Synthesis and Experimentation of Voltage Compressor and Decompressor With Active Circuit

Abstract

This paper introduces an innovative circuit theory of analog voltage compressor (AVC) and decompressor (AVD). This electronic function can also be assumed as an analog voltage converter. Analytically, it acts as power function synthesizer topology designed with an analog nonlinear circuit. The AVC/AVD topologies are based on an operational amplifier associated with resistor and non-linear diode components. Given the positive parameter a > 0, the main x-y characteristic of the AVC/AVD is formulated by y = x a for the input and output x and y, respectively. The synthesis formulas allowing to determine the AVC/AVD parameters as a function of a are established. To validate the original AVC/AVD concept, static and dynamic simulations and experimentations with a proof-of-concept circuit using operational amplifier UA741 are carried out. As expected, well correlated x 1/2-AVC and x 2-AVD characteristics are realized with the static testing for the voltage range varied from 0 to 9-V and 0 to 3-V for AVC and AVD circuits, respectively. The simulation and experimentation of dynamic test results are in good agreement for the sine wave voltages with frequency varied from DC to 1-kHz. The simulated and experimental results confirm the relevance of the developed compressor/decompressor analog circuit. The AVC/AVD functions for instrumentation system applications can be potentially applied to the amplitude matching especially for digital systems.