Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Analog & Digital Signalls, Tranducer & Sensor
Analog & Digital Signalls, Tranducer & Sensor
What is a Signal?
Gestures, actions, sounds, expressions tell us some information, and
these are the ways of communicating one to other.
Similarly signal is a way of communicating by sending information
from one system to other system. In other words signal is a function
that represents information or data.
Voltage and current are few time varying quantities that are used to
represent data, by varying these quantities with respect to time data
can be transmitted. Similarly signal is also represented as the
function of the frequency domain rather than time domain.
Digital Signals
The signal, whose amplitude takes only limited values is called
Digital signal.
Digital signals carry binary data i.e. 0 or 1 in form of bits, it can only
contain one value at a period of time. Digital signals are
represented as square waves or clock signals.
Analog signal is continuous and time varying. Digital signal have two or more states and in binary form.
Troubleshooting of analog signals are difficult. Troubleshooting of digital signals are easy.
An analog signal is usually in the form of sine wave. An digital signal is usually in the form of square wave.
Easily affected by the noise. These are stable and less prone to noise.
Analog signals use continous values to represent the data. Digital signals use discrete values to represent the data.
Accuracy of the analog signals may be affected by noise. Accuracy of the digital signals are immune from the noise.
Analog signals may be affected during data transmission. Digital signals are not affacted during data transmission.
Analog signals use more power. Digital signals use less power.
Components like resistors, Capacitors, Inductors, Diodes Components like transistors, logic gates, and micro-controllers
are used in analog circuits. are used in Digital circuits.
Read Next:
• History of Microprocessors
• History of 4 to 20 mA signals
• PLC Controllers History
• What is a Network?
• Early Vacuum Tube History
What is a Transducer?
A transducer converts or transforms one form of energy into
another. It does so by the process known as transduction.
In typical and general cases, the device changes a signal from one
of its states into another one. Let us take an example. A transducer
can convert electrical energy to a mechanical form of variation.
Mechanical Transducer
Electrical Transducer
Input Transducer
Output Transducer
Position Sensor
Strain Gauge
Humidity Sensor
Force Sensor
Pressure Sensor
Temperature Sensor
• Nature
A transducer is like a translator, while a sensor is like a detector.
• Components
A transducer has a signal conditioner and sensor. A sensor has no
such parts.
• Performance Complexity
A transducer’s operation is more complex than that of a sensor.
• Feedback System
A transducer gives feedback to a particular system using an output
device. It does so after the processing in the signal conditioner part.
On the other hand, a sensor does not have the ability and capability
to do so.
• Output Signal
A transducer alters the output signal to change it to an electrical
form. A sensor does not make any conversions.
Read Next: