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Electronics => Beginners => Topic started by: haseeb zaib on November 03, 2021, 10:53:44 am

Title: Purpose of these diodes in inverting opamp feedback
Post by: haseeb zaib on November 03, 2021, 10:53:44 am
Hi, I was reverse engineering a circuit for learning purposes and I came across this strange configuration of op-amp. I want to ask, what is the purpose of these diodes? (please explain little bit) are they being used to stop feedback current/voltage ? I was looking at log opamp but it seems to me this is something different.

I have also ran this circuit in ltspice but I still don't understand it.

on inverting input the voltage could vary as shown in image, but on non-inverting input the voltage is being given by voltage divider which equal to 5V-5.1V




Title: Re: Purpose of these diodes in inverting opamp feedback
Post by: vk6zgo on November 03, 2021, 11:25:43 am
Hi, I was reverse engineering a circuit for learning purposes and I came across this strange configuration of op-amp. I want to ask, what is the purpose of these diodes? (please explain little bit) are they being used to stop feedback current/voltage ? I was looking at log opamp but it seems to me this is something different.

I have also ran this circuit in ltspice but I still don't understand it.

on inverting input the voltage could vary as shown in image, but on non-inverting input the voltage is being given by voltage divider which equal to 5V-5.1V

I have seen a similar schematic, but that only used one diode.
The idea is to produce an amplifier with a non-linear transfer characteristic.

Back in the day, it was common to use an array of diodes to obtain such a characteristic for video "gamma correction" circuits.
Title: Re: Purpose of these diodes in inverting opamp feedback
Post by: Zero999 on November 03, 2021, 12:04:53 pm
It's an inverting amplifier, with a gain of 10, with the input and output referenced to 5V.

VOUT = 5+(5-VIN)*10

D1 and D2 limit VOUT to two diode drops below 5V.
Title: Re: Purpose of these diodes in inverting opamp feedback
Post by: haseeb zaib on November 03, 2021, 01:20:28 pm
thanks alot, for taking the time and doing this simulation

I understood it way better. In the actual circuit, the voltage was also limited to around 4V, similar to it was in a simulation. when I removed the diodes it went to 0 volt.

thanks once again