the frequency is much ance for the attenuation network is:

higher than the cutoff FIXED-GAIN AMPLIFIER

frequency of the high- MAX9705 1
pass filter comprising Z IN = + R1 + R I
RF 2π × F × CIN
CIN and the equivalent
RIN CIN R RI
input resistance of the ⎛ ⎛ ⎞⎞⎞
1
⫹ ⎛ 1
circuit. ⎜ R 2 + ⎜ R I ⎜ R1 + ⎟⎟ ,
The fixed gain of the
VIN/2 ⎜⎝ ⎝ ⎝ 2π × F × CIN ⎟⎠ ⎠ ⎟⎠
ⳮ R2/2
MAX9705 amplifier
is typically within 5%, where ZIN is the input impedance and F
but the internal input is the input-signal frequency.
resistors have an abso- Deriving the highpass cutoff fre-
lute tolerance of ⫾40%, Figure 2 For the differential configuration of Figure quency for the single-ended case is less
which you must con- 1a, an equivalent half-circuit simplifies analysis. straightforward. To find the cutoff fre-
sider when calculating quency, you must know the resistor val-
the resulting system gain. You must which must be able to drive the equiv- ues. Once you know them, you can solve
also account for the tolerance of the alent load of the network. When de- the following equation for the cutoff
external resistors, using a worst-case termining the final gain for the system, frequency: ZIN(f)⫽公2⫻ZIN(f⫽5000).
approach for calculating the gain tol- remember that the output impedance A spreadsheet is useful for determin-
erance. Replacing the resistor values of the input voltage forms a voltage di- ing the correct resistor values and sys-
with their maximum deviations from vider with the input impedance of the tem tolerances. Remember that resis-
normal—that is, the extreme values attenuation circuit. You can determine tors come in discrete values of resis-
at the positive and negative tolerance this load, the input resistance, as fol- tance, and you must match rather than
limits—yields the worst-case scenario lows: For the differential configura- simply calculate them. A spreadsheet
(Table 1). tion, RIN⫽R1⫹RI얍(R2/2). RIN and CIN for determining custom gains and gain
For the tightest tolerance, choose form a highpass filter whose cutoff fre- tolerances for single-ended and differ-
a smaller value for R1 than for RI and quency, F⫺3 dB, is 1/(2⫻␲⫻RIN⫻CIN). ential configurations of the MAX9705
remember to account for the source For the single-ended configuration, is available at www.maxim-ic.com/
characteristics of the input voltage, RIN⫽R1⫹RI얍(R2⫹R1얍RI). Input imped- an-4559-supplement.EDN

TABLE 1 WORST-CASE-TOLERANCE CALCULATION

Lowest gain Single-ended Differential Highest gain Single-ended Differential
R1A Positive tolerance Positive tolerance R1A Negative tolerance Negative tolerance
R1B Positive tolerance Positive tolerance R1B Negative tolerance Negative tolerance
R2 Negative tolerance Negative tolerance R2 Positive tolerance Positive tolerance
R I1 Negative tolerance Negative tolerance R I1 Positive tolerance Positive tolerance

R I2 Positive tolerance Negative tolerance R I2 Negative tolerance Positive tolerance

LED flasher checks control flip-flop. Pressing pushbutton

fiber-optic strands
Edwin A Mack, Port Republic, NJ
The circuit in Figure 1 allows

you to verify fiber-optic strands,
especially in cases in which a link goes
through several patch panels. It uses
two high-intensity LEDs that you can
see at the far end. The flasher shuts it-
self off after about 50 minutes and has
minuscule power drain when off. The
circuit works on multimode fiber at dis-
tances greater than 1 km. It also works
with single-mode fiber, but is more dif-
ficult to see on the receiving end. With
short fiber, it is best to look at the far
end at a slight angle due to the LED
brightness.
IC1B, a Schmitt-trigger oscillator
running at approximately 5 Hz, drives
IC2, a 4020 binary divider. IC3A is the
switch S1 sets the flip-flop, which starts
the oscillator and enables the 4020 to
start counting from its all-zero state. It
also enables gates IC1A and IC1D, which
control the PNP LED-driver transis-
tors. Pressing pushbutton switch S2 re-
sets the control flip-flop; alternatively,
the 4020 reaches the end of its count
sequence, resetting the flip-flop. IC3B
divides the oscillator frequency by two
to provide a 50% duty cycle to the LED
drivers. The T1-¾ LEDs fit nicely into
ST barrel connectors with some glue

JANUARY 7, 2010 | EDN 45

designideas
to hold them in place. You can use a
patch cable to match the fiber connec-
tors in your network. Using a yellow
LED works, considering the fiber at-
tenuation. If you choose to use two red frequency. The component values and
LEDs, however, then drive one of the placement are not critical; the circuit
LEDs at the oscillator frequency and in Figure 1 resides in an old, surface-
drive the other at half the oscillator mount fiber-outlet box.EDN

BAT1
THREE AAA CELLS

C2 ⫹ C3
22 ␮F
0.1 ␮F
S1 15V V⫹

R3
100k START
9 7 5 4 6 13 12 14 15 1 2
Q0 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12
9 2N3906
5 Hz 8 3 1 1
10 IC2 3 10 C S Q 3
CLK Q13 2 Q1
4020 IC3A
6 IC1C R4
4013A 2 IC1A
RST 4093 10k
R1 5 4093
IC1B D R Q
15k 11
4093 4 R6
5 4 68 OR 75

S2 D1
C1 ⫹ RED
33 ␮F
STOP R2
V⫹ 100k
RUN

V⫹
8
11 13
C S Q
2N3906
IC3B 12
12 11
13 Q2
9 R5
D R Q
10 IC1D 10k

R7
68 OR 75

D2
YELLOW

Figure 1 This circuit allows you to verify fiber-optic strands when a link goes through several patch panels.

Each MAX4606 contains two nor-

Circuit routes audio signals
between equipment
Roger Khourey, Los Angeles, CA
The audio-signal router in this

Design Idea can automatically
redirect cable connections between
the audio equipment and an ampli-
fier/receiver for dubbing or playback
purposes without causing distortion or
noise to the signal (Figure 1). It can
be useful for older-model amplifier/
receivers and any type of tape-deck-
playback or -recorder equipment.
The circuit uses four Maxim (www.
maxim-ic.com) 4606 quad-SPST (sin-
gle-pole/single-throw) CMOS analog
switches to accommodate as many
as eight playback and record signals
for two pieces of audio equipment.
mally open and two normally closed
logic switches. These switches have
a maximum on-resistance of 5⍀ and
an on-resistance match of 0.5⍀ be-
tween channels to minimize distor-
tion. They can also handle rail-to-rail
analog signals.
The circuit consumes little current
and therefore requires no heat sinks on
the power supplies. Because this circuit
targets use with audio signals, it needs
positive and negative supplies to pre-
(continued on pg 49)

46 EDN | JANUARY 7, 2010