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body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; color: #333; } h2 { border-bottom: 2px solid #3598db; padding-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 30px; } h3 { color: #2c3e50; margin-top: 25px; } img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .note { background-color: #f9f9f9; border-left: 5px solid #3598db; padding: 15px; margin: 20px 0; } .faq-item { margin-bottom: 20px; } .question { font-weight: bold; font-size: 16px; color: #236fa1; }IntroductionThe Q factor (quality factor) serves as a critical metric telling us how close a real-world inductor is to an ideal inductor. Inductors are ubiquitous components in power electronics converters, filter networks, and communication systems, where they are frequently used in resonant networks. While theoretical studies often treat inductors as having pure inductance, in reality, they possess inherent resistance and parasitic elements. The Q factor is defined as the ratio of the inductive reactance of the coil to its effective resistance.While the most obvious constituent of this resistance is the standard DC resistance (DCR) of the wire, high-frequency AC losses often play a more significant role. So, what is the true relationship between resistance and quality factor? Why is the Q factor so vital?Video: What is Q-Factor?Ⅰ Why is Q Factor Important for an Inductor?When selecting components, engineers must rely on the manufacturer's datasheet and product line cards after calculating the required inductance for the specific application. However, the Inductance value alone is not enough. It is crucial to consider the Quality Factor (Q) of the inductor, particularly for RF (Radio Frequency) circuits and precision analog applications.A high Q factor indicates that the inductor has low energy losses relative to the energy it stores. In resonant circuits, a high Q leads to a sharper resonance peak and narrower bandwidth, which is essential for selectivity in radio tuners. In power applications, a higher Q generally implies lower power dissipation (heat), leading to higher overall system efficiency.Ⅱ Inductor Q Factor Analysis2.1 There Are No Ideal InductorsIn practice, a "perfect" component does not exist. Inductors are constructed by winding conductive coils around cores made of various magnetic materials (ferrite, iron powder, air, etc.). The actual inductance value depends on physical parameters: the number of turns, the permeability of the core material, flux density, and the core's cross-sectional area.Furthermore, in real-world operation, the effective inductance and performance can fluctuate based on the applied current (saturation), signal frequency, aging, and operating temperature. To ensure consistent output accuracy across a wide range of frequencies and environmental conditions, specific parameters must be quantified. The Q-Factor is the primary parameter used to measure the "purity" and consistency of the coil's performance.2.2 What is Q-Factor?Figure 1. Q Factor in InductorsIdeally, an inductor would only exhibit inductance. However, a functional inductor includes fixed DC resistance, variable AC resistance, and parasitic capacitance. These parasitic elements reduce the inductor's efficiency. The Quality Factor (Q) is a dimensionless figure of merit that quantifies the inductor's performance regarding its losses. It is essentially the ratio of Energy Stored to Energy Dissipated per cycle.Let's explore the parasitic resistances that lower the Q Factor in depth:(DCR or RDC) DC ResistanceThe wire used to wind the coil has internal resistance, known as "DC resistance." This value is usually found in the "DCR" or "RDC" column of a datasheet. DCR depends on the total length of the wire and its cross-sectional area (gauge). To achieve a higher inductance, more turns are required, which increases wire length and, consequently, DCR. Designers often have to balance wire thickness and physical size. Larger diameter wires (lower gauge number) yield lower DC resistance but increase the component's size.Note: How to calculate the resistance of copper wire?Engineers often use the standard resistivity formula:Where:R is the resistance in Ohms (Ω)l is the length of the conductor in metersρ is the electrical resistivity of the material (e.g., Copper)A is the cross-sectional area in square millimeters (derived from wire diameter)Skin Effect Due to AC Resistance (Rac)When the frequency increases (roughly above 50 kHz for standard copper wire, though the effect starts earlier), AC resistance (Rac) becomes dominant over DCR. This is due to the "Skin Effect."At higher frequencies, alternating current tends to flow only near the surface (or "skin") of the conductor rather than through the entire cross-section. This effectively reduces the usable cross-sectional area of the wire, significantly increasing resistance. To mitigate this in high-Q applications, engineers often use Litz wire (multistrand insulated wire) to increase surface area.Core Hysteresis Losses (Modeled as Resistance)In magnetic cores, the magnetic domains must align and realign with the changing magnetic field (H). This realignment is not frictionless; energy is lost as heat during each cycle. This is known as Hysteresis Loss. Ideally, the B-H curve (Magnetic Flux Density vs. Magnetic Field Intensity) would be linear. In reality, it forms a loop. The area inside this loop represents energy lost per cycle.As frequency increases, these losses occur more often per second, increasing the effective resistance. This loss appears in the equivalent circuit as a resistor in series (or parallel, depending on the model) with the inductor, lowering the Q factor.Figure 2. BH Curve and Hysteresis LoopDielectric Losses (Rd)Inductors use insulation on the wire (enamel) and sometimes between layers. The core material itself is also a dielectric. These materials have finite resistance and dielectric constants. While often modeled as a parallel resistance (leakage), dielectric absorption causes losses that add to the total system energy loss, further reducing the Q factor at very high frequencies.Calculating Total Resistance and QThe total effective series resistance (ESR) in a functional inductor is the sum of these components:The Quality Factor (Q) is calculated as the ratio of Inductive Reactance ($X_L$) to this Total Resistance ($R_{total}$):Where $ omega = 2pi f $ (frequency).The Q factor can also be expressed in terms of power:Conclusion: If DCR, Skin Effect, or Core Losses increase, the denominator ($R$) increases, causing the Q-Factor to drop. A lower Q means higher power loss and broader bandwidth. Conversely, a high Q value implies that the inductor behaves more like an ideal reactance with minimal energy loss.Ⅲ What is the Role of Q Factor in a Circuit?The Q factor plays a dominant role in the **Filter Bandwidth** of practical circuits.Narrow Bandwidth (High Q): For Radio Frequency (RF) applications—such as police wireless communication or distinct radio channels—filters must be highly selective. They need to accept a specific frequency while rejecting everything else. An inductor with a High Q factor (Red line in theoretical plots) produces a sharp resonant peak, allowing for a narrow bandwidth.Wide Bandwidth (Low Q): Other applications may require a wider frequency range to pass through. An inductor with a lower Q factor (Orange line) produces a flatter, broader curve with less voltage gain at the peak but a wider passband.Additionally, designers must remember the Self-Resonant Frequency (SRF). Every inductor has parasitic capacitance between its windings. At a certain high frequency (SRF), the inductor resonates with its own capacitance and acts as a resistor. Beyond this frequency, it behaves like a capacitor, and the Q factor concept as an inductance metric becomes invalid.Frequently Asked Questions about Q Factor in Inductors1. How do you find the Q factor of an inductor?The quality factor Q of the inductor is defined by the formula $Q = frac{omega L}{R}$, where $omega$ is the angular frequency ($2pi f$), $L$ is the inductance, and $R$ is the effective series resistance (ESR). Since $R$ changes with frequency (due to skin effect and core losses), Q is frequency-dependent. It is usually measured using an LCR meter or an Impedance Analyzer at the specific operating frequency of the circuit.2. How is Q factor calculated from a bandwidth perspective?In a resonant circuit, the Q factor can be determined by the frequency spectrum. It is defined as $Q = frac{f_r}{Delta f}$, where $f_r$ is the resonant frequency (where impedance is maximum or minimum depending on circuit topology) and $Delta f$ is the -3dB bandwidth (the width of the peak at half-power). A narrower peak indicates a higher Q.3. How do I lower the Q factor of a circuit?Sometimes a high Q is undesirable because it causes ringing or oscillation. To lower the Q factor (dampen the circuit), you can add resistance to the circuit. Adding a resistor in series with the inductor increases the denominator in the $Q = frac{omega L}{R}$ equation, thereby reducing Q. Alternatively, placing a resistor in parallel with the inductor can also widen the bandwidth and lower the Q.4. Does a higher Q factor always matter?It depends on the application. Yes: In RF tuning, oscillators, and filter circuits, a high Q is essential for sharp selectivity and frequency stability. No (or less so): In some power supply chokes or wideband filtering, a moderate Q is acceptable. In fact, if the Q is too high in a switching power supply filter, it might cause transient ringing spikes that damage components. In these cases, designers might intentionally choose a lower Q or add damping.5. What is the physical meaning of Q factor?In physics and engineering, the quality factor is a dimensionless parameter that describes how underdamped an oscillator or resonator is. A higher Q indicates a lower rate of energy loss relative to the stored energy of the resonator. In simple terms, a high-Q pendulum would swing for a long time (low friction), while a low-Q pendulum would stop quickly (high friction).

IntroductionIn electronics, what is clipper? A circuit which removes the peak of a waveform is known as a clipper. Clipper circuit is designed to prevent a signal from exceeding a predetermined reference voltage level. The clipper circuit can be designed by utilizing both the linear and nonlinear elements such as resistors, diodes, or transistors. The diode clipper, also known as a diode limiter, is a wave shaping circuit that limits positive or negative amplitude, or both. In electronics, diode clipper circuits are commonly used to process various signals. It is is a circuit designed to prevent a signal from exceeding a predetermined reference voltage level. Clipping changes the shape of the waveform and alters its spectral components.Clipper Circuits IntroductionCatalogIntroductionⅠ Clipper Circuit Types1.1 Positive Clipper Circuit1.2 Negative Clipper Circuit1.3 Combinational Limiter CircuitⅡ Clipper Circuits Analysis2.1 Clipper Circuit Structure2.2 Clipper Circuit ProblemsⅢ General Forms of Clipper Circuits3.1 Clipper Circuit Description3.2 Common Clipper Circuit ExamplesⅠ Clipper Circuit TypesDiode clipper is a limiting circuit which limits the output voltage. In electronics, a clipper is a circuit designed to prevent a signal from exceeding a predetermined reference voltage level. A basic diode limiter circuit is composed of a diode and a resistor. It is divided into three types: positive clipper circuit, negative clipper circuit and combinational clipper circuit. The positive clipper circuit produces a clipping effect when the input voltage is higher than a certain upper limit value; the negative clipper circuit produces a limit effect when the input voltage is lower than a certain lower limit value; the combinational clipper circuit produces a limit effect when the input voltage is too high or too low. In a positive clipper, the positive half cycles of the input voltage will be removed. During the negative half cycle of the input, the diode is forward biased and so the negative half cycle appears across the output. The clipper circuits are described as following.1.1 Positive Clipper CircuitThe diode in clipper circuit is connected in series to the input signal and that attenuates the positive portions of the waveform. The positive clamping circuit blocks the input signal when the diode is forward biased. During the negative half cycle of an AC signal, the diode is forward biased and allows electric current through it. In following figure, when the input signal voltage is lower than a preset upper limit voltage, the output voltage will change with the input voltage, however, when the input voltage reaches or exceeds the upper limit, the output voltage will remain at a fixed value, so that the signal amplitude is limited at the output.1.2 Negative Clipper CircuitThe diode in clipper circuit is connected in series to the input signal and that attenuates the negative portions of the waveform, is termed as negative series clipper. For the figure below, the diode is series to the input and output. If the diode has ideal switching characteristics, when iu is lower than E, D will not conduct, ou=E; when ui is higher than E, D will conduct, ou=iu. The limiting characteristic of this limiter circuit is shown in the figure.1.3 Combinational Limiter CircuitThis kind of circuit combines the positive and negative limiters together which shows in the following figure. Ⅱ Clipper Circuits Analysis2.1 Clipper Circuit StructureIn the circuit, Al is an integrated circuit (a common component), VT1 and VT2 are transistors, Rl and R2 are resistors, and VDl to VD6 are diodes.Analyzing the effect of VD1 and VD2 in the circuit mainly explains the following points.1) It can be seen from the circuit that the circuit structure of the two groups of diodes are the same. Both play the same role in this circuit, so the working principle of them are the same.2) The pin ① is connected to the base of the transistor VT1 through a resistor Rl. Obviously Rl is a signal transmission resistor. The signal output on the pin ① is added to the base of VT1 through Rl (there is no DC blocking capacitor between pin ① and VT1). From this circuit structure, it can be judged that the pin ① is an output signal pin, and it outputs a composite signal of DC and AC. The purpose of determining that the pin ① is to figure out the specific function of the diode VD1 in the circuit.3) The DC voltage output by pin ① is not high enough to make the external diode in a conducting state. The analysis is: if the DC voltage output by the pin ① is high enough, then VD1, VD2 and VD3 conduct, and the internal resistance becomes small. This will shunt the AC signal output by the pin ① to the ground, so the signal will be attenuated. However, this circuit does not need such attenuation. Therefore, the conclusion drawn from this: VD1, VD2 and VD3 are not turned on by pin ① DC voltage output.4) The output from pin ① is the superimposed signal of DC and AC, which is added to the base of the transistor VT1 through the resistor Rl. VT1 is an NPN transistor. If the amplitude of the positive half-cycle AC signal added to the base of VT1 is very large, which may burn the VT1. When the negative half-cycle signal added to the base of VT1 is large, which has no effect on VT1, because the negative signal on the base of VT1 reduces current.Follow the above circuit analysis, it can be judged that VD1, VD2, and VD3 in the circuit has clipper function, to prevent VT1 from burning out. 2.2 Clipper Circuit ProblemsIn the figure, Ul is the DC voltage in the output of pin ①, U2 is the limiting voltage value.When the AC voltage in the output signal of pin ① is relatively small, the positive half cycle of the AC signal plus the DC output voltage does not make the VD1, VD2 and VD3 conduction. Therefore, all diodes are cut off, which has no effect on the AC signal output by pin ①. Assuming that the positive half-cycle output AC signal by pin ① is very large during a certain period, as shown in the signal waveform, at this time it plus the DC voltage can conduct VD1, VD2 and VD3. If the conduction voltage of each diode is 0.7V, then three diodes is 2.1V. Since the tube voltage drop after conduction is basically the same, that is, the maximum voltage of pin ① is 2.1V. So the excess part of the positive half cycle of the AC signal is limited by the resistor. When the DC and AC output signals at pin ① is less than 2.1V, diodes will not conduct and keep cutoff state, which has no clipping effect on the signal.For the specific details of clipper circuit, there are several explanations as follows.1) The negative half cycle large signal output by the pin ④ will not cause VT1 overcurrent, because it will decrease the base voltage of the NPN transistor and the base current, so there is no need to add the limiter circuit.2) The one-way limiter circuit mentioned above, it can only limit the large signal part of the positive or negative half of the signal, and does not limit the signal in the other half. The other is the combinational limiter circuit, which can limit the positive and negative half-cycle signals at the same time.3) There are many reasons for the abnormal increase of the signal amplitude. For example, the fluctuation of the power supply voltage cause it to increase a lot at a certain moment, and the large-scale interference pulse from the outside into the circuit also causes a certain increase.4) After the three diodes VD1, VD2 and VD3 conduct, the sum of the DC and AC voltages on pin ① is 2.1V. This voltage added to the base of VT1 through resistor Rl is maximum, so as to the current of VT1.5) Since the pin ① is the same as the external circuit of pin ②, the working principle of the limiter circuit is the same. So only one circuit needs to be analyzed when analyzing the circuit.6) According to the characteristics of the series circuit, the current in the series circuit is equal everywhere. It can be known that the three series diodes VD1, VD2 and VD3 are turned on at the same time, or they will be turned off at the same time. Therefore, in the series circuit, a diode is turned on and other diodes are turned on.Ⅲ General Forms of Clipper Circuits3.1 Clipper Circuit DescriptionThere are two types of clippers namely series and parallel. In series clipper, diode is connected in series with the load. In parallel clipper, diode is in parallel to the load.1) Series clippers: if the diode is connected in series with load resistanceUnbiased series clipper: in that case the circuit diode is connected in series with load resistance and no external voltage is applied to the circuit.+ve unbiased series clipper: if the +ve portion of output is clipped its called +ve unbiased series clipper.-ve unbiased series clipper: if the -ve portion of output is clipped its called +ve unbiased series clipper.Biased series clipper: if in the circuit, diode is connected in series with load resistance and external voltage is applied to the circuit+ve biased series clipper: if the +ve portion of output is clipped its called +ve biased series clipper.-ve biased series clipper: if the -ve portion of output is clipped its called +ve biased series clipper.2) Parallel clippers: if the diode is connected in parallel with load resistanceUnbiased parallel clipper: in that case the circuit diode is connected in parallel with load resistance and no external voltage is applied to the circuit.+ve unbiased parallel clipper: if the +ve portion of output is clipped its called +ve unbiased parallel clipper.-ve unbiased parallel clipper: if the -ve portion of output is clipped its called +ve unbiased parallel clipper.Biased parallel clipper: if in the circuit, diode is connected in parallel with load resistance and external voltage is applied to the circuit+ve unbiased parallel clipper: if the +ve portion of output is clipped its called +ve biased series clipper.-ve unbiased parallel clipper: if the -ve portion of output is clipped its called +ve biased series clipper. 3.2 Common Clipper Circuit ExamplesIn general, clippers circuit are classified into two types: Series Clippers, Shunt Clippers, and Dual (Combination) Clippers.Series Clipper: The diode is connected in series with the load resistance. 👇Figure 1. Series Positive ClipperThe positive amplitude waveform is cut, and the negative amplitude waveform is retained, as follows:Figure 2. Series Positive Clipper with Positive BiasThe positive amplitude waveform is cut, and the offset positive voltage is retained on the negative amplitude waveform, as follows:Figure 3. Series Positive Clipper with Negative BiasThe waveform of positive amplitude is cut, and the negative voltage is shifted based on the waveform of negative amplitude, as follows:Figure 4. Series Negative ClipperThe negative amplitude waveform is cut, and the positive amplitude waveform is retained, as follows:Figure 5. Series Negative Clipper with Positive BiasThe negative amplitude waveform is cut, and the positive voltage is offset on the positive amplitude waveform, as follows:Figure 6. Series Negative Clipper with Negative BiasThe negative amplitude waveform is cut, and the negative voltage is offset on the positive amplitude waveform as follows: Shunt Clipper: Diode is in parallel with load resistance in circuit. 👇Figure 7. Shunt Positive ClipperFigure 8. Shunt Positive Clipper with Positive BiasFigure 9. Shunt Positive Clipper with Negative BiasFigure 10. Shunt Negative ClipperFigure 11. Shunt Negative Clipper with Positive BiasFigure 12. Shunt Negative Clipper with Negative Bias Dual (Combination) Clipper: It is desired to remove a small portion of both positive and negative half cycles. 👇Figure 13. Combination ClipperWhen the positive and negative waveforms must be limited, a combinational limiter circuit is required, as follows:Images Reference: Clipper Circuits - Series Clipper, Shunt Clipper, and Dual Clipper Frequently Asked Questions about Diode Limiter and Clipper Circuit1. What is Clipper and clamper?The major difference between clipper and clamper is that clipper is a limiting circuit which limits the output voltage while clamper is a circuit which shifts the DC level of output voltage. ... While clamper is used when we need multiples of the input voltage at the output terminal. 2. What is the function of clipper circuit?In electronics, a clipper is a circuit designed to prevent a signal from exceeding a predetermined reference voltage level. A clipper does not distort the remaining part of the applied waveform. 3. What is Clipper circuit and its types?A clipper is a device which limits, remove or prevents some portion of the wave form (input signal voltage) above or below a certain level, in other words, the circuit which limits positive or negative amplitude ,or both is called chipping circuit. The clipper circuits are of the following types. Series positive clipper. 4. What is the difference between a positive clipper and a negative Clipper?Positive Clipper and Negative Clipper. In a positive clipper, the positive half cycles of the input voltage will be removed. ... During the negative half cycle of the input, the diode is forward biased and so the negative half cycle appears across the output. 5. How does diode clipping work?The Diode Clipper, also known as a Diode Limiter, is a wave shaping circuit that takes an input waveform and clips or cuts off its top half, bottom half or both halves together. This clipping of the input signal produces an output waveform that resembles a flattened version of the input. 6. What is the main purpose of a diode limiter?The diode limiter also called Clipper as it is used to limit the input voltage. A basic diode limiter circuit is composed of a diode and a resistor. Depending upon the circuit configuration and bias, the circuit may clip or eliminate all or part of an input waveform. It limits the output voltage to a specific value. 7. What is the purpose of a clamping diode?The clamping circuit fixes the voltage lower limit to zero, that is, the start of the signal is 0 V. The positive clamping circuit blocks the input signal when the diode is forward biased. During the negative half cycle of an AC signal, the diode is forward biased and allows electric current through it. 8. What is a diode clamping circuit?A clamper circuit shifts the DC level or the reference level of the signal to the desired level without changing the shape of the waveform. The clamper circuit can be designed using the diode, resistor, and the capacitor.

IntroductionPCB exists in every electronic device. A fully functional PCB is mainly used to create connections between components, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, transistors, integrated chips, etc. It is the carrier of the entire logic circuit. Sound PCB design can save production costs, and achieve good circuit performance and heat dissipation effect. PCB designs vary in complexity according to product needs. This article mainly talks about wiring, one of the basics of PCB design.PCB Design: From Idea to Schematic to PCBCatalogIntroductionⅠ PCB Basics: Wiring RulesⅡ Three PCB Wiring MethodsⅢ PCB Design: Wire InspectionⅣ Complete PCB Design Projects Inspection4.1 General PCB Design Inspection Projects4.2 PCB Electrical Characteristics Checking Projects4.3 PCB Physical Characteristics Checking Projects4.4 PCB Mechanical Design Factors4.5 PCB Installation Requirements4.6 PCB Pull-out Requirements4.7 PCB Mechanical Considerations4.8 PCB Electrical Considerations4.9 Electronics Inspection Before Into A PCBⅤ ConclusionⅠ PCB Basics: Wiring Rules1. The area within 1mm from the edge of the PCB board and within 1mm around the mounting hole will not take wiring.2. The power line width should not be less than 18mil; the signal line width should not be less than 12mil; the cpu input and output lines should not be less than 10mil (or 8mil); the line spacing should not be less than 10mil.3. It is necessary noted that the power line and the ground line should be as radial as possible, and the signal line must not be looped.4. Ground circuit rulesThe loop area formed by the signal line should be as small as possible. The smaller the loop area, the less external radiation and the less interference from the outside. An example is shown in the figure below:5. Crosstalk controlHere crosstalk refers to the mutual interference caused by long parallel wiring between different networks on the PCB, which caused by the distributed capacitance and inductance between the parallel lines. The main measures to overcome it are:a. Increase the spacing of parallel wiring and follow the 3W rule. To ensure that the distance between the lines is large enough, when the distance between the line and the center of the line is not less than 3 times the line width (as shown in the figure below). If the line center distance is not less than 3 times the line width, 70% of the line electric fields will not interfere with each other, which is called 3W rule.b. Insert a grounded isolation wire between the parallel wires. Reduce the distance between the wiring layer and the ground plane.6. The direction control rules of routing:The routing directions of adjacent layers are orthogonal. Different signal lines in the same direction on adjacent layers should be avoided to reduce unnecessary interlayer crosstalk. When the signal rate is high, use a ground plane to isolate each wiring layer, in other words, isolate each signal line with ground line. The neighbouring wires used in the input and output end of the circuit shouldn’t be parallel to prevent the feedback, and it is best to add a ground wire between these wires.7. Open loop inspection rules for wiring:Generally, it is not allowed to have a floating wiring at one end, because of the "antenna effect" and unnecessary interference radiation and reception, which may bring unpredictable results.8. Impedance matching inspection rulesThe wiring width of the same network should be kept the same. Line width variations will bring uneven line characteristic impedance, and reflection will occur when the transmission speed is high. This situation should be avoided in the design. Under certain conditions, such as the lead wires of the connector and the similar structure of the lead wires of the BGA package, the change of the line width may not be avoided, so that the length of the middle inconsistent part should be minimized.9. Wiring closed loop inspection rules:Prevent signal lines from forming self-loops between different layers. Such problems are prone to occur in multilayer board design, and it will cause radiation interference. As shown below:10. The branch length control rule of wiring:Try to control the length of branches, and the general requirement is Tdelay≤Trise/20.11. Resonance rules of wiring:For high-frequency signal design, the wiring length must not be an integer multiple of its wavelength to avoid resonance.12. Line length control rules:In fact, it refers to the short-circuit rule. When designing, you should keep the wiring length as short as possible to reduce interference problems caused by unnecessary lines. Especially for some important signal lines, such as clock lines, be sure to place oscillators close to the device. In the case of driving multiple devices, the network topology should be decided according to the specific situation.13. Parallel input and output wires on the PCB board should be avoided as far as possible to avoid parallel. It is best to place a ground wire between the two wires to avoid circuit feedback coupling.14. Digital ground and analog ground should be separated. For low-frequency circuits, single-point parallel grounding should be used. High-frequency circuits should be grounded in series with multiple points. For digital circuits, the ground wire should be closed into a loop to improve anti-noise capability.15. The wiring and via distribution of the whole circuit board should be uniformity. When the outer signal of the circuit board has a large blank area, auxiliary lines should be added to make the lines distribution on the board basically balanced.16. The low-frequency circuit can be grounded at a single point in parallel, and the actual wiring can be connected in series and then grounded in parallel. The high-frequency circuit can be grounded in series with multiple points. The ground wire should be short and thick. For high-frequency components, a large area ground foil can be used. The ground wire should be as thick as possible. If the ground wire is a very thin, the ground potential will change with the current, which reduces the noise resistance.17. Multilayer boards should be as symmetrical as possible when designing the laminated structure, as well as the wiring density and copper layout of each layer to reduce warpage and reduce EMI during soldering.18. The signal line should not cross the power supply and ground. The signal reference plane should be as complete as possible.19. Impedance controlThe signal lines that need impedance control must be wired in strict accordance with the calculated data, in addition, it is necessary to tell manufacturers it. For signal lines that do not require it, the impedance should be calculated to prevent unnecessary interference.20. Grid copper should be used less in low frequency circuits. Although it can effectively reduce the problem of large area copper skin blistering. When using grid copper, you need to consider the electrical length of the grid line and the working frequency of the circuit board. If using grid copper, the power supply should also be coated with solid copper as much as possible.21. A group of buses with the same attribute should be wired side by side as much as possible, and the length should be as equal as possible. Ⅱ Three PCB Wiring MethodsThe wires should take the shortest route between components according to the specified wiring rules. Limit the coupling between parallel wires as much as possible. Good PCB design requires the minimum number of wiring layers, and also requires fair use of the widest wire and the largest pad size corresponding to packaging density. For example, rounded corners and smooth inner corners design may avoid some electrical and mechanical problems, therefore, sharp corners and sharp corners in the wire should be avoided. Here introduces three main PCB routing methods; right-angle wiring, differential wiring, and serpentine wiring to illustrate PCB layout:A. The influence of right-angle wiring on the signal is mainly reflected in three aspects:1. The corner can be equivalent to the capacitive load on the transmission line to slow down the rise time.2. Discontinuous impedance will cause signal reflection.3. The EMI generated by the right-angle tip reaches the RF field above 10GHz. Such a right-angle is likely to develop into the source of high-speed problems. B. To figure out what is differential wiring, you must first understand what is differential signal. In a word, the driving end sends two equal and inverted signals, and the receiving end judges the logic state "0" or "1" by comparing the difference between the two voltages. The pair of traces carrying differential signals is called differential traces. Compared with ordinary single-ended signal traces, differential signals have the most obvious advantages in the following three aspects:1. Have Strong anti-interference ability. Because the coupling between the two differential traces occurs, when there is noise interference from the outside, they are almost coupled to the two lines at the same time. However, the receiving end only cares about the difference between the two signals. Therefore, the external common mode noise can be completely canceled.2. It can effectively suppress EMI. Due to the opposite polarity of the two signals, the electromagnetic fields radiated by them can cancel each other out. What’s more, the tighter the coupling, the less the electromagnetic energy leaked to the outside world.3. The timing positioning is accurate. Because the switch change of the differential signal is located at the intersection of the two signals. Unlike ordinary single-ended signals, which rely on the high and low threshold voltages to judge. Timing positioning is less affected by the process and temperature, and also more suitable for circuits with low amplitude signals. The current popular LVDS (low voltage differential signaling) refers to this small amplitude differential signaling technology. C. Serpentine line is a type of wiring method often used in PCB layout. Its main purpose is to adjust the delay to meet the system timing design requirements. The two most critical parameters are the parallel coupling length (Lp) and the coupling distance (S). Obviously, when a signal is transmitted on a serpentine trace, the parallel line segments will be coupled in a differential mode. The smaller the S, the greater the Lp, the greater the coupling. It may cause the transmission delay to be reduced, also the signal quality is greatly reduced due to crosstalk. The mechanism can refer to the analysis of common mode and differential mode crosstalk. The following are some suggestions when dealing with serpentine wring:1. Try to increase the distance (S) of parallel lines, at least more than 3H(H refers to the distance from the signal trace to the reference plane). As long as S is large enough, the mutual coupling effect can be almost completely avoided.2. Reduce the coupling length Lp. When the double Lp delay approaches or exceeds the signal rise time, the crosstalk generated will reach saturation.3. The signal transmission delay caused by the strip-line or embedded micro-strip line is less than that of the micro-strip. Theoretically, the strip-line will not affect the transmission rate due to differential mode crosstalk.4. For signal lines with high-speed and strict timing requirements, try not to take serpentine lines, especially in a small area.5. You can often use s-shaped routing at any angle, which can effectively reduce the mutual coupling.6. In high speed, the serpentine line has no ability so-called filtering or anti-interference, and can only reduce the signal quality, so it is better to use for timing matching.7. Sometimes you can consider the spiral routing method for winding. Simulation shows that its effect is better than normal serpentine routing.Ⅲ PCB Design: Wire Inspection1.Wire SpacingThe minimum spacing of wires must be determined to eliminate voltage breakdown or arcing between adjacent wires. The spacing is variable, it mainly depends on the following factors:1) Peak voltage between adjacent wires2) Atmospheric pressure (maximum working altitude)3) Coating layer4) Capacitive coupling parametersComponents with critical impedance or high-frequency components should be placed very close to reduce the critical stage delay. There is something need to pay attention to. Transformers and inductive components should be isolated to prevent coupling. Inductive signal wires should be laid orthogonally at right angles. Components that generate any electrical noise due to magnetic field movement should be isolated or rigidly installed to prevent excessive vibration.2. Whether the wire is short and straight without sacrificing function.3. Whether the restrictions on the wire width are complied with.4. There must be a minimum distance between wires, wires and mounting holes, wires and pads.5. Whether to avoid all the wires (including component leads) closer to parallel wiring.6. Whether sharp corners (≤90℃) are avoided in the wire pattern. Ⅳ Complete PCB Design Projects Inspection4.1 General PCB Design Inspection Projects1) Has the circuit been analyzed? Is the circuit divided into basic units to smooth the signal?2) Does the circuit allow short or isolated key leads?3) Where must be shielded, are they effectively shielded?4) Have you made full use of the basic grid graphics?5) Is the best size of the printed circuit board?6) Do you use the available wire width and spacing as much as possible?7) Has the preferred pad size and hole size been used?8) Are the base plate and the sketch consistent?9) Is less cross-wiring used? Do cross wires pass through components and accessories?10) Are the letters visible after assembly? Are their size and model correct?11) In order to prevent blistering, is there any window on the large area of copper foil?12) Are there tool positioning holes?4.2 PCB Electrical Characteristics Checking Projects1) Have you analyzed the influence of wire resistance, inductance, and capacitance, as well as the critical voltage drop on the ground?2) Does the wire spacing and shape meet the insulation requirements?3) Has the insulation resistance value been controlled and specified in key areas?4) Is the polarity fully recognized?5) According to geometric view, has the effect of wire spacing on leakage resistance and voltage been measured?6) Has the medium for changing the surface coating been identified?4.3 PCB Physical Characteristics Checking Projects1) Are all pads and their positions suitable for final assembly?2) Can the assembled PCB meet the shock and vibration conditions?3) What is the required spacing of standard components?4) Are the components that are not firmly installed or the heavier parts fixed?5) Is the heating element heat dissipation and cooling normally? Or is it isolated from the printed circuit board and other heat-sensitive elements?6) Are the voltage divider and other multi-lead components placed correctly?7) Is the arrangement and orientation of components easy to check?8) Has it eliminated all possible interference on the printed circuit board?9) Is the size of the positioning hole correct?10) Are the tolerances complete and reasonable?11) Have you controlled and signed the physical properties of all coatings?12) Is the ratio of via hole and lead diameter within an acceptable range?4.4 PCB Mechanical Design FactorsThe printed circuit board adopts mechanical methods to support the components, however, it cannot be used as an unique structural part of the entire device. On the edge of the printing plate, at least every 5 inches for a certain support. The factors that must be considered when selecting and designing printed circuit boards are as follows:1) The size and shape of the printed circuit board.2) The type of mechanical accessories and plug (seat) required.3) The environmental adaptability of circuits.4) According to some factors, such as heat and dust, install the printed circuit board vertically or horizontally.5) Some environmental factors that require special attention, such as heat dissipation, ventilation, shock, vibration, and humidity, dust, and radiation, etc.6) Physical support7) Install and fix.8) Disassemble4.5 PCB Installation RequirementsAccording to practical experience, the distance between the supporting points of a printed circuit board with a thickness of 0.031-0.062 inches should be at least 4 inches. For a printed circuit board with a thickness greater than 0.093 inches, the distance between the supporting points should be at least 5 inches. Taking this measure can improve the rigidity of the printed circuit board and avoid possible resonance. The following factors should be considered before deciding which mounting technology they use.1) PCB structure.2) Input and output terminals.3) Available equipment space.4) Convenience of loading and unloading.5) Type of attachments.6) Required heat dissipation.7) Required shieldability.8) The type of circuit and its relationship with other circuits.4.6 PCB Pull-out Requirements1) The influence of plugging tools on the installation distance between two printed circuit boards.2) When the plug-in tool used in the equipment, its size should be considered.3) A plug-in device is required, which is usually fixed to the printed circuit board assembly with rivets.4) As for the mounting frame of the printed circuit board, special design such as load bearing flange is required.5) The adaptability of the plug-in tool used and the size, shape and thickness of the printed circuit board.4.7 PCB Mechanical ConsiderationsThe characteristics of the board substrate that have an important influence on the printed circuit assembly are: water absorption, thermal expansion coefficient, heat resistance, flexural strength, impact strength, tensile strength, shear strength and hardness. All these characteristics affect the function and the production efficiency of the printed circuit board structure. For most applications, the dielectric substrate materials of the printed circuit board are as following:1) Phenolic impregnated paper2) Acrylic-polyester impregnated randomly arranged glass mat3) Epoxy impregnated paper4) Epoxy impregnated glass clothEach substrate can be flame retardant or combustible. The first 3 types mentioned above can be processed. The most common used material for printed circuit boards with metalized holes is epoxy-glass cloth. Its dimensional stability is suitable for high-density circuits and can minimize the occurrence of cracks in the metalized holes. One disadvantage of epoxy-glass cloth laminate is that it is difficult to punch in the usual thickness range of printed circuit boards. For this, all holes are usually drilled and copied and milled to form a print shape of the circuit board.4.8 PCB Electrical ConsiderationsIn DC or low-frequency AC applications, the most important electrical characteristics of insulating substrates are: insulation resistance, anti-isolation, printed wire resistance, and breakdown strength. In high frequency and microwave applications, include: dielectric constant, capacitance, and dissipation factors. In all applications, the current carrying capacity of printed wires is important.4.9 Electronics Inspection Before Into A PCB1) Check the rationality and correctness of the schematic diagram.2) Check the correctness of the component packaging of the schematic.3) The distance between strong and weak current lines, and the distance between isolation areas.4) Check the schematic diagram and PCB diagram to prevent the loss of the network table.5) Whether the package of the component matches the physical object.6) Whether the placement of the components is appropriate.7) Whether the components are easy to install and disassemble.8) Whether the temperature sensitive element is too close to the heating element.9) Whether the distance and direction of the mutual inductance components are appropriate.10) Whether the placement between the connectors is smooth.11) Easy to plug in and plug out12) Input and output13) Strong current and weak current14) digital and analog should be interlaced.15) Arrangement of elements on the upside and downside16) Check whether the directional component has been wrong flipped instead of rotated.17) Check whether the mounting holes of the component pins are suitable and whether it is easy to insert.18) Check whether the empty pin of each component is normal and whether it is a missing line.19) Check whether there are vias between the upper and lower wiring of the same net table. And the pads are connected through the holes, to prevent disconnection and ensure the integrity of the circuit.20) Silk screen printing should be clear, so that the operation of welding or maintenance can be easy.21) The arrangement of power and signal lines in the socket should ensure signal integrity and anti-interference.22) Pay attention to the proper ratio of pads and solder holes.23) Each plug should be placed on the edge of the PCB board as much as possible and easy to operate.24) Whether the size and distribution of the mounting holes on the PCB are appropriate to reduce the PCB bending stress.25) Pay attention to the height distribution of the components on the PCB to ensure easy assembly.Ⅴ ConclusionBased on the above mentioned rules, drawing the PCB schematics you need becomes easier. Decide what PCB you want to and install a PCB design software. PCB software is really helpful and powerful. Also a software can check your design to make sure the design does not contain errors such as traces that incorrectly touch, traces too skinny, or drill holes that are too small. For example, run the Electrical Rules Checker (ERC) to see if you’ve made any typical errors. There is less thing stopping you from making your first PCB, right? Frequently Asked Questions about PCB Design Diagram1. Which side of PCB is correct for soldering?The bottom side of the PCB is usually the side without components and the side that touches the solder wave during assembly. That is why sometimes it is also called SOLDER side. However more often, PCB are populated on both sides and the assembly process does not require wave soldering. 2. Which soldering method is suitable for soldering printed circuit board?Soldering Iron – Used to melt solder and connect component pins to board pads. A cheap soldering pencil may be sufficient, but a temperature-controlled solder station is best for high performance boards. Solder – An alloy of tin and lead with a low melting point. 3. What is PCB diagram?A PCB schematic is a simple two-dimensional circuit design showing the functionality and connectivity between different components. ... Once the blueprint has been completed, the PCB design comes next. The design is the layout, or physical representation of the PCB schematic and includes the copper track and hole layout. 4. Why we use PCB in soldering?PCB soldering is another term for the process of soldering electrical circuit boards. ... As the soldering iron melts this metal, it is then used a bit like glue to stick to pieces together. As the solder metal cools, it will re-harden into one large shape that connects the two parts. 5. How do you read a PCB board?Start with an easy analog circuit, such as a guitar distortion pedal, and work your way up to more complicated versions. Make a drawing of the top of the circuit board. Show the positions of the capacitors, integrated circuits, resistors, transistors and other components. Review it to make sure everything is included.

IntroductionThyristor is a four semiconductor layers or three PN junctions devicea solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating P- and N-type materials. It is also known as “SCR” (Silicon Control Rectifier). The term “Thyristor” is dervid from the words of thyratron (a gas fluid tube which work as SCR) and Transistor. And It acts exclusively as a bistable switch in electronic circuit.What is a Thyristor?CatalogIntroductionⅠ Types of ThyristorsⅡ Thyristor Selection2.1 Specific Requirements of Applying Circuit2.2 Main Parameters of the ThyristorⅢ Replacement of ThyristorⅣ Detection of Thyristor4.1 Detection of Unidirectional Thyristors4.2 Detection of TRIACⅠ Types of ThyristorsCommonly used thyristors include unidirectional thyristors, TRIAC, and turn-off thyristors, etc., which should be selected reasonably according to the needs of the circuit.— Unidirectional ThyristorThe unidirectional thyristor is characterized in that the current can only flow from the anode A to the cathode k, and is mainly used in the control of DC power supply or pulsating direct current, AC power rectification, and DC power inverter.Unidirectional thyristors can be divided into ordinary thyristors and high-frequency thyristors (the working frequency is above 110kHz). Commonly used unidirectional thyristors are 3CT series, 3DT series, KP series and KK series (high frequency thyristors), and imported MCR series, SF series, BST series etc.— TRIACTRIAC was developed on the basis of the unidirectional thyristor and is an AC power control device. TRIAC can not only replace two unidirectional thyristors in anti-parallel, but also requires only one trigger circuit, which is more convenient to use.The characteristic of TRIAC is that alternating current can pass through it, which is mainly used in the control of AC power supply and the adjustment of AC voltage. Commonly used TRIAC include 3CTS series and KS series, as well as imported MAC series, SM series, BCR series, etc.— Gate Turn-off ThyristorThe characteristic of the gate turn-off thyristor is that it can be switched off by the control electrode. It is mainly used in gate turn-off contactless switches, DC inverters, dimmer, speed regulation and other occasions.Gate turn-off thyristors are power-type control devices developed on the basis of ordinary thyristors. After the ordinary thyristor is triggered to be turned on, its control electrode does not work. To turn off the thyristor, the power must be cut off, or the forward current flowing through the thyristor must be less than the holding current. Gate turn-off thyristor overcomes the above drawbacks. When the control electrode G is added with a positive pulse voltage, the thyristor is turned on, and when the control electrode G is added with a negative pulse voltage, the thyristor is turned off.Gate turn-off thyristors are ideal high-voltage, high-current switching devices. For example, the DG series high-power gate turn-off thyristors can reach a maximum voltage of 4500V and a maximum current of 3000A. Ⅱ Thyristor Selection2.1 Specific Requirements of Applying CircuitThere are many types of thyristors, which should be selected reasonably according to the specific requirements of the application circuit.For AC/DC voltage control, controllable rectification, AC voltage regulation, power inverter, switching power supply protection circuit, etc., ordinary thyristors can be selected.For AC switch, AC voltage regulation, AC motor linear speed regulation, lamp linear dimming, solid state relay, solid state contactor, etc., a TRIAC should be selected.For AC motor variable frequency speed regulation, chopper, power inverter and various electronic switch circuits, you can choose gate turn-off thyristor.For sawtooth wave generator, long time delay, over voltage protector and trigger circuit with power transistor, etc., BTG thyristor can be selected.In electromagnetic cookers, electronic ballasts, ultrasonic circuits, superconducting magnetic energy storage systems, switching power supplies and other circuits, reverse conducting thyristors can be selected.In the photocoupler, light detector, light alarm, light counter, photoelectric logic circuit and operation monitoring circuit of automatic production line, the light-control thyristor can be selected.2.2 Main Parameters of the ThyristorThe main parameters of the thyristor should be determined according to the specific requirements of the application circuit.The selected thyristor should have a certain power margin, and its rated peak voltage and rated current (on-state average current) should be higher than the maximum operating voltage and maximum working current of the controlled circuit by 1.5 to 2 times.The parameters of the thyristor's forward voltage drop, gate trigger current, and trigger voltage should meet the requirements of the application circuit (this refers to the control circuit of the gate), and should not be high or low, otherwise it will affect the normal operation of the thyristor. Ⅲ Replacement of ThyristorAfter the thyristor is damaged, if no thyristor of the same type is replaced, another type of thyristor with similar performance parameters can be used instead.When designing an application circuit, a large margin is generally left. When replacing the thyristor, just pay attention to its rated peak voltage (repeated peak voltage), rated current (on-state average current), gate trigger voltage and gate trigger current, especially the two indicators of rated peak voltage and rated current.The switching speed of the thyristor used for replacement should be consistent with the switching speed of the damaged thyristor. For example: After the high-speed thyristor used in the pulse circuit and high-speed inverter circuit is damaged, only the same type of fast thyristor can be used instead of the ordinary thyristor.When selecting a thyristor to be used for replacement, it is not necessary to leave too much margin for any parameter, and the parameter of it should be as close as possible to the parameter of the replaced thyristor, because an excessively large margin is not only a waste, but also sometimes has side effects, such as non-triggering or insensitive triggering.In addition, the appearance of the two thyristors should be the same, otherwise it will cause inconvenience to the installation. Ⅳ Detection of ThyristorThyristors are usually represented by the letters "SCR" in circuit schematic diagrams. For example, SCR2 refers to the thyristor numbered 2. The symbol of the thyristor in the schematic diagram is shown in figure 1. Figure 1. Symbols of Thyristor4.1 Detection of Unidirectional Thyristors(1) Discrimination of each electrode: According to the structure of an ordinary thyristor, it can be seen that there is a PN junction between the gate G and the cathode K, which has unidirectional conductive characteristics, while there are two PN junctions of opposite polarities connected in series between the anode A and the gate. Therefore, by measuring the resistance between the pins of an ordinary thyristor with the R × 100 or R × 1 k Q level of the multimeter, three electrodes can be determined.The specific method is: use the black probe of the multimeter to connect one electrode of the thyristor, and use the red probe to touch the other two electrodes in turn. If the measurement result has a resistance value of several thousand ohms (kΩ) and another resistance value of several hundred ohms(Ω), it can be determined that the black probe is connected to gate G. In the measurement with a resistance value of several hundred ohms, the red probe was connected to the cathode K, and in the measurement with a resistance value of several thousand ohms, the red probe was connected to the anode A. If the measured resistance values are both very large, it means that the black probe is not connected to gate G. Apply the same method to test other electrodes until three electrodes are found.You can also measure the forward and reverse resistance between any two pins. If the forward and reverse resistance are close to infinity, the two electrodes are anode A and cathode K, and the other pin is gate G.Each electrode of the ordinary thyristors can also be judged according to its packaging form.For example, the bolt end of the bolt-type ordinary thyristor is anode A, the thinner lead end is gate G, and the thicker lead end is cathode K.The lead end of the flat thyristor is gate G, the flat end is anode A, and the other end is cathode K.A thyristor of metal package (T0-3) is a common thyristor and its shell is anode A.The middle pin of the plastic thyristor (T0-220) is anode A, and it is mostly connected with its own heat sink. Figure 2. Pin Arrangement of Several Common Thyristors(2) Judging whether it is good or bad: Use the R×1 kΩ level of a multimeter to measure the forward and reverse resistance values between anode A and cathode K of ordinary thyristor, which should normally be infinite (∞) ; If the forward and reverse resistance values are zero or the resistance values are both small, it indicates that a breakdown short circuit or leakage occurs inside the thyristor.Measure the forward and reverse resistance values between gate G and cathode K. Normally, there should be forward and reverse resistance values similar to diodes (the actual measurement results are smaller than those of ordinary diodes), that is, the forward resistance value is small (less than 2 kΩ) and the reverse resistance value is large (greater than 80 kΩ). If the resistance values of the two measurements are both large or small, it means that the thyristor is open or short-circuited between electrode G and K. If the forward and reverse resistance values are equal or close, it indicates that the thyristor has failed, and the PN junction between its electrodes G and K has lost its unidirectional conduction effect.Measure the forward and reverse resistance value between anode A and gate G. In normal conditions, both resistances should be several hundred kiloohms (kΩ) or infinite. If the forward and reverse resistance values are not the same (there is unidirectional conduction like a diode). One of the two PN junctions connected in reverse series between gate G and electrode A has been short-circuited.(3) Detection of triggering capability: For ordinary thyristors with low power (working current is below 5A), it can be measured with R×1 level of the multimeter . During the measurement, the black probe is connected to anode A and the red probe is connected to cathode K. At this time, the watch hand does not move, and the resistance value is displayed as infinite (∞). Use tweezers or wires to make anode A and gate G of the thyristor be short-circuited(see figure 3), which is equivalent to applying a forward trigger voltage to gate G. At this time, if the resistance value is several ohms to tens of ohms (the specific resistance value will vary according to the part number of the thyristor), it indicates that the thyristor is conducting due to the forward trigger. Then disconnect electrode A and gate G(the probes on electrode A and K do not move, only the trigger voltage of gate G is cut off). If the value indicated by the watch hand is still in the position of several ohms to tens of ohms, it indicates that the triggering performance of the thyristor is good. Figure 3. Detection of Triggering CapabilityFor medium and high power ordinary thyristors with a working current above 5 A, the on-state voltage drop VT, holding current IH and the gate trigger voltage Vo are relatively large. The current provided by the R × 1 kΩ level of the multimeter is low, and the thyristor cannot be completely turned on, so a 200Ω adjustable resistor and one to three 1.5 V dry batteries can be connected in series at the end of the black probe (depending on the capacity of the thyristor being tested, if its working current is greater than 100 A, three 1.5 V dry batteries are applied), as shown in figure 4. Figure 4. Detection of Trigger VoltageYou can also use the test circuit in figure 5 to test the triggering capability of an ordinary thyristor. In the circuit, vT is the thyristor under test, HL is a 6.3 V indicator (small electric beads in a flashlight), GB is a 6 V power supply (four 1.5 V dry batteries or 6 V regulated power supply can be used), and S is the button, R is the current limiting resistor. Figure 5. Test Circuit to Test the Triggering CapabilityWhen the button S is not connected, the thyristor VT is in a blocking state, and the indicator light HL is not on (if HL is on at this time, there may be breakdown of vT or leakage damage). After pressing the button S once (turn S on for a moment to provide the trigger voltage for gate G of the thyristor VT), if the indicator HL is always on, it means that the thyristor has a good triggering capability. If the brightness of the indicator is low, it indicates that the thyristor has poor performance and a large conduction voltage drop (the conduction voltage drop should be about 1 V under normal conditions). If button S is on, the indicator light is on, and when button S is off, the indicator light is off, indicating that the thyristor is damaged and the triggering performance is poor.4.2 Detection of TRIAC(1) Discrimination of each electrode: Use the R×1 or R×10 level of the multimeter  to measure the forward and reverse resistance values between three pins of the TRIAC. If it is measured that one pin is not connected with the other two pins, then this pin is the main electrode T2.After finding the electrode T2, the remaining two pins are the main electrode T1 and the gate G3. Measuring the forward and reverse resistance values between these two pins will gain two smaller resistance values. In a measurement with a small resistance value (about tens of ohms), the black probe is connected to the main electrode T1, and the red probe is connected to gate G.One end of the bolt of the bolt-shaped TRIAC is the main electrode T2, the thinner lead end is gate G, and the thicker lead end is the main electrode T1.    The shell of the metal-encapsulated (TO-3) TRIAC is the main electrode T2.The middle pin of the plastic-encapsulated (TO-220) TRIAC is the main electrode T2, which is usually connected to its own small heat sink. Figure 6. Pin Arrangement of Several TRIAC(2) Judging whether it is good or bad: Use the R×1 or R×10 level of a multimeter to measure the forward and reverse resistance values between the main electrode T1 and the main electrode T2 and between the main electrode T2 and gate G of the TRIAC. Normally it should be close to infinity. If the measured resistance values are all very small, it means that the electrodes of the TRIAC have been broken down or are short-circuited.Measure the forward and reverse resistance of the main electrode T1 and gate G. Normally, it should be between tens of ohms (Ω) and one hundred ohms (Ω) (when the black probe is connected to electrode T1 and the red probe is connected to gate G, the measured forward resistance value is slightly smaller than the reverse resistance value). If the forward and reverse resistance values between electrode T1 and gate G are measured to be infinite, it indicates that the thyristor has been damaged by an open circuit.(3) Detection of triggering capability: For small power TRIAC with working current below 8A, it can be measured directly with R×1 level of the multimeter. When measuring, first connect the black probe to the main electrode T2 and the red probe to the main electrode T1, then use tweezers to make electrode T2 and gate G be short-circuited, and add a positive polarity trigger signal to gate G. If the resistance value measured at this time changes from infinity to more than ten ohms (Ω), it means that the thyristor has been triggered to conduct, and the conduction direction is T2 → T1.Then connect the black probe to the main electrode T1, and the red probe to the main electrode T2. Use tweezers to make electrode T2 and gate G be short-circuited, and add a negative polarity trigger signal to gate G. If the resistance value measured at this time changes from infinity to more than ten ohms (Ω), it means that the thyristor has been triggered to conduct, and the conduction direction is T1 → T2.If gate G is disconnected after the thyristor is triggered to be turned on, the low-resistance conduction state cannot be maintained between electrode T2 and T1 and the resistance value becomes infinite, it indicates that the TRIAC has poor performance or is damaged. If a positive (or negative) polarity trigger signal is added to gate G, the thyristor still does not conduct (the forward and reverse resistance values between T1 and T2 are still infinite), then the thyristor is damaged and has no trigger continuity.For medium and high power TRIAC with a working current of 8A or more, when measuring their triggering capability, one to three 1.5V dry batteries can be connected in series to a probe of a multimeter, and then measure by using R×1 level as described above.For a TRIAC with a withstand voltage of 400V or more, its trigger capability and performance can also be tested by using 220V AC voltage.Figure 7 is a test circuit of a TRIAC. In the circuit, FL is a 60W /220V incandescent bulb, VT is the TRIAC under test, R is a 100Ω current limiting resistor, and S is a button. Figure 7. TRIAC CircuitAfter the power plug is connected to the working frequency AC, the TRIAC is in the off-state and the light bulb is off. (If the bulb is glowing normally at this time, it means that electrode T1 and T2 of the thyristor under test have been broken down and short-circuited; if the light bulb is slightly light, it means that the thyristor under test is damaged by leakage). Press the button S once to provide the trigger voltage signal for gate G of the thyristor. In normal conditions, the thyristor should be immediately triggered to turn on, and the light bulb will glow normally. If the bulb fails to emit light, the internal circuit of the tested thyristor is damaged. If the light bulb is turned on when the button S is pressed, and the light bulb is turned off when the button is released, it indicates that the triggering performance of the tested thyristor is poor.When using a multimeter to detect low-power light-controlled thyristors, put the multimeter in R × 1 level, connect one to three 1.5V dry batteries in series to a black probe, and measure the forward and reverse resistance values between the two pins. Normally it should be infinite. Then use a small flashlight or laser pen to illuminate the light receiving window of the light controlled thyristor. At this time, a small forward resistance value can be measured, but the reverse resistance value is still infinite. In a measurement with a small resistance value, the black probe is connected to the anode A, and the red probe is connected to the cathode K.The following method can also be used to measure light-controlled thyristors. Turn on the power switch S and illuminate the light receiving window of the thyristor VT with a flashlight. After adding a trigger light source (high-power light-controlled thyristor has its own light source, as long as the light-emitting diode or semiconductor laser in its optical cable is added with the working voltage, no external light source is required), the indicator EL should be on. After the light source is evacuated, the indicator light EL should remain illuminated. There is only one PN junction. Therefore, you just need to measure electrode A and G with a multimeter.Put the multimeter in the R × 1 kΩ level, and the two probes can be connected to one of the two pins of the thyristor under test (measure their forward and reverse resistance values). If a pair of pins is measured with a low resistance value, the black probe is connected to the anode A, while the red probe is connected to gate G, and the other pin is the cathode K. (2) Judging whether it is good or bad: Use the R×1 level of a multimeter to measure the forward and reverse resistance values between the electrodes of the BTG thyristor. Under normal conditions, the forward and reverse resistances between the anode A and the cathode K are infinite; the forward resistance between the anode A and gate G (when the black probe is connected to electrode A) is several hundred ohms to several thousand ohms and the reverse resistance value is infinite. If the forward and reverse resistance values between two electrodes are measured to be very small, it indicates that the thyristor has been short-circuited and damaged.(3) Detection of triggering capability: Put the multimeter in the R × 1 Ω level, connect the black probe to anode A, and the red probe to cathode K. The measured resistance should be infinite. Then touch gate G with your finger and add a human body induction signal to it. If the resistance between electrodes A and K changes from infinity to low resistance (a few ohms) at this time, it indicates that the thyristor has a good triggering ability. Otherwise, the performance of the thyristor is poor. Frequently Asked Questions about Thyristors1. What is thyristor and its types?A thyristor is a four-layer device with alternating P-type and N-type semiconductors (P-N-P-N). In its most basic form, a thyristor has three terminals: anode (positive terminal), cathode (negative terminal), and gate (control terminal). The gate controls the flow of current between the anode and cathode. 2. What is thyristor diagram?In general, Thyristors are also switching devices similar to the transistors. ... SCR or Thyristor is a four-layered, three-junction semiconductor switching device. It has three terminals anode, cathode, and gate. Thyristor is also a unidirectional device like a diode, which means it flows current only in one direction. 3. Where is thyristor used?Thyristors may be used in power-switching circuits, relay-replacement circuits, inverter circuits, oscillator circuits, level-detector circuits, chopper circuits, light-dimming circuits, low-cost timer circuits, logic circuits, speed-control circuits, phase-control circuits, etc. 4. Why SCR is called Thyristor?Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) is a unidirectional semiconductor device made of silicon. This device is the solid state equivalent of thyratron and hence it is also referred to as thyristor or thyroid transistor. 5. What is thyristor diagram?In general, Thyristors are also switching devices similar to the transistors. ... SCR or Thyristor is a four-layered, three-junction semiconductor switching device. It has three terminals anode, cathode, and gate. Thyristor is also a unidirectional device like a diode, which means it flows current only in one direction.

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.

Ⅰ. Filter DefinitionIn electronics, a filter (signal processing) is a kind of devices or process that removes some unwanted components or features from a signal. Filtering is a class of signal processing, the defining feature of filters being the complete or partial suppression of some aspect of the signal. Most often, this means removing some frequencies or frequency bands. However, filters do not exclusively act in the frequency domain; especially in the field of image processing many other targets for filtering exist. As is known to all, electronic filters remove unwanted frequency components from the applied signal, enhance wanted ones, or both.Introduction to Signal FilteringCatalogⅠ. Filter DefinitionⅡ. Type of Filters and Functions  2.1 Type of Filters  2.2 Filtering FunctionsⅢ. Filter TechnologiesⅣ. Main Characteristic Indexes of FilteringⅤ. Filter Classifications Analysis  5.1 Passive Filter & Active Filter  5.2 Digital Filter & Analog FiltersⅥ. One Question Related Filter and Going Further  6.1 Question  6.2 AnswerⅡ. Type of Filters and Functions2.1 Type of FiltersFilters have different effects on signals of different frequencies. According to this fact, the basic filter types can be classified into four categories: low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-stop. Each of them has a specific application in DSP. One of the objectives may involve digital filters design in applications. Generally, the filter is designed based on the specifications primarily for the passband, stopband, and transition band of the filter frequency response. The filter passband is the frequency range with the amplitude gain of the filter response being approximately unity. The filter stopband refers to the frequency range over which the filter magnitude response is attenuated to eliminate the input signal whose frequency components are within that range. The transition band means the frequency range between the passband and the stopband.Figure 1. Filtering Out the Noise (signal processing)Because there are many different standards of classifying filters and these overlap in many different ways, there is no clearly distinctive classification. Filters may be:non-linear or linearanalog or digitaltime-variant or time-invariant , also known as shift invariance.discrete-time (sampled) or continuous-timepassive or active type of continuous-time filterinfinite impulse response (IIR) or finite impulse response (FIR) type2.2 Filtering FunctionsSeparate useful signals from noise to improve signal immunity and signal-to-noise ratio.Filter out unwanted frequency to improve signal analysis accuracy.Separate single frequency from complex frequencFigure 2. Electronic FilterⅢ. Filter TechnologiesFilters can be built in a number of different technologies. Before that, it is necessary to know some basics of it deeply.Center frequencyThe main parameters of the filter: the center frequency of the filter's pass-band f 0, generally f 0 = (f 1 + f 2) / 2, f 1 and f 2 are boundary frequencies of band-pass or band-stop filter, which decreased by 1dB or 3dB. In addition, narrowband filters often use the smallest point of insertion loss as the center frequency to calculate the pass-band bandwidth. Cutoff frequencyIt refers to the right frequency point of the pass-band of the low-pass filter and the left frequency point of the pass-band of the high-pass filter, and it is usually defined by relative loss points, 1dB or 3dB. The relative reference for the relative loss is: the low-pass is based on the insertion loss at DC, and the high-pass is based on the insertion loss at a high-pass frequency at which no parasitic stop-band occurs. Pass-band bandwidthThe bandwidth of the filter is simply the difference between the upper and lower cutoff frequencies, while passband bandwidth is the difference between the upper and lower cutoff frequencies of, for example, a band-pass filter, a communication channel, or a signal spectrum. Insertion lossIt refers to the loss of the original signal in the circuit due to the introduction of the filter. And it is characterized by the loss at the center or the cutoff frequency. If it is the full-band interpolation loss, it must be emphasized.Note: When adding a filter at the input end, the impedance of the filter should be mismatched with the impedance of the power supply. The more severe the mismatch, the more ideal the attenuation is, and the better the insertion loss characteristics. That is, if the internal resistance of the noise source is low impedance, the input impedance of the EMI filter connected to it should be high (such as a series inductor with a large amount of inductance); if the internal resistance of the noise source is high impedance, the input impedance of the EMI filter should be low (such as a large parallel capacitor). Due to the imbalance of the line impedance, the two components will convert to each other during transmission, and the situation becomes complicated. RippleIt refers to the peak-to-peak value of the insertion loss that fluctuates on the basis of the average loss curve with the frequency in the 1dB or 3dB bandwidth (cutoff frequency). Pass-band riplpeThe amount of change in insertion loss in the pass-band with frequency. For example, in a 1dB bandwidth, it is 1dB. Pass-band standing wave ratio (VSWR)An important indicator for measuring whether the signal in the filter pass-band is properly transferred. Ideal VSWR is 1: 1, when mismatched, VSWR> 1. For an actual filter, bandwidth satisfies VSWR <1.5: 1, which is generally less than 3dB, and the proportion when at 3dB is related to the filter order and insertion loss. Return lossThe decibels (dB) of the ratio of the port's signal input power to the reflected power, and it is also equal to | 20Log10ρ |, where ρ is the voltage reflection coefficient. In addition, when the input power is completely absorbed by the port, the return loss value is infinite. Stop band rejectionIt is a major index to measure the performance of filter selection. The higher the index, the better the suppression of out-of-band interference signals. There are usually two formulations: one is how much dB is required to suppress a given out-of-band frequency fs, and the calculation method is the attenuation fs=As-IL; another is to propose a characterizing filter whose amplitude-frequency response is close to the ideal rectangle index of degree-rectangular coefficient (KxdB> 1), KxdB = BWxdB / BW3dB, (x can be 40dB, 30dB, 20dB, etc.). The more the filter order, the higher the rectangularity, in other words, the closer the K is to the ideal value 1, the more difficult it is to make an ideal filter. Delay (Td)It refers to the time required for the signal to cross the filter. The value is the derivative of the diagonal frequency of the transmission phase function. In-band phase linearityThis indicator characterizes the phase distortion introduced by the filter on the transmission signal in the pass-band. The filter designed according to the linear phase response function, which has good phase linearity, but its frequency selectivity is very poor. It is only used to pulse or phase-modulate signal transmission system applications. Order (stage)For high-pass and low-pass filters, the order is the sum of all capacitors and inductors in the filter circuit. For a band-pass filter, the order is the total number of parallel resonators; for a band-stop filter, the order is the total number of series and parallel resonators. Absolute bandwidth / relative bandwidthThis indicator is usually used for band-pass filters, which characterize the frequency range of signals that can pass through the filter, and reflects the frequency selection of the filter. Relative bandwidth is the percentage of absolute bandwidth to center frequency. Standing waveIt indicates the impedance matching between the filter port and the required system, and also it indicates how much of the input signal failed to enter the filter and was reflected back to the input. LossIt represents the energy lost after the signal passes through the filter, that is, the energy consumed by the filter. Pass-band flatnessThe absolute value of the difference between the maximum loss and the minimum loss in the pass-band of the filter, which characterizes the difference in energy consumption of filters for different frequency signals. Out-of-band rejectionIt is the "attenuation" outside the pass-band frequency range of the filter, which characterizes the filter's ability to select unnecessary frequency signals. Absolute group delayThe time it taken for a signal to pass from the input port to the output port within the pass-band of the filter. Group delay fluctuationThe difference between the maximum and minimum absolute group delay in the pass-band of the filter, which characterizes the dispersion characteristics of a filter. Power capacityIt refers to the maximum power of the pass-band signal that can be input to the filter. Phase consistencyThe difference in the phase of the transmitted signal between different filters of the same index in the same batch, which characterizes the differences (consistency) between batch filters. Amplitude consistencyThe difference of transmission signal loss between different filters with the same index in the same batch, which represents the differences (consistency) between batch filters.Figure 3. Low-Pass Electrical FilterⅣ. Main Characteristic Indexes of FilteringCharacteristic frequency① The pass-band cutoff frequency fp = wp / (2p) is the frequency of the boundary point between the passband and the transition band, at which the signal gain decreases to the specified lower limit.② Stop-band cut-off frequency fr = wr / (2p) is the frequency of the boundary point between the stopband and the transition band, at which the signal attenuation (reciprocal of the gain) decreases to the specified lower limit.③ The corner frequency fc = wc / (2p) is the frequency when the signal power is attenuated to 1/2 (about 3dB). In many cases, fc is often used as the pass-band or stop-band cutoff frequency.④ Natural frequency f0 = w0 / (2p), when there is no loss in the circuit, it refers to the resonance frequency of the filter, and complex circuits often have multiple natural frequencies. Gain and attenuationThe gain of the filter in the pass-band is not constant.① For the low-pass filter pass-band gain Kp, for the ordinary filters, it refers to the gain at w = 0; for the high-pass, it refers to the gain at w → ∞; for the band pass, it refers to the gain at the center frequency.② For the band-stop filter, the stop-band attenuation should be given, and the attenuation is defined as the inverse of the gain.③ The change amount of the pass-band gain △ Kp, refers to the maximum change amount of the gain at each point in the pass-band. If △ Kp is in dB, it means the variation of the gain dB value. Damping coefficient and quality factorThe damping coefficient is a characterization of a filter’s damping effect on a signal with an angular frequency at w0, and is an indicator of energy loss in the filter.The reciprocal of the damping coefficient is called quality factor, and is an important indicator of the frequency selection characteristics of the valence band-pass and band-stop filters, Q = w0 / △ w, where △ w in the formula is the 3dB bandwidth of the band-pass or band-stop filter, w0 is the center frequency, and in many cases the center frequency is equal to the natural frequency. SensitivityThe filtering circuit is composed of many components, and changes of parameter values of each component will affect the performance of the filter. The sensitivity of a certain performance index y of the filter to the change of a certain component parameter x is recorded as Sxy, which is defined as: Sxy = (dy / y) / (dx / x).This sensitivity is not the same concept with the sensitivity of measuring instruments or circuit systems. The smaller the sensitivity, the stronger the fault tolerance of the circuit, and the higher the stability. Group delay functionWhen the filter's amplitude-frequency characteristics meet the design requirements, in order to ensure that the output signal distortion does not exceed the allowable range, certain requirements should be put forward for its phase-frequency characteristic ∮(w). In filter design, the closer the group delay function d∮ (w) / dw is to a constant, the smaller the signal phase distortion. Ⅴ. Filter Classifications Analysis5.1 Passive Filter & Active FilterPassive filterA passive filter is composed of passive components only. It is based on the principle that the reactance of the capacitive and inductive components changes with frequency. The advantages of this type of filter are: simple circuit, causal power supply, and high reliability. Also there are disadvantages: the signal in the pass-band has energy loss, the load effect is relatively obvious, and electromagnetic induction is easy to cause when using inductive components. When the inductance is large, the size and weight of the filter are relatively large, which is not applicable in the low frequency range.The passive filter circuit has a simple structure and is easy to design, but its pass-band magnification and cut-off frequency change with the load, so it is not suitable for occasions with large signal processing requirements. Passive filter circuits are usually used in power circuits, such as filtering after DC power rectification, or LC (inductance, capacitor) circuit filtering when high current loads are used. Active filterActive filters are composed of passive components and active devices. The advantages of this type of filter are that the signal in the pass-band has no energy loss, even be amplified; the load effect is not obvious, and the mutual influence is small when multi-levels are connected. The simple method of cascading is easy to form high-order filter, and the device is small, lightweight, and does not require magnetic shielding. Their disadvantages are that the pass-band range is limited by the bandwidth of the active device and requires a DC power supply; the reliability is not as high as that of a passive filter, and it is not suitable for high voltage, high frequency, and high power applications.The load of the active filter circuit does not affect the filtering characteristics, so it is often used in places with superior signal processing requirements. Active filter circuit is generally composed of an RC network and integrated operational amplifier, so it can only be used under the condition of suitable DC power supply, and it can also be amplified. However, the composition and design of the circuit are also more complicated. Active filter circuits are not suitable for high voltage and high current applications. 5.2 Digital Filter & Analog Filters5.2.1 TerminologyA digital filter is an algorithm or device consisting of a digital multiplier, an adder, and a delay unit. The function of the digital filter is to perform arithmetic processing on the digital code of the input discrete signal to achieve the purpose of changing the signal spectrum. Digital filters can be made by computer software or large-scale integrated digital hardware.There are active and passive analog filters. Active filters mainly consist of op amps, op amps,  resistors, and capacitors. They have problems such as voltage drift, temperature drift, and noise, while digital filters do not get these problems, so they can achieve high stability and accuracy. 5.2.2 Differences between Digital filter & Analog filtersDigital filters are used for discrete systems, analog filters are used in continuous-time systems, and they can also be used in discrete-time systems, such as SC (switched capacitor) filters.From the point of view of implementation, analog filters are generally built with analog devices such as capacitors and inductors. Digital filters can be implemented by software or digital chips. It is troublesome to replace the capacitor and inductor when the technique parameters of the analog filter are changed. If there is a need for replacement, it is necessary to modify the coefficients (such as when implemented in software).From the technical view, for example, it is very difficult for analog filters to reach -60dB, and digital filters can easily reach this.The biggest difference between analog and digital filters is that the digital filter on the Fs/2 frequency is flipped, that is, symmetrical, while analog filters are not. Therefore, a large number of interpolation filters are selected in the DAC, and the image frequency is placed at a far frequency point, and then the analog filter regarded as a sound meter is used to filter out the image frequency in the radio frequency band.The expression of analog filters is different from digital filters: analog filters are represented by H (S), and digital filters are represented by H (Z). Analog filter is based on the approximation of amplitude-frequency characteristics, while digital filters can achieve phase matching.Figure 4. EMI Filters ImageⅥ. One Question Related to Filter and Going Further6.1 QuestionHow to Select EMI Filters?6.2 AnswerSome people think that the higher the insertion loss of an EMI filter, the better, and the more stages of the filtering network, the better. In fact, this is not the right way to choose a EMI filter. In addition, the more stages of the filtering network, the more expensive, the larger the size and weight. In practice, the best way to select and evaluate an EMI filter is to install it on a device for testing. As is known to all, the performance of a filter depends largely on the load impedance of the device. It cannot be derived from one data of impedance insertion loss. Because it is a complex function of the filtering element impedance and the equipment impedance, and its magnitude and phase change within the frequency range. What's more, different performance levels of conducted radiation control (FCC, VDE) and sensitivity control required by the filter selection test are performed on the device. Frequently Asked Questions about Filter (Signal Processing) Basics1. What is filter in digital signal processing?In signal processing, a filter is a device or process that removes some unwanted components or features from a signal. Filtering is a class of signal processing, the defining feature of filters being the complete or partial suppression of some aspect of the signal. 2. Why do we use filter in digital signal processing?Digital filters are used for two general purposes:(1) Separation of signals that have been combined(2) Restoration of signals that have been distorted in some way. Analog (electronic) filters can be used for these same tasks; however, digital filters can achieve far superior results. 3. What is filter response?In comparison, filters carried out by convolution are called Finite Impulse Response or FIR filters. As you know, the impulse response is the output of a system when the input is an impulse. In this same manner, the step response is the output when the input is a step (also called an edge, and an edge response). 4. Which filter is present in DSP system?An ideal bandpass filter and second-order approximations. With DSP software, there are two basic approaches to filter design: finite impulse response (FIR) and infinite impulse response (IIR). 5. What are the functions of filter in signal processing?In the field of signal processing, a filter is a device or process that, completely or partially, suppresses unwanted components or features from a signal. This usually means removing some frequencies to suppress interfering signals and to reduce background noise. 6. What is filter frequency?A frequency filter is an electrical circuit that alters the amplitude and sometimes phase of an electrical signal with respect to frequency. ... The frequency separating the attenuation band and the pass is called the cut-off frequency. 7. What is IIR filter in DSP?The infinite impulse response (IIR) filter is a recursive filter in that the output from the filter is computed by using the current and previous inputs and previous outputs. Because the filter uses previous values of the output, there is feedback of the output in the filter structure. 8. Where FIR filter is used?The term FIR abbreviation is “Finite Impulse Response” and it is one of two main types of digital filters used in DSP applications. Filters are signal conditioners and function of each filter is, it allows an AC components and blocks DC components. The best example of the filter is a phone line, which acts as a filter. 9. What are the most commonly used active filters?The most common and easily understood active filter is the Active Low Pass Filter. Its principle of operation and frequency response is exactly the same as those for the previously seen passive filter, the only difference this time is that it uses an op-amp for amplification and gain control. 10. Why IIR filter is unstable?So, for unstable filters, the impulse response is not absolutely summable. In another way, the impulse response never approaches zero. Again, for IIR filter, h continues to go on with n i.e. never goes to zero. So, IIR filters are supposed to be unstable. Recommended ReadingComplete Introduction and Classification of Filters and ApplicationsPrinciple and Function of the FilterCommon Applications of FilterClassification of Electronic Filters