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Instrumentation Amplifier Primer Slide 6

Now, looking at a couple of measurements an instrumentation amplifier can do in more depth. The first is to measure a voltage signal from a remote sensor. This is very common in industrial applications. Because the sensor is some distance away from the measurement electronics, its ground will not be the same as the measurement electronics. To get the best accuracy, the instrumentation amp measures the sensor’s output with respect to the sensor ground, and then translates this to a voltage with respect to the ground of the measurement electronics. Another common instrumentation amp application is measuring a wheatstone bridge (for example for a strain or pressure measurement). The wheatstone bridge outputs a small differential signal. An instrumentation amplifier is used to amplify the small signal and reference it to the measurement circuit ground.

PTM Published on: 2011-01-04