What Is the Difference Between Analog and Digital Circuit?

Electronic devices interact with each other and with the real world through information transfer. Information transfer is done using signals in analog and digital form. Electronic circuits that process any analog signal and provide an analog output are called analog circuits. Electronic circuits that process signals with discrete amplitude, also known as digital signals, are called digital circuits.

What Is the Difference Between Analog and Digital Circuit?
29.05.2021
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Electronic devices interact with each other and with the real world through information transfer. Information transfer is done using signals in analog and digital form.

A signal is a quantity that changes over time to convey some kind of information. In electrical circuits, a time-varying amount of voltage or current can be present in the signal. The information is stored in the amplitude, frequency or duty cycle of the graph. These signals are used to transfer data within or between circuits. Signal is divided into analog signal and digital signal.

An analog signal is a continuous time, continuous voltage or amplitude signal. Most analog signals can be decomposed into sine waves. The signal can go from positive amplitude to negative amplitude. The analog signal is more susceptible to noise, which creates distortion in the waveform and thus causes information loss.

A digital signal is a type of signal whose amplitude is not continuous, but which expresses fixed values ​​in a separate form. The most common type of digital signal is binary form, where the amplitude can be 0 (low voltage) or 1 (high voltage). Since digital signals only have two amplitude values, they are more immune to noise.

Analog Circuit

Electronic circuits that process any analog signal and provide an analog output are called analog circuits. Analog circuits are made of various analog circuit components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors.

The real world is analog in nature. Information, sounds, colors and lights in the world have endless possibilities.

Since real world signals are in analog form, no converter is needed at the input of the analog circuit. For example; The audio signal is converted into an electrical signal using a microphone, but this signal retains its analog form. The output of this analog circuit is also an analog signal and is used to feed a component such as a TV, radio or speaker.

The disadvantage of analog circuits is that in some cases the signals are distorted and information is lost. Therefore, the accuracy and sensitivity of analog circuits is low.

Digital Circuit

Electronic circuits that process signals with discrete amplitude, also known as digital signals, are called digital circuits. The digital circuit is built from digital logic gates, which are the basic building blocks.

ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) is used to process real world signals, as the digital circuit only works on digital signal. If the digital output signal needs to interact with real world components, a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) must be used at the circuit output.

Digital circuits can only be active circuits. An extra power supply is needed to operate the digital circuit. It is impossible to make a passive digital circuit as digital circuits are made of transistors.

The vast majority of digital circuits require a clock signal to synchronize the circuit’s operation. The clock signal determines when and how the next command in the circuit will run.

Emre Yılmaz, the founder of Lighting Portal, graduated from Atılım University Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2013, and since then has been involved in the management and product development activities of state-supported projects in the lighting industry. He completed his master's degree at Gazi University Industrial Design Engineering Department and continues his education in the doctorate program of the same department.
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