Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Analog Dialogue Archives

Check out the new format of our online archives and let us know if you like it.

ADC Helps Solve Design Challenges in 3G and 4G Wireless Infrastructure

Manufacturers of wireless infrastructure must constantly reduce the size and cost of newly installed equipment, while maintaining high levels of performance, functionality, and quality of service. Selecting the right converter can improve the overall system design, breaking through barriers such as size and cost.

Solving Dynamic Range Problems in Analog Systems

Cell phones, ultrasound imagers, fault analysis equipment, and many other applications require very wide dynamic range, with signals that vary from a few microvolts to several volts. Designers must provide both high sensitivity and operation under severe overload conditions. An X-amp or VGA can help.

Phase Relations in Active Filters

In applications that use filters, the amplitude response is generally of greater interest than the phase response. When a filter is used inside a process control loop, however, the total phase shift is of concern, since it may affect loop stability. This article looks at first- and second-order filters, comparing phase response as a function of topology, order, and Q. Higher-order filters are treated as cascades of lower-order blocks.