APPLICATIONS OF OPEN LOOP CONFIGURATION OP-AMP:

1. OP-AMP AS COMPARATOR:
An op-amp acts as a comparator. If the inverting
input is held at ground (0 v) directly or by a
resistor R
g
, and the input voltage V
in
applied to
the non-inverting input is positive, the output ill
be ma!imum positive" if V
in
is negative, the
output ill be ma!imum negative. #ince there is
no feedbac$ from the output to either input, this
is an open loop circuit acting as a comparator.
%he circuit&s gain is 'ust the A
ol
of the op-amp.
2. ZERO CROSSING DETECTOR:
A (ero crossing detector is a comparator ith the
reference level set at (ero. It is used for detecting
the (ero crossings of ac signals. It can be made
from an operational ampli)er ith an input voltage
at its positive input (see circuit diagram).
*hen the input voltage is positive, the output
voltage is a positive value, hen the input voltage
is negative" the output voltage is a negative value.
%he magnitude of the output voltage is a property
of the operational ampli)er and its poer supply.
3. SWITCHING AT LOW VOLTAGES SIGNAL:
All signal sources are a composite of to ma'or components. %he normal mode
component (V
+,
) represents the signal of interest and is the voltage that is
applied directly across the inputs of the ampli)er.
%he common mode component (V
-,
) represents
the di.erence in potential beteen the lo side
of the normal mode component and the ground of
the ampli)er that is used to measure the signal of
interest (the normal mode voltage).
In many measurement situations the common
mode component is irrelevantly lo, but rarely
(ero. -ommon mode components of only a fe
mili volts are fre/uently encountered and largely
and successfully ignored, especially hen the
normal mode component is orders of magnitude larger.