Spacewar! (was Re: Laser display...)

From: der Mouse <mouse_at_Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
Date: Sun Feb 20 19:40:08 2005

> If you look at these circuits, you will find they are amplifiers that
> are driven in to clipping [...]

> The point of this rambling, as some have pointed out before, is that
> the circuit is the same, it is the mode of operation that differs.

The circuit is fundamentally the same, but the details are vastly
different. An amplifier designed for analog amplification will be
tuned for linearity in the non-clipping region and designed to operate
there. An amplifier designed for use as a logic gate will be tuned for
operation in the saturated/cutoff regions and not particularly
interested in linearity in the non-clipping region (and indeed it
wouldn't surprise me to see such a thing exceed its design current draw
and heat dissipation parameters if operated in the "linear" region).

> (and yes, you can build useable audio amps out of 4000 series
> inverters).

I'm surprised they're linear enough. Or are you just designing under
the assumption of infinite gain, depending on negative feedback to
linearize things?

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Received on Sun Feb 20 2005 - 19:40:08 GMT