| Not too long ago I was retained as an engineering expert to testify on behalf of a plaintiff who owned a sports bar. The place was filled with flat screen televisions that were plugged into 120 volt alternating current (VAC) wall outlets. To make a long story short, the electric utility wires that fed power to the bar were hit by a passing vehicle, causing the voltage in the outlets to increase well beyond what the electronics in the televisions could handle. The delicate electronics were not suited to be connected with the high voltage that suddenly surged through them as a result of the hit, and they overloaded and failed.
Similarly, lower voltage microprocessor and digital logic chips are also not suited to directly connect with higher voltage devices like motors, electrical relays, and light bulbs. An interface between the two is needed to keep the delicate electronic circuits in the chips from overloading and failing like the ill fated televisions in my client’s sports bar. Let’s look now at how a field effect transistor (FET) acts as the interface between low and high voltages when put into operation within an industrial product. I was once asked to design an industrial product, a machine which developed medical x-ray films, utilizing a microprocessor chip to automate its operation. The design requirements stated that the product be powered by a 120 VAC, such as that available through the nearest wall outlet. In terms of functionality, upon startup the microprocessor chip was to be programmed to first perform a 40-minute warmup of the machine, then activate a 12 volt direct current (VDC) buzzer for two seconds, signaling that it was ready for use. This sequence was to be initiated by a human operator depressing an activation button. The problem presented by this scenario was that the microprocessor chip manufacturer designed it to operate on a mere 5 VDC. In additional, it was equipped with a digital output lead that was limited in functionality to either “on” or “off” and capable of only supplying either extreme of 0 VDC or 5 VDC, not the 12 VDC required by the buzzer. Figure 1 illustrates my solution to this voltage problem, although the diagram shown presents a highly simplified version of the end solution.
Figure 1The illustration shows the initial power supplied at the upper left to be 120 VAC. This then is converted down to 5 VDC and 12 VDC respectively by a power supply circuit. The 5 VDC powers the microprocessor chip and the 12 VDC powers the buzzer. The conversion from high 120 VAC voltage to low 5 and 12 VDC voltage is accomplished through the use of a transformer, a diode bridge, and special transistors that regulate voltage. Since this article is about FETs, we’ll discuss transistor power supplies in more depth in a future article. To make things a little easier to follow, the diagram in Figure 1 shows the microprocessor chip with only one input lead and one output lead. In actuality a microprocessor chip can have dozens of input and output leads, as was the case in my solution. The input leads collect information from sensors, switches, and other electrical components for processing and decision making by the computer program contained within the chip. Output leads then send out commands in the form of digital signals that are either 0 VDC or 5 VDC. In other words, off or on. The net result is that these signals are turned off or on by the program’s decision making process. Figure 1 shows the input lead is connected to a pushbutton activated by a human. The output lead is connected to the gate (G) of the FET. The FET is shown in symbolic form in green. The FET drain (D) lead is connected to the buzzer and its source (S) lead terminates in connection to electrical ground to complete the electrical circuit. Remember, electric current naturally likes to flow from the supply source to electrical ground within circuits, and our scenario is no exception. Next time we’ll see what happens when someone presses the button to put everything into action.
____________________________________________ |
Posts Tagged ‘digital interface’
Transistors – Digital Control Interface, Part I
Monday, June 18th, 2012| In the navy, the captain is the brains behind a ship’s operations. He gathers information, makes important decisions, then issues orders. He’s not there to roll up his sleeves and swab the decks. The captain relies on the ship’s officers to act as an interface between himself and the sailors that perform the physical labor required on deck.
In this article we’ll see how the FET, that is, the field effect transistor, performs much the same role as the ship’s officers when it is used within electronic controls. There it acts as an interface between electronic components that issue commands and the electrical devices that carry them out. Last week we became familiar with field effect transistors and how their control of electrical current flow is analogous to how a faucet controls the flow of water. Although FETs can be used to vary the flow of current, they’re usually employed to perform a much simpler task, that of simply turning flow on or off, with no in-between modality. Like the captain of a ship, microprocessor and logic chips are the brains behind the operation in all sorts of industrial and consumer electronics. Figure 1 shows a few of them. Figure 1
The chips, which operate on low voltage, contain entire computer programs within them that gather information, make decisions, then instruct the higher voltage devices like motors, electrical relays, light bulbs, and audible alarms to follow. By “information,” I mean data signals received by the chip from its input connections to sensors, buttons, and other electrical components. This data informs the chip’s computer program of important operational information, like whether buttons have been pressed, switches are activated, and temperatures are normal. Based on this data, “decisions” are made by the chip using the logic contained within its program, then, depending on the decisions made, “commands” are issued by the chip. The commands, in the form of electrical output signals, are put into action by the work horses, the higher voltage devices. They, like a ship’s sailors, perform the actual physical work. There is one problem presented by this scenario, however. The electric output signals from the lower voltage chips are not suited to directly control the higher voltage devices because the signal voltage put out by the chips is too low. Even if the chip was designed to work at a higher voltage, the high level of current drawn by the motors, relays, and bulbs would lead to damage of the delicate circuitry within the chip. The chips must therefore rely on the FET to act as a digital control interface between them and the higher voltage devices, much as the ship’s captain depends on his subordinates to carry out his orders. Next week we’ll look at a real life example of how a digital interface is put into operation within an industrial product.
____________________________________________ |
