What Is the Purpose of Op Amps?

[barneygumble742]

hi,

i'm a little...a lot confused about op amps. in english, can someone tell me their purpose?

thanks

 

[berkeman]

An opamp is a high gain differential amplifier, generally used between DC and a few 100kHz. It is usually a 3-terminal device, with +/- inputs and an output (plus power pins obviously). The key parameters of an opamp are the input characteristics (input bias and offset currents and voltages), the gain-phase characteristic plot versus frequency, and the output drive capability.

I googled opamp tutorial and got lots of hits. Here's the list:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=opamp+tutorial

 

[lukmannet]

It's correct that Op-amps are very useful.
They can replace many kinds of simple device used in our daily instruments, such as:
1. Comparators used as Sensors, Such as: light, water/wet level, temperature, motion, and so on, as long as we have the transducers.
2. Negatif feedback which they have, is very stable.
3. Their gain is very linear and steady, just like an ideal amplifier.
4. High input as well as very low output impedance, Etc.

In my opinion, for analog electronics, you'd better be very familiar with this tiny component.

Thx

 

[Proton Soup]

hmm, the real reason you buy Op-Amps is that designing amplifiers from discrete components is difficult, and can be darn near impossible to match components. with an Op-Amp and a hand full of resistors, pretty much anyone can put together a high-quality circuit for isolating and manipulating an analog signal without getting an engineering degree and specializing in analog electronics.

to get a better idea of what they're "good for", it might be helpful to check out one of the Op-Amp "cookbook" type texts.