11/25/2017 Voltage to Current Converter | Electrical4u

Voltage to Current Converter

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The circuits in instrumentation for analog representation of certain physical quantities (weight, pressure, motion
etc), DC current is preferred. This is because DC current signals will be constant throughout the circuit in series
from the source to the load. The current sensing instruments also have the advantage of less noise. So,
sometimes it is essential to create current which is corresponding or proportional to a definite voltage. For this
purpose Voltage to Current Converters are used. It can simply change the carrier of electrical data from
voltage to current.
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Simple Voltage to Current Converter

When we confer about the connection between voltage and current, it is obvious to mention the Ohms law.

We all know that when we supply a voltage as input to a circuit which comprises of a resistor, the proportional
current will commence to flow through it. So, it is clear that the resistor decides the current flow in a voltage
source circuit or it performs as a simple voltage to current converter for a linear circuit.

The circuit diagram of a resistor which performs as a simple voltage to current converter is represented below.
In this diagram, the electrical quantities such as voltage and current are represented through bars and loop
respectively.

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But practically, the output current of this converter depends directly on the voltage drop across the connected
load in addition to the input voltage. Since, VR becomes . This is the reason why this circuit is said to be an
imperfect one or bad or passive version.

Voltage to Current Converter Using Op-Amp

Op-amp is implemented to simply convert the voltage signal to corresponding current signal. The Op-amp used
for this purpose is IC LM741. This Op-amp is designed to hold the precise amount of current by applying the
voltage which is essential to sustain that current through out the circuit. They are of two types that are explained
in detail below.

Floating Load Voltage to Current Converter

As the name indicates, the load resistor is floating in this converter circuit. That is, the resistor RL is not linked to
ground. The voltage, VIN which is the input voltage is given to the non-inverting input terminal. The inverting
input terminal is driven by the feedback voltage which is across the RL resistor. This feedback voltage is
determined by the load current and it is in series with the VD, which is the input difference voltage. So this circuit
is also known as current series negative feedback amplifier.

For the input loop, the voltage equation is

Since A is very large,

So,

Since, the input to the Op-amp,

From the above equation, it is clear that the load current depends on the input voltage and the input resistance.
That is, the load current, , which is the input voltage. The load current is controlled by the resistor, R.
Here, the proportionality constant is 1/R. So, this converter circuit is also known as Trans-Conductance Amplifier.
Other name of this circuit is Voltage Controlled Current Source.
The type of load may be resistive, capacitive or non-linear load. The type of load has no role in the above
equation. When the load connected is capacitor then it will get charge or discharge at a steady rate. Due to this
reason, the converter circuit is used for the production of saw tooth and triangular wave forms.

Ground Load Voltage to Current Converter

This converter is also known as Howland Current Converter. Here, one end of the load is always grounded. For the
circuit analysis, we have to first determine the voltage, VIN and then the relationship or the connection between
the input voltage and load current can be achieved.

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For that, we apply Kirchhoffs current law at the node V1

For a non-inverting amplifier, gain is

Here, the resistor, .

So, . Hence the voltage in the output will be

Thus, we can conclude from the above equation that the current IL is related to the voltage, VIN and the resistor,
R.

Application of Voltage to Current Converter

Zener diode tester
Low AC and DC Voltmeters
Testing LED
Testing Diodes
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