits.Paper capacitors are intermediate frequency capacitors, which are generally used in low-frequency circuits and usually cannot be used in frequencies higher than 3 ~ 4 MHz.Figure18. Paper Capacitor7.3 Trimmer CapacitorTrimmer capacitors, also called semi-variable capacitors, have a capacitance that can be adjusted within a small range and fixed to a certain capacitance value after adjustment.Ceramic trimmer capacitors are of high quality and small size, and can usually be divided into two types: round tube type and round chip type.Trimmer capacitors for mica and polystyrene media are usually of spring-loaded structure, which is simple in structure but less stable.The wire-wound porcelain trimmer capacitor is used to change the capacitance by removing the copper wire (external electrode), so the capacitance can only be reduced and is not suitable for repeated debugging.7.4 Variable CapacitorAs the name implies, a variable capacitor means that the capacitance value can vary over a large range and can be determined to a certain value. Variable capacitors are divided into two forms: film medium and air medium. It is commonly used in coupling and tuning circuits, such as double capacitors, ceramic capacitors and so on.VIII Comparison of Polarized Capacitors and Non-polarized Capacitors8.1 MediumWhat is the medium? To put it bluntly, is the substance between the two plates of the capacitor. Most polarized capacitors use an electrolyte as the dielectric material. Generally, capacitors of the same volume have large polar capacitance. In addition, different electrolytic materials and processes produce polarized capacitors of the same volume. Furthermore, pressure resistance is also closely related to the use of dielectric materials. There are likewise many non-polarized capacitor dielectric materials, most of which use metal oxide film and polyester. Because the reversible or irreversible performance of the medium determines the use environment of polarized and non-polarized capacitors.8.2 PerformancePerformance is the requirement for use, and maximum demand is the requirement for use. If the metal oxide film capacitor is used for filtering in the power supply part of the TV, the capacitor capacity and withstand voltage required by the filtering must be achieved. Maybe only a power supply can be installed in this case. Therefore, only polarized capacitors can be utilized for filtering, and these capacitors are irreversible. In other words, the positive electrode must be connected to the high potential end, and the negative electrode must be connected to the low potential end. Generally, the electrolytic capacitor is above 1 microfarad for coupling, decoupling, power supply filtering, etc. Non-polarized capacitors are mostly below 1 microfarad, participating in resonance, coupling, frequency selection, current limiting, etc. Of course, there are also large-capacity and high-pressure-resistant ones, which are mostly used for reactive power compensation of electric power, phase shifting of motors, and frequency shifting power supply. There are many types of non-polarized capacitors, so this article won’t go into detail.Figure19. Classification of Capacitors8.3 CapacityAs mentioned earlier, the electrical media of the same volume are different, so the capacity is not equal.8.4 StructureIn principle, any shape capacitors can be used in the environment without considering the tip discharge. The electrolytic capacitors (polarized capacitors) that are usually used are round, and the square ones are rarely utilized. The shape of non-polarized capacitors varies. Like tube shape, deformed rectangle, sheet shape, square shape,combined square shape and round shape, etc., see where it is used. Of course, there are invisible. Intangible here refers to distributed capacitance. The distributed capacitance must not be ignored in high-neck and intermediate-frequency devices.8.5 Application Environments and UseIn the repair of home appliances, all of the above may be found. If you want to understand in a simple way, you have to find out by yourself.Because of the relationship between its internal materials and construction, the capacity of polarized capacitors (such as aluminum electrolysis) can be very large, but its high-frequency characteristics are not good, so it is suitable for power supply filtering and other occasions, but there are also good high-frequency characteristics. Polarized capacitor-tantalum electrolysis, its price is relatively high; Non-polarized capacitors are small in size, low in price, and satisfactory in high-frequency characteristics, but they are not suitable for large capacity. Like ceramic capacitors, monolithic capacitors, and polyethylene (CBB) capacitors, ceramic capacitors are generally used in high-frequency filtering and oscillation circuits.Figure20. Axial and Radial Type ConstructionIX Axial and Radial Leaded CapacitorsOne method of packaging capacitors is the lead structure. 　　Axial capacitance refers to the capacitance of the two pole leads on the same axis. Generally, it is a non-inductive structure. It is made of metalized polyester film as the dielectric/electrode. The wire is tinned copper clad steel wire (or flexible wire), the outer layer is wrapped with polyester tape, and both ends are sealed with epoxy resin.Figure21. Axial Lead StructureAxial leads (the leads are on the same plane as the capacitor axis) are radial leads. The figure below shows an example of a radial lead. The lead is in the radial position of the capacitor. Critical dimensions are lead spacing "S", height "H", length "L" and thickness "P'. Because they are inserted on the printed circuit board rather than on the surface of the circuit board like surface mount components, axial And radial elements are collectively referred to as "plug-in elements".Figure22. Radial Lead StructureX A Quiz About Capacitor TypesQuestion:The capacitors which use chemical reactions to store charge are calledA.ceramic capacitorsB.fixed capacitorsC.parallel plate capacitorsD.electrolytic capacitorsAnswer:D Ⅺ FAQ1. How do you identify a capacitor?Ceramic types of capacitors generally have a 3-digit code printed onto their body to identify their capacitance value in pico-farads. Generally, the first two digits indicate the value of the capacitor and the third digit indicates the number of zero's to be added. 2. What are the 2 types of capacitors?Capacitors are divided into two mechanical groups: Fixed capacitors with fixed capacitance values and variable capacitors with variable (trimmer) or adjustable (tunable) capacitance values. The most important group is the fixed capacitors. Many got their names from the dielectric. 3. Can a 440v capacitor be used for a 230v application?The 440 volts listed on the cap is the maximum allowable voltage the capacitor can handle. You could actually use a 370-volt cap on 230 volts. ... Capacitor is connected in series with the auxiliary winding of the motor. Since winding is inductive, the voltage across the capacitor is much higher than the supply voltage. 4. What side of the capacitor is positive?Electrolytic capacitors have positive and negative sides. To tell which side is which, look for a large stripe or a minus sign (or both) on one side of the capacitor. The lead closest to that stripe or minus sign is the negative lead, and the other lead (which is unlabeled) is the positive lead. 5. What does 50 uF mean on a capacitor?It's a symbol that means micro so 50 μF means 50 microfarads or 000050 Farads. The farad is such a large unit that the microfarad is the practical unit for capacitance. 6. What are capacitors in parallel called?When capacitors are connected in parallel, the total capacitance is the sum of the individual capacitors' capacitances. If two or more capacitors are connected in parallel, the overall effect is that of a single equivalent capacitor having the sum total of the plate areas of the individual capacitors. 7. Are AC and DC capacitors interchangeable?You can use AC caps on DC. AC caps have a much higher DC rating. All capacitors have microscopic air bubbles between the foil layers. DC is just a special case where the polarity of the voltage does not change, so you can use AC capacitors - as is - in a DC application. 8. Which type of capacitor is polarized?The only type of capacitor that is polarized (works differently depending on which way the current is flowing) is the electrolytic capacitor. Electrolytic capacitors have higher capacitance, but for most purposes, the non-polarized capacitor is preferred. 9. What is the main function of the capacitor?A capacitor is an electronic component that stores and releases electricity in a circuit. It also passes alternating current without passing direct current. A capacitor is an indispensable part of electronic equipment and is thus almost invariably used in an electronic circuit. 10. What happens if you use the wrong size capacitor?If the wrong run capacitor is installed, the motor will not have an even magnetic field. This will cause the rotor to hesitate at those spots that are uneven. This hesitation will cause the motor to become noisy, increase energy consumption, cause performance to drop, and cause the motor to overheat. 

Ⅰ IntroductionAs for operational amplifier applications, in electronic circuit, it is usually combined with a feedback network to form a certain functional module, with a special coupling circuit and feedback. Its output signal can be input signal addition, subtraction or differentiation, integration, etc, which early used in analog computers to do mathematical operations. Now they widely used in the electronics industry, regarded as precision AC and DC amplifiers, active filters, oscillators and voltage comparators.This Video is Introducing Operational Amplifier Applications in the CircuitCatalogⅠ Introduction1.1 Integrated Op AmpⅡ Op-amp ParametersⅢ Application MattersⅣ Classic Amplifier CircuitsⅤ One Question Related Op Amp and Going Further5.1 Question5.2 Answer1.1 Integrated Op Amp1.1.1 Evaluation AnalysisIntegrated operational amplifiers are one of the most widely used devices in analog integrated circuits. In various systems, because of different application requirements, the performance requirements of operational amplifiers are also different.Where there are no special requirements, try to use a universal integrated operational amplifier as much as possible, which can reduce costs and easily replace. When using multiple op amps in a system, use as many op amp integrated circuits as possible. For example, LM324 and LF347 always integrate four op amps together in a circuit.The evaluation of integrated op amps depends on their overall performance. Generally, the merit coefficient K is used to measure the excellent degree of integrated operational amplifiers, which is defined as: where SR is the slew rate and the unit is V / ms. The larger the value, the better the AC characteristics of the operational amplifier; The input bias current of the amplifier is lib, the unit is nA; VOS is the input offset voltage in mV. The smaller the Iib and VOS values, the better the DC characteristics of the op amp. Therefore, for circuits that amplify AC signals such as audio and video, op amps with large SR are better; for circuits that handle weak DC signals, op amps with high accuracy are more suitable (both offset current, offset voltage and temperature drift are relatively small).When selecting an integrated op amp, some factors should be considered in addition to the figure of merit coefficient K. For example, the signal source is a voltage source or a current source; the nature of the load, and whether the output voltage and current of the integrated op amp meet the requirements; operating voltage range, power consumption, and volume of the integrated op amp.Figure 1. Using Operational Amplifier as a Comparator1.1.2 Integrated Op Amp Basics Power supplyThe integrated op amp has two power terminals + VCC and -VEE, with different power supply methods. For different power supply modes, the requirements for input signals are different.1) Dual power supplyOp amps are mostly powered in this way. The positive power (+ E) and negative power (-E) relative to the common terminal (ground) are connected to the + VCC and -VEE pins of the op amp, respectively. In this way, the signal source can be directly connected to the input pin of the op amp, and the amplitude of the output voltage can make the positive and the negative symmetrical.2) Single power supplySingle-supply operation connects the -VEE pin of the op amp to ground. At this time, in order to ensure that the internal unit circuit of the operational amplifier has a suitable static operating point, a DC potential must be added to the input end of the op amp. Zero settingDue to the influence of the input offset voltage and input offset current of the integrated op amp, when the input signal is zero, the output is often not equal to zero. In order to improve the operation accuracy of the circuit, it is required to compensate the error caused by the offset voltage and the offset current. This is the zero setting of the operational amplifier. Commonly used zeroing methods include internal zeroing and external zeroing. For integrated op amps without internal zeroing terminals, external zeroing methods should be used. Self oscillationThe operational amplifier is a high-amplitude multi-stage amplifier. Under the condition of deep negative feedback, it is easy to cause self-excited oscillation. To make the amplifier work stably, a certain frequency compensation network must be added to eliminate the self oscillation. In addition, to prevent low-frequency oscillation or high-frequency oscillation caused by the internal resistance of the power supply, an electrolytic capacitor (10mF) and a high-frequency filter capacitor (0.01 mF ~ 0.1mF) should be connected. Device protectionThere are three aspects to the protection of the integrated op amp safety: power protection, input protection and output protection.1) Power protectionCommon faults of power supply are reverse polarity and voltage jump. For a power supply with poor performance, voltage overshoot often occurs at the moment when the power is turned on and off. Protection measures such as the use of FET current source and voltage regulator clamping protection. The voltage regulator’s voltage value is greater than the normal operating voltage of the integrated op amp and less than the maximum allowable operating voltage of the integrated op amp, and the current of the FET tube should be greater than the normal operating current of integrated op amp.2) Input protectionIf the input differential/common mode voltage of the integrated op amp is too high beyond the limit parameter range of the integrated op amp, it will be damaged.3) Output protectionWhen the integrated op amp is overloaded or the output is shorted, the op amp will be damaged if there is no protection circuit. However, some integrated op amps have internal current limit protection or short circuit protection, and no additional output protection is required to use these devices.Figure 2. An Inverting Op Amp CircuitⅡ Op-amp ParametersTo use the op amp better in the circuit, you must have a certain understanding of its internal parameters. Here are the technical parameters closely related to the op amp: Unity-gain bandwidth Definition: Under the condition that the closed-loop gain of the op amp is 1 time, a constant amplitude sinusoidal small signal is input to the input end of the op amp, and the closed-loop voltage gain measured from the output end of the op amp is reduced by 3dB (or equivalent to 0.707 times of the input signal of the op amp), that is to say, the frequency at which the output signal is reduced by -3dB is unity-gain bandwidth. It is a very important indicator. For a sinusoidal small signal amplification, the unity-gain bandwidth is equal to the product of the input signal frequency and the maximum gain at that frequency. In other words, when you know the frequency and gain of the signal to be processed, the unity-gain bandwidth (gain bandwidth = amplification * signal frequency) can be calculated to select the appropriate op amp. The higher the bandwidth, the higher the frequency of the signal that can be processed, and the better the high frequency characteristics, otherwise the signal will be easily distorted.    For small signals, the unity-gain bandwidth is also called the gain-bandwidth product, which can roughly show the ability of the op amp to process the frequency of the signal. For example, the gain bandwidth of a certain operational amplifier is 1MHz, if the actual closed-loop gain is 100, then the maximum frequency for theoretical processing of small signals is 1MHz / 100 = 10KHz.For the bandwidth of a large signal, that is, the power bandwidth, the influence of the slew rate SR is the major factor, and the unit is V/uS. In this case, the power bandwidth calculated by FPBW = SR / 2πVp-p, that is, the gain bandwidth and power bandwidth must be satisfied at the same time when designing the circuit.For DC signals, bandwidth issues are generally not considered, and accuracy and interference are mainly considered.When the amplification factor of an amplifier is n times, it does not mean that all input signals are amplified n times. When the signal frequency increases, the amplification capability decreases. Open bandwidthThe open-loop bandwidth is defined as: inputting a constant-amplitude sinusoidal small signal to the input of the op amp, the frequency measured at which the open-loop voltage gain decrease 3dB from the output of the op amp to the dc gain of the op amp. This is used for very small signal processing. Slew rate SRWith the op amp connected in a closed loop, a large signal (including a step signal) is input to the input of the op amp, and the output rise rate of the op amp is measured from the output of the op amp called SR. Because the input stage of the op amp is switched during the conversion, the feedback loop of the op amp does not work, that is, the conversion rate is independent of the closed-loop gain. The slew rate is a very important index for large signal processing. For general op amps, the slew rate SR <= 10V / μs, and the slew rate of high speed op amps is SR> 10V / μs. The highest conversion rate SR of current high-speed op amps reaches 6000V / μs. The larger the SR, the better the response of the op amp to the input signal changing at high speed. The larger the signal amplitude, the higher the frequency, and the greater the SR. This is used for op amp selection in large signal processing. Full-power bandwidthAt the rated load, under the condition that the closed-loop gain of the op amp is 1 time, a constant-amplitude sinusoidal large signal is input to the input end of the op amp, so that the output frequency of the op amp reaches the maximum (allowing certain distortion) signal. This frequency is limited by the slew rate SR of the op amp. Approximately, full power bandwidth is calculated by formula SR / 2πVop (Vop is the peak output amplitude of the op amp). It is a very important indicator for op amp selection in large signal processing. Setting timeAt the rated load, under the condition that the closed-loop gain of the op amp is 1 time, the time required to input a step large signal to the input of the op amp to increase the output from 0 to a given value. Because it is a step large signal input, a certain jitter will occur after the output signal reaches a given value. This jitter time is called the stabilization time. At this moment, stabilization time + rise time = settling time. For different output accuracy, there is a big difference in the stabilization time. The higher the accuracy, the longer the stabilization time. Equivalent input noise voltageIt refers to any AC random interference voltage generated at the output of an op amp with good shielding and no signal input. When this noise voltage is converted to the input of the op amp, it is called the input noise voltage of the op amp (sometimes expressed by noise current). For broadband noise, the effective value of the input noise voltage of ordinary op amps is about 10 ~ 20μV. This value often corresponds to a certain frequency band. Output impedanceIt refers to the ratio of the change in voltage to the corresponding change in current when the signal voltage is applied to the output of the op amp working in the linear region. At low frequencies it only refers to the output resistance of the op amp. Common mode input resistenceRefers to the ratio of the change in the input voltage of the common mode to the corresponding change in the input current when the two inputs of the op amp input the same signal. At low frequencies, it behaves as a common mode resistance. Generally, the common mode input impedance of the op amp is much higher than the differential mode input impedance, with a typical value above 108Ω. Common mode rejection ratioSame as the definition in the differential amplifier circuit, it is the ratio of the differential mode voltage gain to the common mode voltage gain, which is usually expressed in decibels. It is a parameter that measures the degree of symmetry of the input stage differential amplifier and the ability of the integrated op amp to suppress common mode interference signals. The larger the value, the better. Power supply rejection ratioThe power supply voltage rejection ratio is defined as the change ratio of the input offset voltage of the op amp with the power supply voltage in the linear region. The power supply voltage rejection ratio reflects the effect of power supply changes on the output of the op amp. At present, the power supply voltage suppression ratio is only about 80dB. Therefore, when used for DC signal or small signal processing for analog amplification, the power supply of the op amp needs to be carefully set. Of course, an op amp with a high common mode rejection ratio can compensate a part of the power supply voltage rejection ratio. In addition, when using dual power supplies, the power supply voltage rejection ratio of the positive and negative power supplies may be different. Differential mode input resistanceRefers to the ratio of the change in voltage at the two input terminals to the corresponding change in current at the input terminals when the op amp is operating in the linear region. The differential mode input impedance includes the input resistance and input capacitance, and refers only to the input resistance at low frequencies. General products specification only give input resistance. The input resistance of the op amp using the bipolar transistor as the input stage is not greater than 10MΩ; the input resistance of the op amp as the input stage of the field effect transistor is generally greater than 109Ω. Input offset voltageWhen the input voltage is zero, the output voltage is divided by the voltage gain, plus the negative sign, which is the offset voltage converted to the input. It is the compensation voltage applied at the input when the output voltage is zero. The input offset voltage actually reflects the circuit symmetry inside the op amp. The better the symmetry, the smaller the input offset voltage. The input offset voltage is a very important indicator of the op amp, especially when it is a precision op amp or used for DC amplification.The input offset voltage has a certain relationship with the manufacturing process. It is between ± 1 and 10 mV when op amps use the bipolar process (that is, the standard silicon process). If the field effect tube is used as the input stage, it will be greater. For precision op amps, it is generally below 1mV. The smaller the input offset voltage, the smaller the intermediate zero offset during DC amplification, and the easier it is to handle. Therefore, it is an extremely important index for precision op amps. Input offset voltage driftWithin the specified operating temperature range, it is the ratio of the change in input offset voltage with temperature to the change in temperature. It is actually a supplement to the input offset voltage, which is convenient for calculating the drift of the amplifier circuit due to temperature changes within a given operating range. It is an important indicator for measuring the temperature effect to the op amp. Under normal circumstances, it is about (10 ~ 30) uV / C (degree Celsius), the high quality can be <0.5uV / C. Input offset currentIt is defined as the difference between the base current of the differential pair of the differential input stage when the output DC voltage of the op amp is zero. Used to characterize the degree of asymmetry of the differential input current. The better the symmetry, the smaller the input offset current. Input offset current is a very important indicator for op amps, especially for precision operational amplifier or DC amplifier. The input offset current is approximately one to one-tenth of the input bias current. It has an important impact on small signal precision amplification or DC amplification, especially when a large resistor is used outside the op amp. The effect of input offset current may exceed the effect of input offset voltage on accuracy. The smaller the input offset current, the smaller the intermediate zero offset during DC amplification, and the easier it is to handle. Therefore, it is an extremely important index for precision op amps. Input offset current temperature driftWithin the specified operating temperature range, the ratio of the amount of change in input offset current with temperature to the amount of temperature change. It refers to the temperature coefficient of within the specified operating range, and is also an important indicator to measure the temperature effect on the op amp. It is usually about (1-50) nA / C, and the high quality is about several pA / C. This value is only given in the precision op amp parameters, and it needs attention when it is used for DC signal processing or small signal processing. Input bias current   It is defined as the average value of the bias currents of the two input terminals when the output DC voltage of the op amp is zero, in other words, it is the average current flowing into the input terminal when the operational amplifier is operating in the linear region. The input bias current has a greater impact on the places where input impedance is required, such as high-impedance signal amplification and integrator circuits. The input bias current has a certain relationship with the manufacturing process. If a field effect tube is used as the input stage, the input bias current generally lower than 1nA. It always used to measure the input current of the differential amplifier pair. Maximum differential mode input voltageIt is a voltage that the two input ends of the op amp can withstand. When it is exceeded, the reverse breakdown of the differential tube will occur. The NPN tube made by the plane process has a value of about 5V, and the Vidmax of the horizontal PNP tube can reach more than 30V. Maximum common mode input voltageIt an allowable range of common mode input voltage under normal operating conditions of the op amp. When the input differential pair saturates, the amplifier loses common mode rejection ability. In the case of interference, it is necessary to pay attention to this problem in the use of the circuit. Output peak to peak voltageWorking in the linear region, under the specified load, when the op amp is powered by the large power supply, it is the maximum voltage amplitude that the op amp can output. Except for low voltage op amps, the output peak-to-peak voltage of general op amps is greater than ± 10V, but less than the power supply voltage. This is due to the design of the output stage. The output stage of modern low-voltage op amps has been specially treated. The output peak-to-peak voltage is close to within 50mV of the power supply voltage, so it is called a full-scale output op amp, also known as a rail-to-raid op amp. It should be noted that the output peak-to-peak voltage of the op amp is related to the load, and the value is different for different loads; the positive and negative output voltage swings of the op amp are not necessarily the same. For practical applications, the closer the output peak-to-peak voltage is to the supply voltage, the easier the power supply design.Figure 3. Input Offset Voltage of an Op-ampⅢ Application Matters1) A single-supply op amp must be DC biased, otherwise it will not work properly. For the virtual ground design, in addition to the DC potential, it is necessary to pay attention to the voltage stabilization (it is best to use the reference voltage chip), and also to ensure low impedance AC decoupling, that is, low-frequency decoupling parallel to at least 10uF and high frequency decoupling under 0.1uF.2) The input of the non-inverting amplifier must be biased to ground as a DC path.3) Ordinary op amps cannot directly drive capacitive loads. If there is need, you must use capacitors for phase compensation or output series resistors and then connect the load.4) For the op amp input of the external interface, a TVS tube must be connected in parallel to the positive and negative input pins to prevent the op amp from reversing the polarity due to the too large input voltage signal, forming a parasitic false signal output.5) For amplifier circuits with a gain of more than 10 times, pay attention to controlling the bandwidth gain of the op amp to prevent the device from self oscillation.6) The output of the power amplifier needs to be protected by switching diodes to the power supply and ground, especially when inductive loads are connected.7) When using multiple op amps to process multiple signals, care must be taken to prevent the instantaneous changes in one of the signals from causing crosstalk to the other signal. Therefore, it is recommended not to use one op amp to process multiple signals.8) Most op amp chips are ESD sensitive devices, so pay more attention when using them.9) The pins of unused op amps (excess channels in multiple op amps) should not be left floating, and  grounded or connected to positive and negative power supplies. It is recommended to connect it as a follower (the output is connected to the reverse input) and the non-inverting input is connected to a potential between the power rails (the ground of the dual power system or any suitable point in the circuit). They can also used as buffer amplifiers and add them to a small impact location in the system.Figure 4. Op Amp 741Ⅳ Classic Amplifier CircuitsFigure 5. Inverting AmplifierFigure 5: The grounded non-inverting terminal of op amp is 0V. The inverting and non-inverting terminals are short-circuit, so the inverting end is also 0V. The input resistance of the inverting input terminal is very high, and it is virtual open. In other words, there is almost no current pass through. Therefore, the current flowing through each component in a series circuit is the same, that is, the current flowing through R1 and R2 are the same.Current flowing through R1: I1 = (Vi-V-)/R1Current flowing through R2: I2 = (V--Vout)/R2V- = V+ = 0, I1 = I2Solve the above algebraic equation to get Vout = (-R2/R1)*Vi, it is the input-output relationship of the inverting amplifier. Figure 6. Non-inverting AmplifierIn Figure 6, Vi and V- are virtual short, where Vi = V-. Because of the virtual open, there is no current flow through at the reverse input terminal, then R1=R2. If the current is I, which is obtained by Ohm's law: I = Vout/(R1+R2);Vi is equal to the partial voltage on R2, that is: Vi = I*R2.Virtual short: Vi = V-, R1=R2Ohm's law: I = Vout/(R1+R2), Vi = I*R2Where Vout=Vi*(R1+R2)/R2, represents the non-inverting amplifier. Figure 7. AdderFigure 7: Knowing from the Kirchhoff's law and virtual open theory, the sum of the current through R2 and R1 is equal to the R3, V- = V+ = 0 (short circuit), so (V1 – V-)/R1 + (V2 – V-)/R2 = (Vout – V-) /R3 can be transferred as V1/R1 + V2/R2= Vout/R3. If R1=R2=R3, then the formula becomes Vout=V1+V2, which is an adder. Figure 8. AdderIn Figure 8, because of the virtual open, no current flows through the non-inverting terminal, where V+ = V-, R1=R2, R4=R3, therefore, (V1 – V+)/R1 = (V+-V2)/R2, (Vout – V-)/R3 = V-/R4 can be simplified as V+ = (V1 + V2)/2 V- = Vout/2. So Vout = V1 + V2 is also an adder. Figure 9. SubtractorFigure 9 shows that the current through R1 is equal to the R2, and R4=R3, therefore, (V2– V+)/R1 = V+/R2, (V1 – V-)/R4 = (V--Vout)/R3. If R1=R2, then V+ = V2/2; if R3=R4, then V- = (Vout + V1)/2, because of V+ = V-, so Vout =V2-V1 is a subtractor. Figure 10. Integrator CircuitIn Figure 10, the input voltage at the inverting terminal is equal to the non-inverting terminal because of short circuit; the current through R1 is equal to the C1 because of virtual open. The current flowing through R1 and C1 are Ri=V1/R1, Ci=C*dUc/dt=-C*dVout/dt, respectively. So Vout=((-1/(R1*C1))∫V1dt, which is a integrator circuit. If V1 is a constant voltage U, then the above formula is transformed to Vout = -U*t/(R1*C1)t, then the Vout is a straight line that changes with time. Figure 11. Differential CircuitIn Figure 11, the current through capacitor C1 and resistor R2 is equal because of virtual open; V+ = V- because of short circuit, where Vout = -i * R2 = -(R2*C1)dV1/dt, which is a differential circuit. If V1 is a DC voltage, the output Vout corresponds to a pulse in the opposite direction to V1. Figure 12. Differential Amplifier CircuitFigure 12:Vx = V1……a, Vy = V2……bthen R1, R2, R3 can be regarded as a series, R1=R2=R3, the current I=(Vx-Vy)/R2……cwhere Vo1-Vo2=I*(R1+R2+R3) = (Vx-Vy)(R1+R2+R3)/R2 ……dIf R6=R7, then Vw = Vo2/2 ......e, similarly, if R4=R5, then Vout – Vu = Vu – Vo1, so Vu = (Vout+Vo1)/2 ……fdue to short circuit, Vu = Vw ……g, based on efg formulas, Vout = Vo2 – Vo1 ……hGet from dh, Vout = (Vy – Vx) (R1+R2+R3)/R2, where (R1+R2+R3)/R2 is a fixed value. This value determines the amplifier multiple of the difference (Vy-Vx), thus it is a differential amplifier circuit. Figure 13. Amplifier CircuitIt is a relatively common amplifier circuit. Many controllers accept 0~20mA or 4~20mA current from various measuring instruments. The circuit converts the current into voltage signal to become a digital signal by ADC. Figure 13 is such a typical circuit. As shown in Figure, 4~20mA current flows through the sampling 100Ω resistor R1, there will be a voltage difference of 0.4~2V on R1. Due to virtual open circuit, R3= R5 and R2=R4.Therefore: (V2-Vy)/R3 = Vy/R5 ……a  (V1-Vx)/R2= (Vx-Vout)/R4 ……bShort circuit: Vx = Vy ……cCurrent changes from 0~20mA, then V1 = V2 + (0.4~2) ……dPut cd formulas into b formula: (V2 +(0.4~2)-Vy)/R2 = (Vy-Vout)/R4 ……eIf R3=R2 , R4=R5, then e-a gets Vout =-(0.4~2)R4/R2 ……fIn Figure 13, R4/R2=22k/10k=2.2, then f formula Vout = -(0.88~4.4)V, that is to say, the current of 4~20mA is converted into a voltage range of -0.88~-4.4V. Current can be converted into voltage, and voltage can also be converted into current. Figure 14 is such a circuit. The negative feedback in the above figure does not directly feedback through the resistor, but the emitter junction of the transistor Q1 is connected in series. But it isn't a comparator. As long as it is an amplifying circuit, the law of short circuit and virtual open still conforms.Figure 14. Amplifier CircuitDue to virtual open, no current flows through the input of the op amp,Then (Vi – V1)/R2 = (V1 – V4)/R6 ……aSimilarly (V3 – V2)/R5 = V2/R4 ……bsince short circuit, V1 = V2 ……cIf R2=R6, R4=R5, then V3-V4=Vi can be obtained from abc.The above formula shows that the voltage across R7 is equal to the input voltage Vi, then the current through R7 is I=Vi/R7. If the load RL<100KΩ, the current through R1 and R7 are basically the same. Ⅴ One Question Related to Op Amp and Going Further5.1 QuestionWhat the Application of an Op Amp as a Phase Shifter?5.2 AnswerIn electronic circuit, op amp is used for direct coupling procedure and so DC voltage level at the emitter terminal increases from phase to phase. This rapidly increasing DC level is likely to shift the operating point of the upcoming stages. Thus to move down the increasing voltage swing, this phase shifter is applied.The phase shifter performs by adding a DC voltage level to the output of fall stage to pass the output to a ground level. Frequently Asked Questions about Operational Amplifier Applications1. Why is it called operational amplifier?It's called an “operational” amplifier because it performs a mathematical operation. The most obvious one is multiplication - it amplifies an input signal by a constant. ... But many different 'operations' can be performed by different circuit topologies. 2. What is inside an operational amplifier?Operations amplifiers — op-amps for short, are integrated circuits, constructed mostly out of transistors and resistors. These integrated circuits multiply an input signal to a larger output. You can use these components with voltage and current in both DC and AC circuits. 3. What are operational amplifiers used for?Op amps are used in a wide variety of applications in electronics. Some of the more common applications are: as a voltage follower, selective inversion circuit, a current-to-voltage converter, active rectifier, integrator, a whole wide variety of filters, and a voltage comparator. 4. What are linear applications of op amp?A linear amplifier like an op amp has many different applications. It has a high open loop gain, high input impedance and low output impedance. It has high common mode rejection ratio. Due to these favourable characteristics, it is used for different application. 5. How does an operational amplifier work?An operational amplifier, or op amp, generally comprises a differential-input stage with high input impedance, an intermediate-gain stage, and a push-pull output stage with a low output impedance (no greater than 100 Ω). ... That is, the output gets fed back to the inverting input through some impedance. 6. What do you mean by differential amplifier?A differential amplifier is a type of electronic amplifier that amplifies the difference between two input voltages but suppresses any voltage common to the two inputs. It is an analog circuit with two inputs and and one output in which the output is ideally proportional to the difference between the two voltages. 7. What are the non linear applications of op amp?Non-Linear Applications of Op AmpVoltage comparator.Two applications of comparator as window detector and zero crossing detector.Schmitt trigger circuit with the extension of regenerative comparator.Multivibrator circuits.Precision rectifier or super diode with the combination of op amp as voltage follower and a diode. 8. Why do we use differential amplifier?Differential amplifiers are used mainly to suppress noise. ... Noise is generated in the wires and cables, due to electromagnetic induction, etc., and it causes a difference in potential (i.e., noise) between the signal source ground and the circuit ground. 9. What does an operational amplifier do?An operational amplifier is an integrated circuit that can amplify weak electric signals. An operational amplifier has two input pins and one output pin. Its basic role is to amplify and output the voltage difference between the two input pins. 10. What is an ideal operational amplifier?Operational amplifier: The ideal op amp is an amplifier with infinite input impedance, infinite open-loop gain, zero output impedance, infinite bandwidth, and zero noise. It has positive and negative inputs which allow circuits that use feedback to achieve a wide range of functions.

I IntroductionThe light sensor is developed based on the photoelectric effect principle of semiconductors. It can be used to detect the intensity of ambient light, and it can also be used to detect the difference in light between different colored surfaces. Users can make projects that interact with light with it, such as smart dimming lights, a laser communication system or something more awesome.Light Sensor Using Arduino and LDR | Arduino Light SensorCatalogI IntroductionII Definition  2.1 What is a Sensor?  2.2 Definition of the Light SensorIII Spectrum and Photometric Physical Quantity  3.1 Spectrum  3.2 Photometric Physical Quantities  3.3 MID Display's Perception of Backlight Brightness Under Different IlluminationIV How the Light Sensor WorksV Types and Characteristics of Light Sensors  5.1 Photodiode Type  5.2 Photoresistor TypeVI Applications of Light Sensors  6.1 Types of Light Sensors in Application  6.2 Typical Applications  6.3 Practical Application CasesVII The Circuit Diagram of a Light Sensor  7.1 Model Introduction  7.2 Appearance and Size  7.3 Application  7.4 Functional Framework Diagram  7.5 Application CircuitVIII Programming Guide  8.1 mBlock Programming  8.2 Arduino Programming  8.3 SchematicIX A Related Question about Light Sensor  9.1 Question  9.2 AnswerⅩ FAQII Definition2.1 What is a Sensor?In a broad sense, a sensor is a sensor that converts a measurement into a signal that can be perceived or quantified. In a narrow sense, a device that senses the measurement and converts it into an output signal of the same or another nature according to a certain law. The sensor is generally composed of a sensor element, a conversion element, a measurement circuit, and an auxiliary power source. The sensor element and the conversion element may be combined into one, and some sensors do not require an auxiliary power source.2.2 Definition of the Light SensorThe light sensor usually refers to a device that can sensitively sense the light energy of ultraviolet light to infrared light and convert the light energy into an electrical signal. The light sensor is a kind of sensing device, which is mainly composed of light-sensitive elements. It is mainly divided into four categories: ambient light sensor, infrared light sensor, sunlight sensor, and ultraviolet light sensor. It is mainly used in the field of changing body electronics applications and intelligent lighting systems. Modern electrical measurement technology is becoming more and more mature. Due to its advantages such as high accuracy and easy microcomputer connection for automatic real-time processing, it has been widely used in the measurement of electrical and non-electrical quantities.  However, the electrical measurement method is susceptible to interference. In the AC measurement, the frequency response is not wide enough and there are certain requirements on the withstand voltage and insulation. Today, the rapid development of laser technology has been able to solve the above problems.Figure1. Light SensorIII Spectrum and Photometric Physical Quantity3.1 SpectrumThe spectrum is a pattern in which monochromatic light, which is dispersed by the dispersive system (such as a prism and a grating), is sequentially arranged according to the size of the wavelength (or frequency). The largest part of the visible spectrum is the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum of the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this wavelength range is called visible light. The spectrum does not include all the colors that the human brain can distinguish, such as brown and pink.Figure2. Spectrum3.2 Photometric Physical Quantities3.2.1 Light Intensity(I/Intensity)(1) Definition: the intensity of light emitted by a monochromatic light source (frequency 540 × 1012 Hz, wavelength 555nm) in a unit solid angle in a given direction (radiation intensity in this direction is 1/683 watts per spherical degree) .(2) Unit: cd (Candela)(3) Luminous intensity of common light sources:●  Sun, 2.8E27 cd●  Highlight flashlight, 10000 cd●  5mm super bright LED, 15 cd 3.2.2 Luminous Flux(F/Flux)(1) Definition: The energy emitted by a point light source or a non-point light source in a unit time. Among them, the visual person (radiation flux that humans can feel) is called luminous flux.(2) Unit: Lm (lumens)(3) Efficiency of common light sources (lumens / watt, Lm / W)● Incandescent, 15● White LED, 20● fluorescent lamp, 50● The sun, 94● Sodium lamp, 120 3.2.3 E/Illuminance(1) Definition: Luminous flux irradiated onto a unit area.(2) Unit: Lx / Lux (1), 1 (Lx) = 1 Lm / m2.(3) Common Illumination (Lx):● Direct sunlight (noon), 110,000● Overcast day, 1000● Inside the mall, 500● Cloudy room with window, 100● Under normal room lighting, 100● Full moon, 0.2 3.2.4 L / Luminance(1) Definition: The intensity of light emitted by the unit light source area in the normal direction and within the unit solid angle.(2) Unit: nt (nits), 1 (nt) = 1 cd / m2.(3) Brightness of common luminous body (nt):● Solar surface, 2,000,000,000● Incandescent filament, 10,000,000● White paper under the sun, 30,000● Brightness that human eyes can get used to, 3,000● The human eye can better distinguish the brightness of the color, 1● No moon night sky, 0.00013.3 MID Display's Perception of Backlight Brightness Under Different IlluminationFigure3. Ambient Illumination-LUXIV How the Light Sensor WorksThe light sensor actually works according to the principle of the photoelectric effect. The so-called photoelectric effect refers to the phenomenon that certain special substances can convert light energy into electrical energy after absorbing light. The photoelectric effect can be divided into two types: an external photoelectric effect and an internal photoelectric effect. The external photoelectric effect refers to the fact that under light irradiation, electrons can be emitted from the inside of the material to generate electricity. The photocell and photomultiplier are originals based on the external photoelectric effect.  Correspondingly, the internal photoelectric effect occurs inside the substance. When light is irradiated onto the substance, the resistivity inside the substance is changed, thereby generating electromotive force. Photoelectric elements such as photoresistors and photovoltaic cells are made based on the internal photoelectric effect. Take the light sensor on the mobile phone as an example:The light sensor in a mobile phone should actually be an ambient light sensor, which is mainly composed of two parts, a light projector, and a light receiver. The white dot next to the front camera acts as a lens that focuses the light in the environment and transmits it to the receiver via the projector. According to the photoelectric effect, the light receiver can convert various light signals into corresponding electrical signals, and then further process them into various switching and control actions to realize the sensitivity adjustment of the mobile phone. An infrared cut-off film is often attached to the chip of the ambient light sensor to eliminate the interference of infrared light so that our electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops can accurately detect the visible light intensity in the environment. When the display consumes too much power, the light sensor can also automatically reduce the screen brightness to extend the operating time of the battery. Figure4. Light Sensor in PhoneV Types and Characteristics of Light Sensors5.1 Photodiode TypePhotodiodes and semiconductor diodes are similar in structure, and their die is a PN junction with photosensitive characteristics, which has unidirectional conductivity, so a reverse voltage needs to be added when working. When there is no light, there is a small saturation reverse leakage current, that is, a dark current, at which time the photodiode is turned off. When exposed to light, the saturation reverse leakage current greatly increases, forming a photocurrent, which changes with the intensity of the incident light. When light irradiates the PN junction, an electron-hole pair can be generated in the PN junction, which increases the density of minority carriers. These carriers drift under the reverse voltage, causing the reverse current to increase. So you can use the light intensity to change the current in the circuit. It is turned off when there is no light and turned on when there is light. Features:(1) High sensitivity can reduce the influence of stray light(2) Photodiode (photodiode) is a photoelectric conversion device, which can convert the received light into a current change(3) The working mode of the photodiode (photodiode) is to increase the reverse voltage or not increase the voltage. When a reverse bias is applied to it, the reverse current in the tube will change with the intensity of the light. The greater the light intensity, the greater the reverse current.Figure5. Photodiode5.2 Photoresistor Type(1) PrincipleIt works based on the semiconductor photoelectric effect. The photoresistor is non-polar and is purely a resistive element. It can be applied with DC voltage or AC voltage.(2) Working characteristics of the photoresistor: When the light is on, the resistance is small; when the light is off, the resistance is large. The stronger the light, the smaller the resistance; when the light stops, the resistance returns to its original value.(3) Spectral range: from ultraviolet to infrared.(4) Features:● The internal photoelectric effect has nothing to do with the electrode (only related to the photodiode), that is, a DC power supply can be used.● Sensitivity is related to the semiconductor material and the wavelength of the incident light● Epoxy resin package, high reliability, small size, high sensitivity, fast response speed, and good spectral characteristics.Figure6. PhotoresistorVI Applications of Light Sensors6.1 Types of Light Sensors in Application(1) Ambient light sensorThe ambient light sensor can sense the surrounding light conditions and tell the processing chip to automatically adjust the backlight brightness of the display to reduce the power consumption of the product. On the other hand, the ambient light sensor helps the display provide a soft picture. When the ambient brightness is high, the LCD monitor using the ambient light sensor will automatically adjust to high brightness. When the external environment is dark, the display will be adjusted to low brightness to achieve automatic brightness adjustment. (2) Infrared light sensorThe infrared light sensor uses a charged thermopile and a scandium bromide iodide (KRS-5) window to sense wavelengths from 580 to 40,000 nm. The sensor can be used to measure a range of phenomena, including infrared radiation from the palm of your hand. (3) Sunlight sensorSolar sensor. It can recognize horizontal and vertical 360 degrees. The location of the sun, identification, cloudy, cloudy, semi-cloudy, sunny and evening during the day. Tracking bearing identification. Identification circuit processing and server drive. A digital chip is used to complete the processing of the above information. It can serve a variety of ordinary motors, stepper motors. The power consumption of the whole machine is 3mA, and the chip working voltage is 5V.  International advanced solar tracking equipment uses computer data theory, which requires data and settings for the latitude and longitude of the earth. The circuit principle and equipment technology are complicated. Intelligent sun tracker uses recognition theory technology, simple circuit and few components, no theory of latitude, longitude and data information. There is no need to consider the route that the sun runs through the year. From which direction the sun rises and from which direction it falls, it can accurately identify the position where the sun rises and falls. If he is placed on a walking car or boat, the tracker can face the sun no matter where he goes. (4) UV light sensorThe UV light sensor uses a filter to measure the UV light band (315nm-400nm). Remove the filter, the sensor can sense visible light at the same time. The sensor includes a UV filter, a sight, and a sensor handle. Figure7. Types of Light Sensors6.2 Typical ApplicationsBacklight adjustment: TV, computer monitor, LCD backlight, mobile phone, digital camera, MP4, PDA, GPS;Energy-saving control: outdoor advertising machines, induction lighting appliances, toys; instruments and meters: instruments and industrial controls for measuring light intensity;Environmentally friendly replacement: Replace traditional photoresistors, photodiodes, phototransistors6.3 Practical Application Cases6.3.1 Changing Body Electronics Applications(1) Ambient light detectionIn body electronics applications, ambient light sensors are used to adjust the backlight intensity of the dashboard, as well as the LCD backlight intensity in navigation systems (GPS), temperature control, and DVD screens. This is especially important for displays like BMW's iDrive and Prius' Multi-Info. For example, when daylight becomes dim and dark, the dashboard backlight will be adjusted to varying degrees to achieve the best visibility and reduce the glare that may be caused to the driver. Using these sensors eliminates the problem of turning on the headlights during the day, and the display automatically adjusts brightness. The key function of the ambient light sensor is to use the sensitivity visible wavelength of 380nm ~ 780nm to replicate the sensitivity of the human eye. (2) Tunnel detectionTunnel detection requires the input of two sensors. The first sensor has a wider field of view "looking up" and a relatively long average moving period, which prevents the lights from turning on and off. The second sensor has a narrower field of view "looking forward" and a relatively short average moving time. This allows the tunnel sensor to respond quickly to sudden changes in daylight, turn on the car's headlights, and adjust the display's backlight brightness when entering the tunnel. Forward-facing sensors eliminate the need to turn lights on and off when entering under a bridge or a tree covering the sun. In these cases, the sensor will still "see" the light ahead. When entering the tunnel, the signal from the tunnel sensor will drop, while the signal from the wide-field sensor will remain high; the headlights of the car will be turned on. When exiting the tunnel, the signal from the tunnel sensor will increase and the signal from the wide field of view sensor will decrease; the headlights of the vehicle will be turned off. With different average moving periods, the controller makes a clear distinction. 6.3.2 Intelligent Lighting SystemTo improve the comfort of the working environment, the lighting control system adopts a light sensor to automatically control the lighting equipment according to the illuminance of the current environment, so that the illuminance is controlled within a comfortable range. In traditional lighting control systems, ordinary light sensors are often combined with A / D converters (ADCs). Because the light signal detected by the light sensor contains both visible light components and infrared light components, the infrared light is filtered to detect the light sensor detection results.VII The Circuit Diagram of a Light Sensor7.1 Model IntroductionThe light sensor shown below is a low-cost I2C digital light sensor (ALS), which can convert light intensity into a digital output signal that can directly interface with I2C, providing a wide dynamic range from 0.01lux to 64K lux The linear response is very suitable for applications under high ambient brightness.Figure8. Model7.2 Appearance and SizeFigure9. Appearance and Size of the model7.3 Application(1) Back-lighting Control in mobile / portable devices(2) Touch Panel Control in mobile / portable devices7.4 Functional Framework DiagramFigure10. Functional Framework Diagram7.5 Application CircuitFigure11. Application CircuitVIII Programming GuideThe programming described below is based on the Me light sensor developed based on the photoelectric effect principle in semiconductors.8.1 mBlock ProgrammingThe light sensor module supports the mBlock programming environment. The following is a brief description of the module instructions:Figure12. Programming GuideHere is an example of how to use mBlock to control a light sensor moduleWhen the LED receives the light, M-Panda will move left and right and say I love sunshine; Cover the LED light, M-Panda will stop moving and say I love night. The results are as follows:Figure13. Result8.2 Arduino ProgrammingIf you write a program using Arduino, you should call the library Makeblock-Library-master to control the Me Light Sensor. This program instructs Me Light Sensor to read the current light intensity through Arduino programming.Figure14. Arduino ProgrammingFunction list of light sensor:Figure15. Function List of Me Light Sensor8.3 SchematicFigure16. SchematicIX A Related Question about Light Sensor9.1 QuestionHow to combine these 2 circuits together so that during complete darkness on the LDR, the LED would turn on instantly and when light falls on the LDR there would be around a 1 or 2-second delay before completely shutting off?The circuit would be running on a 5V DC power supply and powering an LED array.How to combine them together? Figure17.Circuit1Figure18. Circuit29.2 AnswerIn the 555 circuit the capacitor controls the wait time, if the capacitor is short-circuited the circuit will wat forever.In the LDR circuit the transistor acts like a switch but unfortunately it's switching to ground but the capacitor in the 555 circuit is connected to +9VTo resolve this I swapped the parts in the 555 circuit upside down to have the capacitor to ground. Then it was simple to I merge the two circuits.Figure19. AnswerIn the dark R1 turns Q1 on the keesp C1 duscharged so 555 output will be high.when there is light the LDR turns Q1 off and C1 charges , once it gets enough charge the 555 output goes low.We could have instead built the upside-down version of the LDR circuit using a BC557 transitor (or other similar PNP type) instead of the BC547 NPN transistor and merged that with the original 555 circuit.Ⅹ FAQ1. How is a relay added to a light sensor circuit?Presumably, your light sensor will be generating a variable voltage signal in response to how much light is hitting it, and you want to trip a relay when this light is above (or possibly below) a threshold. One way to do this is with a comparator circuit, which will compare two voltages and output a high or low depending on which one is higher. You then compare the signal from the light sensor to a reference voltage that you can set with a potentiometer and generate a high or low output signal from that. You can also use a microcontroller and read the signal from the light sensor with an analog input pin. This is more complex but useful if you want to implement features like hysteresis in the comparison. Now, the logic level signal can’t drive a relay coil directly, so you will need to use a transistor to switch the relay coil current. Which transistor to use will depend on the voltages involved and the amount of current you need to switch, but it’ll be a small signal transistor of some kind. You also need a current limiting resistor on the gate, possibly a pull-down on the gate as well, and a flyback diode across the relay coil. 2. What is a light sensor?Light sensors respond to changes in infrared light to detect motion or proximity to another object. Proximity sensors help robotic machines navigate obstacles and avoid bumping into objects. They are also used for devices in vehicles that sound an alarm when the vehicle is close to bumping into an object. 3. What are the disadvantages of a light sensor?Following are the disadvantages of Light sensor :• LDRs are highly inaccurate with high response time (about 10s or 100s of milliseconds).• Resistance varies continuously (analog) in photoresistors and is rugged in nature.• Photodiodes are temperature sensitive and are uni-directional, unlike photoresistors. 4. What does a light sensor do?Light sensors are electronic devices that indicate the intensity of daylight or artificial light. They convert light energy to electrical signal output. Light sensors have several uses in industrial and everyday consumer applications. 5. Where are light sensors used?Light sensors have a lot of uses. The most common use in our daily lives is in cell phones and tablets. Most portable personal electronics now have ambient light sensors used to adjust brightness. 6. How many types of light sensors are there?By using LDR as a circuit, we can calibrate the changes in its resistance to measure the intensity of Light. There are two other Light Sensors (or Photo Sensors) that are often used in complex electronic system design. They are Photo Diode and Photo Transistor. All these are Analog Sensors. 7. How long does a light sensor last?Long Duration Settings – In most cases, your motion detector light should only stay on for 20 to 30 seconds after it's triggered. However, you can manipulate the settings so it will stay on longer. For example, many lights come with settings ranging from a few seconds to an hour or more. 8. Is a light sensor analog or digital?Analog sensors that are used for detecting the amount of light striking the sensors are called light sensors. These analog light sensors are again classified into various types such as photo-resistor, Cadmium Sulfide (CdS), and, photocell. 9. What is a light sensor in a phone?Ambient-light sensors (ALS) are widely used in smartphones to provide information about ambient-light levels, in support of the backlight LED power circuit. 10. How do you wire a light sensor to an outside light?Connect one black wire on the photocell to the black wire that comes from the building. Be sure to twist the exposed copper wire so that it forms a tight connection. Connect the second black wire on the photocell to the black wire on your light fixture, making sure that the copper wire is twisted together completely.  

CategoryⅠ IntroductionⅡ Electronic Ballast Circuit Diagram Research Application 2.1 Overview 2.2 Circuit Structure of High-Performance Electronic Ballast       2.2.1 Power Factor Correction Circuit       2.2.2 Inverter Circuit       2.2.3 Lamp Circuit Network       2.2.4 Control Circuit2.3 High-Performance Electronic Ballast Dedicated Integrated Controller of ML4830 Series       2.3.1 Introduction to ML4831/32 Function       2.3.2 The Improvement of the Internal Function of ML48332.4 High-performance Electronic Ballast Built by ML4833Ⅲ FAQ Ⅰ IntroductionIn the 1970s, a worldwide energy crisis emerged. The urgency of energy conservation has led many companies to focus on energy-saving light sources and electronic ballasts for fluorescent lamps. With the rapid development of semiconductor technology, various high-return power switching devices are emerging, which provide conditions for the development of electronic ballasts. In the late 1970s, foreign manufacturers took the lead in launching the first generation of electronic ballasts, which was a major innovation in the history of lighting development. Because it has many advantages such as energy-saving, it has aroused great concern and interest around the world. It is considered to be an ideal product to replace the inductance ballast. Later, some well-known enterprises have invested considerable manpower and material resources to carry out higher-level research and development. Due to the rapid advancement of microelectronics technology, the development of electronic ballasts to high performance and high reliability has been promoted. Many semiconductor companies have introduced a series of products for dedicated power switching devices and control ICs. In 1984, Siemens developed an active power factor correction IC such as the TPA4812 with a power factor of 0.99. Subsequently, some companies have successively launched integrated electronic ballasts. In 1989, Finland's Hell Valley Company successfully launched electronically adjustable ballast monolithic integrated circuit ballasts. Electronic ballasts have been promoted and applied throughout the world, especially in developed countries. Figure 1. BallastChina's research and development of electronic ballasts started late, the technology is not advanced, early understanding of the difficulty and complexity of this product is insufficient, the development of special semiconductor devices has not kept up, the quality of products has not passed, and the market is extremely irregular. A large number of low-priced inferior goods were thrown to the market, causing losses to consumers and seriously damaging the image of electronic ballasts.  In the late 1990s, due to the rapid development and improvement of production levels, from circuit design to electronic components, the products entered a relatively mature stage, and high-quality products entered the construction project. The implementation of China's green lighting project paved the way for the promotion and application of electronic ballasts. Knowledge of Electronic Ballast for Fluorescent Lamps and Germicidal Lamps The electronic ballast is an electronic control device that uses a semiconductor electronic component to convert a direct current or low frequency alternating current voltage into a high frequency alternating current voltage, and drives a light source such as a low pressure gas discharge lamp (sterilization lamp) or a tungsten halogen lamp. The most widely used is the electronic ballast for fluorescent lamps. Due to the adoption of modern soft-switching inverter technology and advanced active power factor correction technology and electronic filtering measures, the electronic ballast has good electromagnetic compatibility and reduces the self-loss of the ballast. Ⅱ Electronic Ballast Circuit Diagram Research Application2.1 OverviewOn October 1, 1997, China's "Green Lighting Project" was officially launched. This is a major decision and measure in the field of lighting technology, which has a huge impact on China's energy, electric light source and lighting technology, and even environmental protection. As an important target of the "green lighting project", China will replace the incandescent lamp with an integrated energy-saving lamp composed of electronic ballasts and compact fluorescent lamps and promote more than 300 million energy-saving lamp, forming the terminal's ability to save 22 billion kWh, which is equivalent to saving about 49-63 billion yuan electricity construction funds. In addition to saving electricity, it can actually reduce social expenditures by 30-40 billion yuan. According to relevant experts from the Ministry of Information Industry, under the same luminous flux conditions, energy-saving lamps can save 80% of energy compared with incandescent lamps, and the cost of purchasing energy-saving lamps can be recovered in the 8-10 months of electricity savings. The use of electronic energy-saving lamps in ordinary households, enterprises and institutions, hotels, restaurants, and commercial systems is more cost-effective than incandescent lamps. However, the old-fashioned inductance ballasts currently working at the industrial frequency generally have the disadvantages of high energy consumption, low efficiency, large volume, and large amount of copper needed. Therefore, the state has set a policy which is to replace traditional inductance ballasts with high frequency electronic ballasts. Currently, some electronic ballasts have appeared on the market, and Table 1 lists the performance comparison of these electronic ballasts. According to the International Electrotechnical Commission standard IEC929 and China's professional standard ZBK74012-90, the electronic ballast should be used in "normal conditions, the lamp should be activated, but it does not cause damage to the lamp performance"; "The shortest time to apply the cathode preheating voltage should not be less than 0.4s" and "the crest factor of the open circuit voltage shall not exceed 1.8; during the minimum warm-up period, no extremely narrow voltage peaks that do not affect the rms value shall be generated", etc.  As listed in table 1, except for high grade electronic ballasts, they are unqualified products. In particular, as early as 1982, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) developed a standard called “interference of household equipment and similar electrical equipment to the power supply system”, namely the IEC555-2 standard. In 1987, Europe also developed a similar EN60555-2 standard. Both standards strictly limit the power factor of the equipment to be close to 1, and it also clearly stated that, all products that do not meet the standards are not allowed to be sold. In view of the great harm caused by the low power factor, it is very important and necessary to impose regulations on the power factor of electronic equipment and products that must be close to 1. Figure 2. Brief Comparison of Low, Medium and High Grade Electronic Ballasts We believe that the high-performance electronic ballast should be a product that has both power factor correction and lamp filament preheating, lighting adjustment and lamp circuit protection, and is fully compliant with IEC555-2 and similar standards. The basic principles of the circuit structure and power factor correction circuit that must be provided for high-performance electronic ballasts are briefly discussed in this article. The integrated controllers for electronic ballasts ML4831, ML4832, ML4833 and high-performance electronic ballast circuits composed of them are highlighted. 2.2 Circuit Structure of High Performance Electronic BallastThe RFI and EMI filters in the figure filter out conducted RF interference and electromagnetic interference from the grid, while obstructing the conducted RF and electromagnetic interference generated by the ballast circuit from entering the grid. The bridge rectifier circuit converts the input AC to DC. The power factor correction circuit acts to improve the input AC current waveform, ensuring that the input current is sinusoidal and in phase with the input voltage, achieving a power factor close to or equal to one.  The inverter circuit completes the conversion of the DC high voltage to the high-frequency AC, and finally transmits the input power to the fluorescent tube through the lamp circuit network. In addition to transmitting electrical power, the lamp network will also perform preheating of the fluorescent filament, sampling and feedback of the lamp operating state signal. The feedback signal of the working state of the lamp is taken from the power factor correction circuit and the dimming signal, and processed by the control circuit to obtain the driving pulse of the switching device in the correct inverter circuit. 2.2.1 Power Factor Correction CircuitThe power factor of the system is defined as PF=γcosφ1 In the formula, γ=I1/IRMS, which is the ratio of the fundamental rms value of the input current to the rms value of the input total current and is also called the distortion factor of the current. φ1 is the phase shift angle of the fundamental current and voltage. If the input voltage of the system has no phase shift (ie, the system is purely resistive) and there is no harmonic component (ie DF=1), the PF of the system must be one. Unfortunately, the input rectification filter units that most of the current devices connect with the power frequency grid are composed of uncontrolled diodes and large-capacity electrolytic capacitors. The instantaneous value of the current on the grid side is quite high (generally about 2 to 3 times that of IRMS), the duration is very short (usually no more than 4ms), and it is severely non-sinusoidal, so the PF of the system is much lower than 1.  The power factor correction is aimed at the drawbacks of the traditional uncontrolled rectifier circuit, and adopts corresponding circuit measures. While increasing the DF value of the system, the phase shift of the input fundamental current and voltage is minimized, and finally the target with the PF value equal to 1 is achieved. As a boost-type active power factor correction circuit commonly used in electronic ballasts, the control circuit uses the input voltage signal as a reference, and the product of the input current and the output voltage signal is used as a modulation source to obtain a sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) signal to the step-up DC/DC power conversion circuit to adjust the on/off time ratio of the power switch. In the end, a stable DC high voltage is obtained.  The power switching device in the step-up power conversion circuit is driven by the SPWM signal outputted by the control circuit to turn on and off at a high speed, thereby ensuring that the current waveform flowing through the inductor connected in series with the rectifier bridge is a sine wave, and is in phase with the input voltage. Thus, the distortion factors γ=1 and φ1=0 of the system input current are obtained, that is, cosφ1=1, and the system power factor is 1. 2.2.2 Inverter CircuitThe most important function of the inverter circuit is to convert the high-voltage direct current outputted by the power factor correction circuit into a high-frequency alternating current for the fluorescent lamp. The power MOSFET push-pull tubes (V1 and V2) are alternately turned on and off under the driving pulse with a duty cycle of 50%, and is commutated when the current crosses zero in the parallel resonant loop of the power transformer primary inductance and capacitance thus to realize zero voltage switching(ZVS) and perform chopping on high voltage DC. The zero-voltage switching eliminates switching losses associated with output capacitance and parasitic capacitance charging of MOSFET tube, and the gate drive charge is minimal, which helps reduce gate losses.  Since the high frequency AC obtained by the secondary coupling of the power transformer is directly fed to the lamp network, there is no phase shift between the lamp current (ie, secondary current of the power transformer) and the output current of the inverter circuit (ie, primary current of the power transformer). Considering that the total impedance of the lamp network is reduced at high frequencies, and the negative resistance characteristic of the fluorescent lamp itself, it can be found that as the lamp current decreases (corresponding to the weakening of the light intensity of the lamp), the output current of the inverter circuit will increase. 2.2.3 Lamp Circuit NetworkThe lamp circuit network not only needs to deliver the high-frequency AC power to the lamp tube to complete the efficient conversion of electricity and light, but it also needs to implement functions such as filament warm-up, lamp current detection feedback, and auxiliary power supply for the entire electronic ballast system.  The power transformer primary T is connected to the inverter circuit, and the lamp current is directly transmitted to the lamp through the capacitor, and the secondary winding supplies the lamp with filament current for preheating and maintaining the operation. The current transformer TA performs detection and sensing of the lamp current, and sends a signal about the operation of the lamp to the control circuit at any time by the change of the lamp current. The control circuit can judge the light intensity of the lamp according to the magnitude of the lamp current (even including the disconnection and short circuit of the lamp), and then send corresponding control signals to the inverter circuit. 2.2.4 Control CircuitThe control circuit for high-performance electronic ballasts should have a series of functions including power factor correction, lighting adjustment, light-on preheating, lamp disconnection alarm, and lamp restart program control. At present, some integrated circuit controllers for electronic ballasts appearing in the domestic and international device market are mostly based on PFC control, with appropriate addition of lamp control functions, or implementation of lamp control by external circuits. It is worth mentioning that the ML4830/31/32/33 series products can be said to be integrated controllers for high-performance electronic ballasts. 2.3 High-Performance Electronic Ballast Dedicated Integrated Controller of ML4830 SeriesML4830/31/32/33 are integrated circuit controllers developed by American Micro Linear Corporation for high-performance electronic ballasts. The first generation ML4830 has been eliminated; the second generation ML4831 is manufactured by bipolar integrated circuit technology; the third generation ML4832 uses Bicmos process to replace the original bipolar process, the circuit bias current is greatly reduced, and the consumption is greatly reduced. The fourth-generation ML4833 not only adopts the Bicmos process but also has a major improvement in the internal structure, so the function is enhanced and the performance is better. Although these devices can use the functional block diagram of figure 3, the internal structure of ML4831 and ML4832 and the internal structure of ML4833 are respectively shown in figure 4 and figure 5. Figure 3. Functional Block Diagram of ML4831, 32, 33  Figure 4. Internal Block Diagram of ML4831, 32  Figure 5. Internal Structure Block Diagram of ML4833 2.3.1 Introduction to ML4831/32 FunctionThe ML4831/32 is composed of a continuous current type boosting power factor correction stage controlled by an average current. It has a dedicated control circuit for electronic ballasts with various ballast control links. Lamp start-up and restart timing can be achieved by using external circuit components to provide a wide range of control over different types of lamps. The ballast link uses an additional programmable method of frequency modulation and adjustment of the frequency range of the voltage-controlled oscillator to control the lamp power, so it is suitable for various types of output networks. The gain modulator in the ML4831/32 is highly immune to interference caused by switching high-power switching devices. The output of the gain modulator appears as a reference to the current error amplifier at the inverting input of the amplifier. Isine is the current drawn from the AC input; UEA is the output of the error amplifier (pin 1). The output of the gain modulator is limited to 1V. The PWM regulator in the PFC control section compensates for the positive voltage generated by the multiplier output through the negative voltage developed across the pin 4 sense resistor. At the same time, the power MOSFET is protected against high-speed current transients by weekly current limiting. Once the voltage at pin 4 is below 1V, the PWM cycle is terminated immediately. The overvoltage protection (OVP) terminal (pin 18) of the ML4831/32 is used to protect the power circuit from high voltage damage when the lamp is suddenly disconnected. The OVP take-off point can be set by directly tapping the voltage divider resistor to the high-voltage DC bus. As long as the voltage at pin 18 exceeds 2.75V, the power factor correction (PFC) transistor will be turned off and the ballast operation can continue.  The threshold of the OVP should be set to a value that the power device can operate safely, but is not too low to affect the operation of the boost power conversion link. The internal operational transconductance amplifier performs PFC voltage feedback, current sensing and loop amplification. The transconductance amplifier is designed with a low signal forward transconductance so that a large value resistor can be used as a load and a small (<1μF) ceramic capacitor for AC coupling in the compensation network. The compensation network can take the form of figure 6, introducing a zero point and a pole at frequencies fz and fP, respectively: fZ=1/2πR1C1fP=1/2πR1C2 It is noted that the DC-to-ground path and the output of the transconductance amplifier may be out of tune, and the offset error voltage value reflected at the input is determined by uos=iO/gm. Capacitor C1 in figure 6 is used to block DC and minimize the adverse effects of offset. All of the operational transconductance amplifiers in the ML4831/32 incorporate a Slew Rate enhancement to improve recovery under circuit power-up and transient response conditions because the transconductance amplifier changes from a small transconductance state to a large transconductance state. The response to large signals is essentially non-linear. Figure 6. Compensation Network for Transconductance Amplifier The ML4831/32 controls the output power of the lamp by frequency modulation of the non-overlapping conduction of the power switch tube in the inverter part of the ballast circuit. That is to say, during the discharge of oscillation timing capacitor CT, the output of both ballast power tubes is low. The frequency range of the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) in the device is controlled by the output of the LFB amplifier (pin 6). As the lamp current decreases, the voltage at pin 6 rises, causing the CT charging current to drop, thus causing the oscillation frequency of the oscillator to become lower. Because the ballast output network attenuates high frequencies, the power fed to the lamp increases accordingly. In general, the frequency of the oscillator can be calculated as follows: fosc=1/（tchg＋tdis） Attention: A zero charge current occurs when LFBOUT (pin 6) is high level. Typically, the charge current varies with the two inputs to the oscillator: One is the output of the warm-up timer, and the other is the output of the lamp feedback amplifier (pin 6). During the warm-up phase, the charging current is fixed at a value of Ichg (preheat) = 2.5 / Rset (3). During normal operation, the charging current varies with the voltage of pin 6 from 0 to UOH. When the voltage at pin 6 is zero, the oscillator frequency is lowest and the lamp power is maximum. The discharge current is much larger than the current flowing through the timing resistor RT. For example, when the discharge current is 5 mA, the discharge time is：  tdis ≈ 490 × CT. The ML4831/32 also includes a parallel regulator that limits the UCC voltage to 13.5V. When the UCC is 0.7V lower than 13.5V, the quiescent current of the device will be less than 1.7mA, and the output will be turned off, allowing the device to be started directly using the resistor attached to the rectified AC bus. In addition, because the ML4831/32 contains a temperature sensing function, the ballast operation is stopped as soon as the junction temperature of the device exceeds 120 °C. In order to better utilize the internal sensing function without using an external sensor, the position of the ML4831/32 must be carefully determined on the ballast's circuit board to ensure that the device can properly transfer the operating temperature of the ballast. The chip temperature of ML4831/32 can usually be estimated by the following formula:  Tj=65TA/PD(°C/W) It is worth noting that fully and reasonably using the sensing function inside the device is useful for reducing the total cost of the ballast. The starting scheme of the device is specifically designed for the ML4831/32 in accordance with the principle of ensuring the longest lamp life and minimizing the ballast heating. Figure 7(a) contains a starting scheme including preheating of the filament and sudden breaking of the lamp. When the ballast is energized, the time that the voltage on the CX rises from 0.7V to 3.4V is called the warm-up time of the filament.  During this time, the oscillator's charging current Ichg = 2.5/Rset, the oscillator produces a very high frequency, but does not produce a voltage sufficient to start the lamp. After the filament is preheated, the frequency of the inverter circuit drops to a minimum, and a high voltage is generated to start the lamp. If the voltage of the inverter circuit does not jump when the lamp should start to work, the lamp feedback voltage entering pin 9 will rise above Uref, the CX charging current will be bypassed, and the inverter circuit will stop working until CX drops to a 1.2V threshold by RX discharge. Stopping the inverter circuit in this way can avoid the failure of the lamp to start or the inverter circuit to overheat when it is disconnected from the socket.  In general, it is better to choose a large resistance RX to make this period longer. When CX reaches the 6.8V threshold, the oscillator will turn off LFBOUT, so the lamp will be driven to full power, then dimmed, and the potential of the CX pin is clamped at approximately 7.5V. The whole process is shown in the waveform of figure 7(b). Figure 7. Lamp Start Preheat and Interrupt Timing Scheme and Its Waveform 2.3.2 The Improvement of the Internal Function of ML4833The ML4833 is a modified version of the ML4831/32. In addition to the full functionality of the ML4831/32 described above, the most prominent improvement is in the power factor correction section. The power factor correction part of the ML4833 is a step-up type PFC control circuit for peak current sensing. This form of circuit only requires voltage loop compensation, which is simpler than the ML4831/32 with average current control mode circuit. It consists of a voltage error amplifier, a current sense amplifier without compensation, an integrator, a comparator, and a logic control circuit.  In the boost type power conversion part, the correction of the power factor is performed by the current sensing resistor to output the sensing voltage and the current flowing through, and the duty ratio is adjusted by comparing the integrated voltage signal of the error amplifier with the voltage across the Rsense. The control timing of the duty ratio is as shown in figure 8. Considering that all of the high-performance electronic ballast integrated control chips of Micro-Linearity are packaged in 18-pin DIP or SOIC packages, the improvement of the device structure will inevitably bring about changes in the internal functional frame and external pin functions. Figure 8. PEC Link and Duty Cycle Control of ML4833 2.4 High-performance Electronic Ballast Built by ML4833Figure 9 shows the complete circuit diagram of a high-performance electronic ballast built by ML4833. The circuit is a typical AC/DC/AC structure: the RFI suppression filter circuit is added to the input terminal, the booster active power factor correction circuit is composed of AC/DC in the front stage, and the high-frequency inverter circuit is composed of DC/AC in the rear stage. A closed-loop is formed through T5, VD11, R23 and pin 8 of the control to make the system works stably. Figure 9. Complete Circuit Diagram of High-performance Eectronic Ballast Built with ML4833  Ⅲ FAQ1. What is the use of electronic ballast?An electronic ballast will convert power frequency to a very high frequency to initialize the gas discharge process in Fluorescent Lamps – by controlling the voltage across the lamp and current through the lamp. 2. What is the output voltage of an electronic ballast?This unit operates off the AC mains with a voltage of 230 Volts and voltages generated within the unit can reach 600 to 800 Volts. 3. What is inside an electronic ballast?Lighting ballasts generate an initial high voltage to start the arc that excites the gases in fluorescent and HID lamps and makes them shine. ... Lighting ballasts for fluorescent light bulbs and HID lamps made before 1980 may contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). 4. How do you make an electronic ballast for tube light?An electrical ballast is nothing but a simple high current, mains voltage inductor made by winding number of turns of copper wire over the laminated iron core. Basically, as we all know a fluorescent tube requires a high initial current thrust to ignite and make the electrons flow connect in between its end filaments. 5. How do you wire an electronic ballast?Connect the ballast to the power from the breaker panel by wiring the black wire from the breaker panel to the black wire on the ballast, using a wire nut. Connect the white wire from the breaker to the white wire from the ballast. 6. What's the difference between electronic and magnetic ballast?A magnetic ballast uses coiled wire and creates magnetic fields to transform voltage. ... An electronic ballast uses solid-state components to transform voltage. It also changes the frequency of the power from 60 HZ to 20,000 HZ or higher depending on the ballast. 7. How do you test an electronic ballast with a multimeter?Insert one probe of the multimeter into the wire connector holding the white wires together. Touch the remaining probe to the ends of the blue, red and yellow wires leading from the ballast. Depending on the ballast, you may have only red and blue wires. 8. Are electronic ballasts non-linear loads?Rectified input, switching power supplies and electronic lighting ballasts are the most common single-phase non-linear loads. 9. Which is not the advantage of electronic ballast?Electronic ballasts are more efficient and more compact in size and weight. They also provide the ability for continuous power adjustment in different settings. A disadvantage is that power fluctuations may cause a failure but this can be offset by adding a buffer capacitor. The operation of the ballasts generates heat. 10. Can you repair an electronic ballast?I eventually replaced the 2 switching transistors in this ballast as well and it worked. So the next time you have a problem with an electronic ballast from a fluorescent fitting open it and check before buying a new one. They can be expensive and more often than not they can be repaired. 

Ⅰ IntroductionAn operational amplifier, or op-amp for short, is fundamentally a voltage amplifying device designed to be used with external feedback components such as resistors and capacitors between its output and input terminals. Learn more about the most common opamp basics, essential knowledge when selecting and using an op amp in electronics. We can conclude our section and look at Op Amp basics with the following properties and questions. Opamp Basics: Op-Amp CircuitsCatalogⅠ IntroductionⅡ Amplifier Figures of MeritⅢ Q & AⅣ Application: LM358 Classic CircuitsⅡ Amplifier Figures of MeritNegative FeedbackIt is a important technique to improve bandwidth and distortion and control gain.Open-loop GainIt refers to the ratio of the voltage change at the output of the amplifier to the voltage change at the input when the amplifier input and output are open. Common-mode Rejection Ratio (dB)It is the ratio of the amplifier's amplification factor of the differential voltage signal to the amplification factor of the common mode voltage signal.Input Current NoiseIt is the equivalent current noise applied in parallel with the input of the noiseless amplifier.Output CurrentIt refers to the current driven by the load at the output of the op amp. It is usually a function: input overdrive, correlation between output voltage and power supply, temperature, source, and drain characteristics will differ.Phase MarginIt is the phase shift between an output of the same frequency and an inverting input in an open-loop circuit.Voltage GainIt is the ratio of the change in output voltage to the change in input voltage.Programmable Gain BufferIt can set the gain resistance of the op amp (integrated on the template), and the gain can be set to +1, +2, or -1 through simple external connections.Saturation VoltageIt is the voltage between the collector and emitter of the transistor under saturation conditions. In the saturated state, the emitter-base and collector-base are forward biased, so that the voltage between the collector-emitter is very low.Rise TimeThis refers to the time required for the output voltage to change from 10% of its final value to 90% of its final value.Unity-gain BandwidthIt refers to the frequency at which the amplifier's open-loop gain is equal to one. If the op amp frequency response has a single-pole roll-off, the unity-gain bandwidth is equal to 1UGBW.Strobe “OFF” VoltageThe strobe “OFF” voltage is the minimum voltage at the strobe pulse and is guaranteed not to interfere with the comparator operation.Input Current IndexIt refers to the average of the current drawn from the two input pins. In addition, the input current is also commonly called bias current.Gain Bandwidth ProductIt refers to the product of the amplifier's bandwidth and the gain at which the bandwidth is measured.Large Signal Voltage GainIt refers to the ratio of the change in output voltage to the change in input voltage. This parameter is usually specified at a large output voltage, smaller than the maximum output voltage, which is the typical value under direct current conditions.Offset Voltage Temperature CoefficientIt refers to the average rate of change in offset voltage due to changes in junction temperature within a specified temperature range.Output High VoltageIt refers to the high DC output voltage of the comparator, which produces the high output current. And it is usually related to the totem pole or push-pull output of the comparator.Input Source CurrentIt refers to the maximum output positive current produced under the comparator's push-pull output state.Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)When a pure sinusoidal signal is input to the op amp as Vin (w) = Vpsin (wt):Input harmonic distortion: Vout(w)a1Vpsin(wt)+a2Vpsin(wt)+...+anVpsin(nwt)The expression of THD is: THD(%)=[sqrt(a2xa2+a3xa3+...+anxan)/a1]x100Common-Mode Input Impedance (RINCM)It refers to the ratio of the change in the common-mode input voltage to the change in the input current at the inverting or non-inverting terminal.Output Low VoltageIt refers to a low DC output voltage. The output drive is a low voltage sink current. This specification is usually related to the totem pole or push-pull output of the comparator.Using a CMOS op amp as the output driver, although the circuit works well, but requiring a 1m shielded cable, and the oscillation of the operational amplifier is about 1MHz when there is no input signal. If shorten the cable to 10cm, the oscillation is stable.Some op amps are not suitable for driving capacitive loads directly, such as long shielded cables, which is a capacitive load. In addition, coaxial cables have about 60-100pF capacitance per meter.Harmonic DistortionIt refers to the unwanted spurious signals generated at the amplifier output due to the non-linearity of the signal line. When the input is a sinusoidal signal, these spurious signals will appear as integer times of the input frequency (for example, second harmonic, third harmonic).Output Leakage Current (ILEAKAGE)It means that the current enters the comparator output (the output is driven high). It often appears at the output of open collector and open drain.Power Supply Rejection Ratio (PSRR)It refers to the ratio of the change in the input offset voltage to the change in the power supply voltage, PSRR (dB) = 20log10 (DVOS / DVS)Linear Phase DeviationIt refers to how a closed-loop phase response of an operational amplifier approaches and follows the linear relationship between phase change and frequency in a specific frequency band.-3dbIt refers to the frequency when the value of the small signal output amplitude of the closed-loop amplifier decreases to 3dB.Common-mode Voltage RangeIt refers to the typical value of the voltage range at the input, which determines the performance of the amplifier.Specified Power Supply RangeIt describes the power supply voltage required for the operational amplifier to operate.Output Absorption CurrentIt refers to the highest output negative current of the comparator.Output Voltage SwingIt refers to the maximum peak-to-peak swing of the output voltage under a specific load and power supply voltage.Current FeedbackIt refers to a technology used in current feedback amplifiers whose output signal reflects the value of the current input to the inverting input (transimpedance gain function). In some aspects, this topology has operational advantages over traditional voltage feedback.Closed Loop BufferIt refers to an amplifier with high input impedance and low output impedance and a fixed gain of +1. Its typical applications are used for isolation, increased output drive, capacitive load, etc., in addition, there is no need to set the gain resistance.Closed-loop Gain It is the ratio of the change in the output voltage to the change in the input voltage after the feedback and input network added. Generally, this value is set using an external resistance.Common-mode RangeThe common-mode range, also known as the input voltage range, is a measure of the range of input voltages that the input pins of an op amp can accept. This specification is usually relative to the power supply amplitude.Output ImpedanceIt refers to the ideal series output impedance of the ideal operational amplifier when there is no impedance, which is the approximate output impedance of the op amp measured under AC  conditions.Transient ResponseIt refers to the step function response of the closed-loop system of the amplifier under the condition of small signal (usually less than 100mV).Slew RateWhen given a transition or square wave input, the amount of change in the amplifier's output from one level to another. Typical values are averages of values measured based on a change in total output voltage from 10% to 90%.Response TimeIt is the time interval when the input step function makes the output from the initial value to the logic threshold voltage.Unity Gain FrequencyIt refers to the frequency at which the gain of the voltage feedback op amp is 1 (0 dB). For an ideal operational amplifier, its gain-bandwidth product is equal.Intercept PointIt refers to the output power of the fundamental frequency, which is equal to the power value of the fundamental frequency in the specified distortion term (2nd, 3rd, or 3rd intermodulation).Input Offset CurrentIt refers to the current difference between the two inputs.Voltage OverdriveIt means that a certain amount of input step voltage exceeds the minimum drive input voltage required by the comparator to change from one logic level to the opposite logic level.Differential Gain & Differential PhaseDifferential gain refers to the change in the input and output of the gain, and differential phase refers to the phase change in the input stage. They are video measurements, and are a standard measurement in the broadcasting field to measure relative changes in the interpretation of video signal consistency.Voltage FeedbackA technique used in traditional operational amplifiers, where part of the output voltage is fed back to the input, and the voltage difference between the two inputs is amplified by the operational amplifier. Avol Open-loop Voltage Gain“A” is a sign of gain. The letter “V” written below indicates the gain of voltage, and the letter “ol” also written below is an abbreviation for open loop. Open-loop voltage gain refers to the gain (Vout / Vin) of the amplifier without feedback. Due to the existence of the bias voltage, these errors must be compensated.Logic Threshold VoltageIt refers to the voltage that causes the comparator output state to change when the input offset voltage is exceeded.Output ResistanceIt refers to the value of the series resistance at the output of an ideal op amp with zero output resistance, which measured under DC conditions.Gain FlatnessIt refers to the volume of gains “violently increasing” and “rapidly decreasing” in a given bandwidth range measured in decibels (dB), which affects the most important parameter specifications such as phase margin, gain margin, and closed-loop gain.Offset Current Temperature CoefficientIt refers to the average rate of change in deviation current due to changes in junction temperature within a specified temperature range.Input ImpedanceIt is the ratio of input AC voltage to input AC current.Input Voltage NoiseIt refers to the equivalent voltage noise in series with a noiseless amplifier.Input Offset VoltageIt is the product of the DC error voltage between the inputs and the closed-loop gain, because of the non-ideal balance between the input stage and the output is caused by the DC error voltage of the input terminals.Gain MarginOpen loop gain when the phase between the inverting input and output crosses zero at a certain frequency.Supply CurrentIt refers to the current required from the power supply to the unloaded amplifier and to the power supply at the output midpoint.Settling TimeIt refers to the time between the input step function initial value and the output voltage reaching the specified error band. The error band refers to the percentage of the total voltage change.Differential Input ResistanceIt is the ratio of the change in the input voltage to the change in the input current.Ⅲ Q & AQ1: What is the difference between a voltage feedback amplifier and a current feedback amplifier?A: The internal circuits of these two op amps are different. The voltage feedback op amp is restricted by the internal design, and it only has a very low input bias current, but there is no internal limit on the differential input voltage, because it is limited only when external feedback is required. In contrast, for a current feedback amplifier, its differential input voltage is subject to internal design, but it does not limit its input bias current, so it is limited only when external feedback is required.Q2: What is the difference between open and closed loops?A: The open loop gain is actually the internal gain of the op amp without feedback, and usually takes any value between 1,000 and 10,000. Closed loop gain is the gain of the entire circuit, which is equal to the open loop gain divided by 1 plus the loop gain (the improvement coefficient). In fact, the gain of the op amp when there is no feedback is the open loop gain, and the gain when feedback is considered is closed-loop gain.Q3: If the op amp has ideal AC characteristics, the Bode plot (gain-frequency response) is a unipolar system. What is the gain slip rate in dB / decade?A: In a unipolar system, the gain drops (or decreases) at 20dB / decade, which is 6dB / octave. This is responsive to any single pole, and it is also suitable for a simple RC filter or an ideal operational amplifier. However, because op amps have more high-frequency poles, the phase shift will begin to increase as the frequency approaches the unity gain frequency of the op amp.Q4: What is the difference between unity gain bandwidth, gain bandwidth product (GBP), and -3dB frequency?A: Many op amps have an open-loop gain reduction rate of -20db / decade when the frequency is stable. At any point during this descent phase, the GBW is a constant. If the unity-gain operation of the op amp is stable, then the unity-gain bandwidth, or the frequency at which the open-loop gain is 1, is usually equal to GBP. In addition, GBP is not equal to (usually higher than) the unity gain bandwidth. The -3dB frequency is a measure of the bandwidth of an operational amplifier when it is operating in a closed loop. The -3dB point is the frequency at which the gain of the overall closed-loop system drops by 3dB. The unity gain frequency for closed loop applications can be calculated using BW=GBP/Av. The -3dB frequency and unity-gain bandwidth applied depend on the feedback gain setting, output swing, load, and circuit layout.Q5: Why do some amplifiers oscillate with a capacitive load?A: The output impedance of the op amp and the capacitance of the capacitive load may form a resistance-capacitance oscillation. Also they form an R-C oscillation at the output stage, which causes additional phase lag in the feedback signal. CMOS amplifiers have a high output impedance which will cause the electrodes to be approached or lower the unity gain frequency of the op amp. The additional phase lag of the electrodes will weaken the phase margin of the op amp The total phase lag of the amplifier causes the phase angle of the unity gain frequency to increase by more than 180 degrees to cause the total feedback phase shift in unity gain to exceed 180. degree. In addition, the output impedance of a CMOS amplifier is between 100 and 500, causing a relatively low pole frequency. And meanwhile, the output impedance of the high-speed bipolar operational amplifier is in the range of 1 to 100, which causes the pole frequency to be much higher than that of the CMOS operational amplifier, so that the pole is far from the unity gain frequency of the device. The drive of a CMOS amplifier to a capacitive load can be improved by placing an output resistor at the output and an external positive feedback capacitor.Q6: If the output of the op amp stays close to the voltage rail, that is, the output rail, what is the reason?A: There are many ways for operational amplifiers to “rail”. The difficulty is keeping it away from the "rail". If the input exceeds the input voltage range, the output is usually near to a supply voltage rail. In theory, if the output exceeds the actual supply voltage, and a higher supply voltage is given, the op amp will go to rail output again. If there is no feedback or the polarity of the feedback is wrong, the op amp goes to rail output again. At the same time, if the non-inverting input is higher than the negative inverting input, the op amp also goes to rail output. The application of the operational amplifier should be analyzed to ensure that the power supply voltage used has a proper input and gain, so that in normal operation, its input voltage is within the rated value and the output voltage is within the normal range.Q7: What is the difference between the common-mode voltage and input voltage range of an op amp?A: Common mode voltage means that one voltage is applied to both inputs at the same time. Input voltage range is the range of voltages that can be accepted by the input pins. It is necessary to remember that the op amp should suppress the common-mode voltage, and amplify the difference between the two input pins only.Q8: The SPICE model of the bipolar operational amplifier works well, but the SPICE model of the CMOS operational amplifier does not work. Is there a need to set SPICE?A: To input the appropriate bias current to the model, the SPICE model applied on CMOS operational amplifier needs to set the default GMIN option to the largest SPICE package value.Q9: What is the difference between the amplifier's output current and short-circuit current?A: Short circuit current refers to the current generated by the device if the output is connected directly to the power line. This indicates that the output current is limited depending on the design of the device. However, the short-circuit current does not represent the true output of the drive capability of the output. Due to the impedance characteristics of the output stage, the maximum output current is determined by the swing of the output voltage under load. In facet, the smaller the load, the larger the output swing; the larger the load, the smaller the output swing.Q10: How to check the stability of an op amp circuit?A: Check the stability of the control loop, such as the pulse load and related changes in output voltage. The pulse load may be a load current with a pulse or step change, so that the output of the op amp circuit should be connected to a series R-C circuit. The greater the circuit swing or vibration, the worse the stability of the circuit.Q11: Are there any good ways to minimize noise when amplifying a low-level DC signal?A: To obtain a high signal-to-noise ratio, the circuit must be well designed. This includes choosing the best amplifier bandwidth and knowing the impedance of the input signal. If the input signal source has a fairly high impedance, it makes no sense to choose a low voltage noise amplifier, which has high current noise.Q12: How should design a low frequency (<1Hz) differentiator to minimize the output noise?A: The only reason that the output of the differentiator contains noise is because there is a lot of gain and the input is noisy. The traditional differentiator uses Rs-Cs in series at the input and the Rf-Cf in parallel near the operational amplifier. It is not necessary to try more Rs or Cf to minimize noise. The noise of the output come from the differentiator does not mean that it is harmful, because it also amplifies useful signals. In addition, if disconnect a loop, the differential output noise may be beneficial and will stabilize the loop. If the output of the differentiator is quite noisy or has too much input noise, analyze which are the real sources of them.Q13: How to protect the amplifier input from being higher or lower than the supply voltage?A: What must be done is either to clamp the input of the device, or to limit the input current of the device, or ideally, do both. The easiest way is to choose a current limiting resistor to limit this current. The selection is based on the fact that the current generated by the circuit input at the maximum input voltage is less than the maximum current rating of the input pin. Usually, a 1K to 100K resistor in series with this input pin is effective. However, since the signal is usually connected directly to a non-inverting input pin, a non-inverting amplifier may need a protective resistor connected to this pin. For high impedance circuits, a large resistor and or low leakage current diode can be used.Q14: What is the difference between a single-supply amplifier and a dual-supply amplifier?A: There is no difference in the actual circuit, layout, and characteristics of the amplifier. When an operational amplifier is designated as dual power supply, the output load is usually referenced to ground (GND), while a single power supply operational amplifier is usually referenced to the midpoint voltage of a single supply, and it is usually specified to operate on lower voltages, but this is not a necessary requirement. Therefore, whether the op amp is powered by a single 5V power supply and ground (GND), or powered by +2.5 and -2.5V, these is no different. Ⅳ Application: LM358 Classic CircuitsThis Video is Going to Show Top 5 Electronics Project Using OP-AMP LM358The LM358 includes two independent, high-gain, internal frequency-compensated dual operational amplifiers. It is suitable for single-supply operation with a wide range of power supply voltages. It is also suitable for dual-supply operation. LM358 applications include sensor amplifiers, DC gain modules and all other operational amplifiers that can be powered by a single power supply. The classic circuits of LM358 are as shown as following:Figure 1. Active DC-coupled Low Pass RC Filter Figure 2. LED Driver Figure 3. Transistor-Transistor-Logic (TTL) Drive Circuit Figure 4. Active RC Band Pass Filter Figure 5. Squareware Oscillator Figure 6. Hysteresis ComparatorFigure 7. Active Band Pass filter Figure 8. Lamp Driver Figure 9. Current Monitor Figure 10. Low Drift Peak Detector Figure 11. Voltage Follower Figure 12. Power Amplifier Peripheral CircuitFigure 13. Voltage Controlled Oscillator VCOFigure 14. Fixed Current Source Figure 15. Pulse Generator Figure 16. AC Coupled Non-inverting Amplifier Figure 17. AC Coupled Inverting Amplifier Figure 18. Adjustable Gain Instrumentation Amplifier Figure 19. DC Amplifier Figure 20. Pulse Generator Figure 21. Bridge Current Amplifier Figure 22. Introducing Differential Input Signal Figure 23. DC Differential Amplifier Frequently Asked Questions about Op Amps Basics1. What is an op amp basics for dummies?An op amp is a super-sensitive electronic amplifier circuit that's designed to amplify the difference of two input voltages. Thus, an op amp has two inputs and one output. ... Most op amps require both a positive and a negative voltage power supply, with voltages usually ranging from 6 V to 18 V. 2. What is the basic use of op amp?An operational amplifier is an integrated circuit that can amplify weak electric signals. An operational amplifier has two input pins and one output pin. Its basic role is to amplify and output the voltage difference between the two input pins. 3. What is operational amplifier and its types?An operational amplifier (op amp) is an analog circuit block that takes a differential voltage input and produces a single-ended voltage output. Op amps usually have three terminals: two high-impedance inputs and a low-impedance output port. 4. Which purpose the op amp is used?As the name suggests, the purpose of an amplifier or an op amp is to amplify or increase the input signal to produce an output signal which is much larger than that of the input, with a similar waveform as that of the input. The main change in the output signal will be the increase in the power level. 5. What does it mean when an op amp saturates?Originally Answered: What happens when an op-amp is saturated? that means the amplification or gain is so high as to make the output signal with a given input signal, so large as to exceed the compliance range of the power supply of the ope amp. More simply put, if you have an op amp supplied with +/-15V supply rails.