I'm struggling to understand what op-amps do.

🐝 Addison

2023-08-14 · 9 months ago · 🤔 1

4 Comments ↓

📻 solderpunk · 2023-08-14 at 15:24:

Whatever they need to do to make their two inputs equal, is the short answer! But by putting different arrangements of (usually) passive components between the output and input, you can get them to do all sorts of things: amplify, attenuate, invert, filter, sum, buffer, and more. They are very versatile building blocks, but it definitely takes a long time to get used to them and it's not unusual to spend hours scratching your head in the beginning. Texas Instruments have some good "cookbook" style application notes that I refer to regularly.

🐝 Addison [OP] · 2023-08-14 at 18:35:

@solderpunk Are you referring to the revised Handbook of Operational Amplifier Applications? A brief search turned that one up, and I'm finding it quite approachable so far. 👍

📻 solderpunk · 2023-08-14 at 19:16:

@Addison Actually, that one looks even better for starting out than the one I remember! Seems to spend more time trying to explain the underlying principles.

🚀 stack · 2023-08-17 at 23:34:

An op-amp is just a serious signal amplifier (correct me if I am wrong, but something like 1:100000 straight through...) with a differential input and a simple output. The +/- inputs allow for a negative feedback, so you can easily adjust the gain. You can do all kinds of tricks with op-amps.