Need an extra ADC Add one
Need an extra ADC? Add one for a few cents
Apr 17, 2025 Circuits

When designing devices with microcontrollers, I like to use some of the analog-to-digital converter inputs to measure onboard voltages along with all the required sensors inputs. This means I often run out of ADC inputs...

novel approach creating high-efficiency simple buck-boost
A novel approach to creating a high-efficiency, simple buck-boost converter
Apr 16, 2025 Circuits

A stable voltage from an input supply that is higher and lower than the output is often required. A common solution is to use a boost converter followed by an LDO...

Flip ON flop OFF without flip
Flip ON flop OFF without a flip/flop
Apr 15, 2025 Circuits

There’s been a lot of interesting conversation and DI teamwork lately devising circuits for ON/OFF power control using inexpensive momentary-contact switches...

Dual comparators match precision industrial instrumentation
Dual comparators match precision industrial, instrumentation application needs
Apr 14, 2025 Circuits

Dual precision comparators are needed in many designs, such as for industrial and instrumentation applications, to generate accurate pulse-width modulated waveforms with very high (>99%) and very low (<1%) duty-cycle percentages...

Injection locking acts as frequency divider
Injection locking acts as a frequency divider and improves oscillator performance
Apr 10, 2025 Articles

Injection locking can not only improve oscillator frequency stability and phase noise, but act as a selective frequency divider as well...

Can free running LMC555 VCO discharge
Can a free running LMC555 VCO discharge its timing cap to zero?
Apr 8, 2025 Circuits

Frequent design idea contributor Nick Cornford recently published a synergistic pair of DIs... The main theme of these articles is design techniques for audio VCOs that have an exponential relationship between control voltage and frequency...

Versatile multistep resistor load bank is
Versatile multistep resistor load bank is simple and modular
Apr 7, 2025 Circuits

This modular resistor load bank uses a unique topology to reduce the number of switches and resistors while providing the maximum number of steps...

BJT muting switch
BJT muting switch
Apr 6, 2025 Circuits

In general, muting and/or signal switching is done by relays, FETs or CMOS analogue switch ICs. All have limitations, but a little known technique that really doesn't look like it could ever work...

Op-amp input protection can be noisy
Op-amp input protection can be noisy
Apr 2, 2025 Articles

Most operational amplifiers have input and output electrostatic discharge protection diodes. These diodes are designed for protection from ESD damage during device testing and product assembly...

Use current-mirror biasing avoid squegging RF
Use current-mirror biasing to avoid squegging in RF oscillators
Apr 1, 2025 Circuits

If you've ever designed an RF oscillator, you've probably encountered squegging. Sometimes called "motor boating," squegging causes oscillators to start and stop at frequencies much lower than the frequency of interest...