Circuit to “zoom in” on mV fluctuations of a DC signal? Unicorn Meta Zoo #1: Why another podcast? Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar ManaraIncreasing precision of a practical opamp circuit when the input signal is very small40kHz signal amplifier with ua741Amplifying a decaying signal to a signal of uniform amplitudeHelp comparator circuit for this PWM signal inverterCircuit design question - low pass filterVirtual Earth - Signal ConnectionA question about choosing, implementing and placing a strain-gauge amplifierCircuit for squaring (raise to power 2) signalHow can I use a comparator in a circuit?Quadrature Encoder Interface Circuit

Additive group of local rings

Is a 5 watt UHF/VHF handheld considered QRP?

What do you call the part of a novel that is not dialog?

How long after the last departure shall the airport stay open for an emergency return?

What is the term for a person whose job is to place products on shelves in stores?

Did the Roman Empire have penal colonies?

Mistake in years of experience in resume?

What is the best way to deal with NPC-NPC combat?

Justification for leaving new position after a short time

Map material from china not allowed to leave the country

Could moose/elk survive in the Amazon forest?

Implementing 3DES algorithm in Java: is my code secure?

Has a Nobel Peace laureate ever been accused of war crimes?

Does Mathematica have an implementation of the Poisson Binomial Distribution?

Are all CP/M-80 implementations binary compatible?

Protagonist's race is hidden - should I reveal it?

How to use @AuraEnabled base class method in Lightning Component?

My admission is revoked after accepting the admission offer

What to do with someone that cheated their way through university and a PhD program?

Do I need to protect SFP ports and optics from dust/contaminants? If so, how?

What is this word supposed to be?

"Rubric" as meaning "signature" or "personal mark" -- is this accepted usage?

Multiple options vs single option UI

Are these square matrices always diagonalisable?



Circuit to “zoom in” on mV fluctuations of a DC signal?



Unicorn Meta Zoo #1: Why another podcast?
Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar ManaraIncreasing precision of a practical opamp circuit when the input signal is very small40kHz signal amplifier with ua741Amplifying a decaying signal to a signal of uniform amplitudeHelp comparator circuit for this PWM signal inverterCircuit design question - low pass filterVirtual Earth - Signal ConnectionA question about choosing, implementing and placing a strain-gauge amplifierCircuit for squaring (raise to power 2) signalHow can I use a comparator in a circuit?Quadrature Encoder Interface Circuit



.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








6












$begingroup$


I have a signal that is roughly 0.2V + noise fluctuations of order 0.1-2 mV. Ideally I want to amplify this signal such that the mV fluctuations become about 1V. In other words I want to amplify the signal by about 1000x.



However, if I flat out amplify the signal, the total signal becomes 200V + 1V fluctuations, which I can't reasonably read on some bench top DAQ (0-10V range).



Is there some combination of circuit elements that can take my input 0.2V + 1mV signal and spit out only the amplified fluctuations (i.e. 0V + 1V fluctuations)?



I should say that these fluctuations are controlled by me physically squeezing a pressure gauge, so they aren't necessarily high frequency. Basically the signal rises to 0.202V when I squeeze, and 0.200V when I let go. I want to see that excess 0.002V blown up to 1V, but I may be squeezing and letting go slowly in general.










share|improve this question











$endgroup$











  • $begingroup$
    Are you interested in the signal? Or the noise? I can't tell from the writing. I'd normally assume that you don't want the signal part. But I'd rather not assume. Instead, just ask.
    $endgroup$
    – jonk
    Apr 17 at 21:48


















6












$begingroup$


I have a signal that is roughly 0.2V + noise fluctuations of order 0.1-2 mV. Ideally I want to amplify this signal such that the mV fluctuations become about 1V. In other words I want to amplify the signal by about 1000x.



However, if I flat out amplify the signal, the total signal becomes 200V + 1V fluctuations, which I can't reasonably read on some bench top DAQ (0-10V range).



Is there some combination of circuit elements that can take my input 0.2V + 1mV signal and spit out only the amplified fluctuations (i.e. 0V + 1V fluctuations)?



I should say that these fluctuations are controlled by me physically squeezing a pressure gauge, so they aren't necessarily high frequency. Basically the signal rises to 0.202V when I squeeze, and 0.200V when I let go. I want to see that excess 0.002V blown up to 1V, but I may be squeezing and letting go slowly in general.










share|improve this question











$endgroup$











  • $begingroup$
    Are you interested in the signal? Or the noise? I can't tell from the writing. I'd normally assume that you don't want the signal part. But I'd rather not assume. Instead, just ask.
    $endgroup$
    – jonk
    Apr 17 at 21:48














6












6








6





$begingroup$


I have a signal that is roughly 0.2V + noise fluctuations of order 0.1-2 mV. Ideally I want to amplify this signal such that the mV fluctuations become about 1V. In other words I want to amplify the signal by about 1000x.



However, if I flat out amplify the signal, the total signal becomes 200V + 1V fluctuations, which I can't reasonably read on some bench top DAQ (0-10V range).



Is there some combination of circuit elements that can take my input 0.2V + 1mV signal and spit out only the amplified fluctuations (i.e. 0V + 1V fluctuations)?



I should say that these fluctuations are controlled by me physically squeezing a pressure gauge, so they aren't necessarily high frequency. Basically the signal rises to 0.202V when I squeeze, and 0.200V when I let go. I want to see that excess 0.002V blown up to 1V, but I may be squeezing and letting go slowly in general.










share|improve this question











$endgroup$




I have a signal that is roughly 0.2V + noise fluctuations of order 0.1-2 mV. Ideally I want to amplify this signal such that the mV fluctuations become about 1V. In other words I want to amplify the signal by about 1000x.



However, if I flat out amplify the signal, the total signal becomes 200V + 1V fluctuations, which I can't reasonably read on some bench top DAQ (0-10V range).



Is there some combination of circuit elements that can take my input 0.2V + 1mV signal and spit out only the amplified fluctuations (i.e. 0V + 1V fluctuations)?



I should say that these fluctuations are controlled by me physically squeezing a pressure gauge, so they aren't necessarily high frequency. Basically the signal rises to 0.202V when I squeeze, and 0.200V when I let go. I want to see that excess 0.002V blown up to 1V, but I may be squeezing and letting go slowly in general.







operational-amplifier amplifier circuit-design signal-processing






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Apr 18 at 15:35









Null

4,903102233




4,903102233










asked Apr 17 at 21:24









MartyMarty

335




335











  • $begingroup$
    Are you interested in the signal? Or the noise? I can't tell from the writing. I'd normally assume that you don't want the signal part. But I'd rather not assume. Instead, just ask.
    $endgroup$
    – jonk
    Apr 17 at 21:48

















  • $begingroup$
    Are you interested in the signal? Or the noise? I can't tell from the writing. I'd normally assume that you don't want the signal part. But I'd rather not assume. Instead, just ask.
    $endgroup$
    – jonk
    Apr 17 at 21:48
















$begingroup$
Are you interested in the signal? Or the noise? I can't tell from the writing. I'd normally assume that you don't want the signal part. But I'd rather not assume. Instead, just ask.
$endgroup$
– jonk
Apr 17 at 21:48





$begingroup$
Are you interested in the signal? Or the noise? I can't tell from the writing. I'd normally assume that you don't want the signal part. But I'd rather not assume. Instead, just ask.
$endgroup$
– jonk
Apr 17 at 21:48











5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes


















12












$begingroup$

Capacitors block DC and pass AC.



You can use a series capacitor into an opamp with whatever gain you need.



Even better might be a simple RC high-pass filter...One capacitor (series) and one resistor (to ground) in front of your amplifier.



Like this:





schematic





simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



R2 and R3 set your gain. C1 and R1 set your low frequency cut-off. The formula you use to find the cutoff is:



$$Ftext(Hz) = frac12 pi R C$$






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Thank you for your answer! If you see my edit: will the capacitor block out the fluctuations if they aren't very fast (maybe a quick squeeze/release every 2 seconds)? i.e. a voltage difference when I squeeze a pressure gauge (squeezing vs not squeezing is only a ~1mV signal added to the 0.2V DC)
    $endgroup$
    – Marty
    Apr 17 at 21:52







  • 2




    $begingroup$
    It's called "MathJax". I've added your formula to your answer to show you how it's done. You can learn more by clicking on the help icon in the editor, select "Advanced Help" and scroll down to the section labeled "LaTeX", which also has a link to MathJax specifically. There's also this post on meta, which provides links to a number of quick references and other resources.
    $endgroup$
    – Dave Tweed
    Apr 17 at 22:03







  • 1




    $begingroup$
    So if I wanted a gain of 1000 and a cutoff of 1 Hz, the following values might work? C1=100 uF, R1=1.5k ohm, R2=100k ohm, R3=100 ohm
    $endgroup$
    – Marty
    Apr 17 at 22:04






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @Marty in most circumstances, I would prefer to increase resistance instead of capacitance. A larger resistor value is the same price and physical size as a small resistance, but a large capacitor is much larger physically and more expensive than a small one.
    $endgroup$
    – user60561
    Apr 18 at 4:05






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Note that a filter with a long time constant can take quite a long time to charge the cap to the DCbias level. Aka, expect the signal to max out for some seconds to minutes depending on cutoff freq and gain.
    $endgroup$
    – RobinSt
    Apr 18 at 20:13


















6












$begingroup$

Here's something inspired by the first 2 answers. Make a 10-second low pass filter of the input signal and feed that into an op-amp's non-inverting input (+). Then take a 1-second high pass filter of the same input signal, and feed that into the inverting (-) input of the same op-amp.



Fluctuations get subtracted from the average and amplified a lot. If it's too much amplification, a resistor in series with C2 will lower the gain. This also inverts the fluctuation signals. If you want them non-inverted, follow this with a gain of -1 inverting stage.





schematic





simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the comment. In this scenario would the 1 kHz sine be replaced with my 0.2V signal? Would this work if the "fluctuations" are squeezes of the pressure gauge at about 1 hz (something like a heartbeat-like pulse)?
    $endgroup$
    – Marty
    Apr 18 at 23:36











  • $begingroup$
    Yep, I forgot to override the default frequency of the sine-wave symbol in the circuit simulator, but I meant it to represent your signal at 1Hz.
    $endgroup$
    – hoosierEE
    Apr 18 at 23:48


















2












$begingroup$

Digital designer here so I'm not certain, but...



The other answers assume high-frequency fluctuations. Instead you want to subtract the 0.2 V and amplify that. You can use a summing amplifier to subtract the offset, if you've got positive and negative supply voltages. I think you can also use an inverting configuration where the non-inverting input is at 0.2V instead of ground.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$




















    2












    $begingroup$

    Sure, just an ordinary inverting op-amp can do that:





    schematic





    simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



    Remember that an op-amp wants to make its inputs the same. So if you put 2V on the non-inverting input, and the signal input is also 2V, the output will be 2V.



    But say the signal input is 2.1 V. The op-amp wants to make the non-inverting input also 2V, and will have to drive the output higher than 2V to make that happen due to the voltage divider action of R1 and R2. The selection of these resistors thus sets the gain.



    Keep in mind any source impedance will effectively add to R2, so if your sensor doesn't already have a low-impedance output, you may want to buffer it.



    You have a couple options for realizing V2, since you probably won't want to find a 2V battery. Since the op-amp's input impedance is quite high, this doesn't need to be a low impedance source, so it could be as simple as a potentiometer across the power supply. Of course this will make the circuit somewhat dependent on the supply voltage, and the small but non-zero input current to the op-amp will introduce some error, so if you require high precision you might find an adjustable voltage regulator more suitable.






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$




















      1












      $begingroup$

      Use a coupling capacitor prior to the amplifier. The DC signal will be blocked but the fluctuations will pass through.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$













        Your Answer






        StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function ()
        return StackExchange.using("schematics", function ()
        StackExchange.schematics.init();
        );
        , "cicuitlab");

        StackExchange.ready(function()
        var channelOptions =
        tags: "".split(" "),
        id: "135"
        ;
        initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

        StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
        // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
        if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
        StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
        createEditor();
        );

        else
        createEditor();

        );

        function createEditor()
        StackExchange.prepareEditor(
        heartbeatType: 'answer',
        autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
        convertImagesToLinks: false,
        noModals: true,
        showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
        reputationToPostImages: null,
        bindNavPrevention: true,
        postfix: "",
        imageUploader:
        brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
        contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
        allowUrls: true
        ,
        onDemand: true,
        discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
        ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
        );



        );













        draft saved

        draft discarded


















        StackExchange.ready(
        function ()
        StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2felectronics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f433132%2fcircuit-to-zoom-in-on-mv-fluctuations-of-a-dc-signal%23new-answer', 'question_page');

        );

        Post as a guest















        Required, but never shown

























        5 Answers
        5






        active

        oldest

        votes








        5 Answers
        5






        active

        oldest

        votes









        active

        oldest

        votes






        active

        oldest

        votes









        12












        $begingroup$

        Capacitors block DC and pass AC.



        You can use a series capacitor into an opamp with whatever gain you need.



        Even better might be a simple RC high-pass filter...One capacitor (series) and one resistor (to ground) in front of your amplifier.



        Like this:





        schematic





        simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



        R2 and R3 set your gain. C1 and R1 set your low frequency cut-off. The formula you use to find the cutoff is:



        $$Ftext(Hz) = frac12 pi R C$$






        share|improve this answer











        $endgroup$












        • $begingroup$
          Thank you for your answer! If you see my edit: will the capacitor block out the fluctuations if they aren't very fast (maybe a quick squeeze/release every 2 seconds)? i.e. a voltage difference when I squeeze a pressure gauge (squeezing vs not squeezing is only a ~1mV signal added to the 0.2V DC)
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 17 at 21:52







        • 2




          $begingroup$
          It's called "MathJax". I've added your formula to your answer to show you how it's done. You can learn more by clicking on the help icon in the editor, select "Advanced Help" and scroll down to the section labeled "LaTeX", which also has a link to MathJax specifically. There's also this post on meta, which provides links to a number of quick references and other resources.
          $endgroup$
          – Dave Tweed
          Apr 17 at 22:03







        • 1




          $begingroup$
          So if I wanted a gain of 1000 and a cutoff of 1 Hz, the following values might work? C1=100 uF, R1=1.5k ohm, R2=100k ohm, R3=100 ohm
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 17 at 22:04






        • 1




          $begingroup$
          @Marty in most circumstances, I would prefer to increase resistance instead of capacitance. A larger resistor value is the same price and physical size as a small resistance, but a large capacitor is much larger physically and more expensive than a small one.
          $endgroup$
          – user60561
          Apr 18 at 4:05






        • 1




          $begingroup$
          Note that a filter with a long time constant can take quite a long time to charge the cap to the DCbias level. Aka, expect the signal to max out for some seconds to minutes depending on cutoff freq and gain.
          $endgroup$
          – RobinSt
          Apr 18 at 20:13















        12












        $begingroup$

        Capacitors block DC and pass AC.



        You can use a series capacitor into an opamp with whatever gain you need.



        Even better might be a simple RC high-pass filter...One capacitor (series) and one resistor (to ground) in front of your amplifier.



        Like this:





        schematic





        simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



        R2 and R3 set your gain. C1 and R1 set your low frequency cut-off. The formula you use to find the cutoff is:



        $$Ftext(Hz) = frac12 pi R C$$






        share|improve this answer











        $endgroup$












        • $begingroup$
          Thank you for your answer! If you see my edit: will the capacitor block out the fluctuations if they aren't very fast (maybe a quick squeeze/release every 2 seconds)? i.e. a voltage difference when I squeeze a pressure gauge (squeezing vs not squeezing is only a ~1mV signal added to the 0.2V DC)
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 17 at 21:52







        • 2




          $begingroup$
          It's called "MathJax". I've added your formula to your answer to show you how it's done. You can learn more by clicking on the help icon in the editor, select "Advanced Help" and scroll down to the section labeled "LaTeX", which also has a link to MathJax specifically. There's also this post on meta, which provides links to a number of quick references and other resources.
          $endgroup$
          – Dave Tweed
          Apr 17 at 22:03







        • 1




          $begingroup$
          So if I wanted a gain of 1000 and a cutoff of 1 Hz, the following values might work? C1=100 uF, R1=1.5k ohm, R2=100k ohm, R3=100 ohm
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 17 at 22:04






        • 1




          $begingroup$
          @Marty in most circumstances, I would prefer to increase resistance instead of capacitance. A larger resistor value is the same price and physical size as a small resistance, but a large capacitor is much larger physically and more expensive than a small one.
          $endgroup$
          – user60561
          Apr 18 at 4:05






        • 1




          $begingroup$
          Note that a filter with a long time constant can take quite a long time to charge the cap to the DCbias level. Aka, expect the signal to max out for some seconds to minutes depending on cutoff freq and gain.
          $endgroup$
          – RobinSt
          Apr 18 at 20:13













        12












        12








        12





        $begingroup$

        Capacitors block DC and pass AC.



        You can use a series capacitor into an opamp with whatever gain you need.



        Even better might be a simple RC high-pass filter...One capacitor (series) and one resistor (to ground) in front of your amplifier.



        Like this:





        schematic





        simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



        R2 and R3 set your gain. C1 and R1 set your low frequency cut-off. The formula you use to find the cutoff is:



        $$Ftext(Hz) = frac12 pi R C$$






        share|improve this answer











        $endgroup$



        Capacitors block DC and pass AC.



        You can use a series capacitor into an opamp with whatever gain you need.



        Even better might be a simple RC high-pass filter...One capacitor (series) and one resistor (to ground) in front of your amplifier.



        Like this:





        schematic





        simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



        R2 and R3 set your gain. C1 and R1 set your low frequency cut-off. The formula you use to find the cutoff is:



        $$Ftext(Hz) = frac12 pi R C$$







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited Apr 17 at 22:01









        Dave Tweed

        125k10155269




        125k10155269










        answered Apr 17 at 21:31









        evildemonicevildemonic

        2,7811023




        2,7811023











        • $begingroup$
          Thank you for your answer! If you see my edit: will the capacitor block out the fluctuations if they aren't very fast (maybe a quick squeeze/release every 2 seconds)? i.e. a voltage difference when I squeeze a pressure gauge (squeezing vs not squeezing is only a ~1mV signal added to the 0.2V DC)
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 17 at 21:52







        • 2




          $begingroup$
          It's called "MathJax". I've added your formula to your answer to show you how it's done. You can learn more by clicking on the help icon in the editor, select "Advanced Help" and scroll down to the section labeled "LaTeX", which also has a link to MathJax specifically. There's also this post on meta, which provides links to a number of quick references and other resources.
          $endgroup$
          – Dave Tweed
          Apr 17 at 22:03







        • 1




          $begingroup$
          So if I wanted a gain of 1000 and a cutoff of 1 Hz, the following values might work? C1=100 uF, R1=1.5k ohm, R2=100k ohm, R3=100 ohm
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 17 at 22:04






        • 1




          $begingroup$
          @Marty in most circumstances, I would prefer to increase resistance instead of capacitance. A larger resistor value is the same price and physical size as a small resistance, but a large capacitor is much larger physically and more expensive than a small one.
          $endgroup$
          – user60561
          Apr 18 at 4:05






        • 1




          $begingroup$
          Note that a filter with a long time constant can take quite a long time to charge the cap to the DCbias level. Aka, expect the signal to max out for some seconds to minutes depending on cutoff freq and gain.
          $endgroup$
          – RobinSt
          Apr 18 at 20:13
















        • $begingroup$
          Thank you for your answer! If you see my edit: will the capacitor block out the fluctuations if they aren't very fast (maybe a quick squeeze/release every 2 seconds)? i.e. a voltage difference when I squeeze a pressure gauge (squeezing vs not squeezing is only a ~1mV signal added to the 0.2V DC)
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 17 at 21:52







        • 2




          $begingroup$
          It's called "MathJax". I've added your formula to your answer to show you how it's done. You can learn more by clicking on the help icon in the editor, select "Advanced Help" and scroll down to the section labeled "LaTeX", which also has a link to MathJax specifically. There's also this post on meta, which provides links to a number of quick references and other resources.
          $endgroup$
          – Dave Tweed
          Apr 17 at 22:03







        • 1




          $begingroup$
          So if I wanted a gain of 1000 and a cutoff of 1 Hz, the following values might work? C1=100 uF, R1=1.5k ohm, R2=100k ohm, R3=100 ohm
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 17 at 22:04






        • 1




          $begingroup$
          @Marty in most circumstances, I would prefer to increase resistance instead of capacitance. A larger resistor value is the same price and physical size as a small resistance, but a large capacitor is much larger physically and more expensive than a small one.
          $endgroup$
          – user60561
          Apr 18 at 4:05






        • 1




          $begingroup$
          Note that a filter with a long time constant can take quite a long time to charge the cap to the DCbias level. Aka, expect the signal to max out for some seconds to minutes depending on cutoff freq and gain.
          $endgroup$
          – RobinSt
          Apr 18 at 20:13















        $begingroup$
        Thank you for your answer! If you see my edit: will the capacitor block out the fluctuations if they aren't very fast (maybe a quick squeeze/release every 2 seconds)? i.e. a voltage difference when I squeeze a pressure gauge (squeezing vs not squeezing is only a ~1mV signal added to the 0.2V DC)
        $endgroup$
        – Marty
        Apr 17 at 21:52





        $begingroup$
        Thank you for your answer! If you see my edit: will the capacitor block out the fluctuations if they aren't very fast (maybe a quick squeeze/release every 2 seconds)? i.e. a voltage difference when I squeeze a pressure gauge (squeezing vs not squeezing is only a ~1mV signal added to the 0.2V DC)
        $endgroup$
        – Marty
        Apr 17 at 21:52





        2




        2




        $begingroup$
        It's called "MathJax". I've added your formula to your answer to show you how it's done. You can learn more by clicking on the help icon in the editor, select "Advanced Help" and scroll down to the section labeled "LaTeX", which also has a link to MathJax specifically. There's also this post on meta, which provides links to a number of quick references and other resources.
        $endgroup$
        – Dave Tweed
        Apr 17 at 22:03





        $begingroup$
        It's called "MathJax". I've added your formula to your answer to show you how it's done. You can learn more by clicking on the help icon in the editor, select "Advanced Help" and scroll down to the section labeled "LaTeX", which also has a link to MathJax specifically. There's also this post on meta, which provides links to a number of quick references and other resources.
        $endgroup$
        – Dave Tweed
        Apr 17 at 22:03





        1




        1




        $begingroup$
        So if I wanted a gain of 1000 and a cutoff of 1 Hz, the following values might work? C1=100 uF, R1=1.5k ohm, R2=100k ohm, R3=100 ohm
        $endgroup$
        – Marty
        Apr 17 at 22:04




        $begingroup$
        So if I wanted a gain of 1000 and a cutoff of 1 Hz, the following values might work? C1=100 uF, R1=1.5k ohm, R2=100k ohm, R3=100 ohm
        $endgroup$
        – Marty
        Apr 17 at 22:04




        1




        1




        $begingroup$
        @Marty in most circumstances, I would prefer to increase resistance instead of capacitance. A larger resistor value is the same price and physical size as a small resistance, but a large capacitor is much larger physically and more expensive than a small one.
        $endgroup$
        – user60561
        Apr 18 at 4:05




        $begingroup$
        @Marty in most circumstances, I would prefer to increase resistance instead of capacitance. A larger resistor value is the same price and physical size as a small resistance, but a large capacitor is much larger physically and more expensive than a small one.
        $endgroup$
        – user60561
        Apr 18 at 4:05




        1




        1




        $begingroup$
        Note that a filter with a long time constant can take quite a long time to charge the cap to the DCbias level. Aka, expect the signal to max out for some seconds to minutes depending on cutoff freq and gain.
        $endgroup$
        – RobinSt
        Apr 18 at 20:13




        $begingroup$
        Note that a filter with a long time constant can take quite a long time to charge the cap to the DCbias level. Aka, expect the signal to max out for some seconds to minutes depending on cutoff freq and gain.
        $endgroup$
        – RobinSt
        Apr 18 at 20:13













        6












        $begingroup$

        Here's something inspired by the first 2 answers. Make a 10-second low pass filter of the input signal and feed that into an op-amp's non-inverting input (+). Then take a 1-second high pass filter of the same input signal, and feed that into the inverting (-) input of the same op-amp.



        Fluctuations get subtracted from the average and amplified a lot. If it's too much amplification, a resistor in series with C2 will lower the gain. This also inverts the fluctuation signals. If you want them non-inverted, follow this with a gain of -1 inverting stage.





        schematic





        simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$












        • $begingroup$
          Thanks for the comment. In this scenario would the 1 kHz sine be replaced with my 0.2V signal? Would this work if the "fluctuations" are squeezes of the pressure gauge at about 1 hz (something like a heartbeat-like pulse)?
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 18 at 23:36











        • $begingroup$
          Yep, I forgot to override the default frequency of the sine-wave symbol in the circuit simulator, but I meant it to represent your signal at 1Hz.
          $endgroup$
          – hoosierEE
          Apr 18 at 23:48















        6












        $begingroup$

        Here's something inspired by the first 2 answers. Make a 10-second low pass filter of the input signal and feed that into an op-amp's non-inverting input (+). Then take a 1-second high pass filter of the same input signal, and feed that into the inverting (-) input of the same op-amp.



        Fluctuations get subtracted from the average and amplified a lot. If it's too much amplification, a resistor in series with C2 will lower the gain. This also inverts the fluctuation signals. If you want them non-inverted, follow this with a gain of -1 inverting stage.





        schematic





        simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$












        • $begingroup$
          Thanks for the comment. In this scenario would the 1 kHz sine be replaced with my 0.2V signal? Would this work if the "fluctuations" are squeezes of the pressure gauge at about 1 hz (something like a heartbeat-like pulse)?
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 18 at 23:36











        • $begingroup$
          Yep, I forgot to override the default frequency of the sine-wave symbol in the circuit simulator, but I meant it to represent your signal at 1Hz.
          $endgroup$
          – hoosierEE
          Apr 18 at 23:48













        6












        6








        6





        $begingroup$

        Here's something inspired by the first 2 answers. Make a 10-second low pass filter of the input signal and feed that into an op-amp's non-inverting input (+). Then take a 1-second high pass filter of the same input signal, and feed that into the inverting (-) input of the same op-amp.



        Fluctuations get subtracted from the average and amplified a lot. If it's too much amplification, a resistor in series with C2 will lower the gain. This also inverts the fluctuation signals. If you want them non-inverted, follow this with a gain of -1 inverting stage.





        schematic





        simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$



        Here's something inspired by the first 2 answers. Make a 10-second low pass filter of the input signal and feed that into an op-amp's non-inverting input (+). Then take a 1-second high pass filter of the same input signal, and feed that into the inverting (-) input of the same op-amp.



        Fluctuations get subtracted from the average and amplified a lot. If it's too much amplification, a resistor in series with C2 will lower the gain. This also inverts the fluctuation signals. If you want them non-inverted, follow this with a gain of -1 inverting stage.





        schematic





        simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered Apr 18 at 2:04









        hoosierEEhoosierEE

        1,180714




        1,180714











        • $begingroup$
          Thanks for the comment. In this scenario would the 1 kHz sine be replaced with my 0.2V signal? Would this work if the "fluctuations" are squeezes of the pressure gauge at about 1 hz (something like a heartbeat-like pulse)?
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 18 at 23:36











        • $begingroup$
          Yep, I forgot to override the default frequency of the sine-wave symbol in the circuit simulator, but I meant it to represent your signal at 1Hz.
          $endgroup$
          – hoosierEE
          Apr 18 at 23:48
















        • $begingroup$
          Thanks for the comment. In this scenario would the 1 kHz sine be replaced with my 0.2V signal? Would this work if the "fluctuations" are squeezes of the pressure gauge at about 1 hz (something like a heartbeat-like pulse)?
          $endgroup$
          – Marty
          Apr 18 at 23:36











        • $begingroup$
          Yep, I forgot to override the default frequency of the sine-wave symbol in the circuit simulator, but I meant it to represent your signal at 1Hz.
          $endgroup$
          – hoosierEE
          Apr 18 at 23:48















        $begingroup$
        Thanks for the comment. In this scenario would the 1 kHz sine be replaced with my 0.2V signal? Would this work if the "fluctuations" are squeezes of the pressure gauge at about 1 hz (something like a heartbeat-like pulse)?
        $endgroup$
        – Marty
        Apr 18 at 23:36





        $begingroup$
        Thanks for the comment. In this scenario would the 1 kHz sine be replaced with my 0.2V signal? Would this work if the "fluctuations" are squeezes of the pressure gauge at about 1 hz (something like a heartbeat-like pulse)?
        $endgroup$
        – Marty
        Apr 18 at 23:36













        $begingroup$
        Yep, I forgot to override the default frequency of the sine-wave symbol in the circuit simulator, but I meant it to represent your signal at 1Hz.
        $endgroup$
        – hoosierEE
        Apr 18 at 23:48




        $begingroup$
        Yep, I forgot to override the default frequency of the sine-wave symbol in the circuit simulator, but I meant it to represent your signal at 1Hz.
        $endgroup$
        – hoosierEE
        Apr 18 at 23:48











        2












        $begingroup$

        Digital designer here so I'm not certain, but...



        The other answers assume high-frequency fluctuations. Instead you want to subtract the 0.2 V and amplify that. You can use a summing amplifier to subtract the offset, if you've got positive and negative supply voltages. I think you can also use an inverting configuration where the non-inverting input is at 0.2V instead of ground.






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$

















          2












          $begingroup$

          Digital designer here so I'm not certain, but...



          The other answers assume high-frequency fluctuations. Instead you want to subtract the 0.2 V and amplify that. You can use a summing amplifier to subtract the offset, if you've got positive and negative supply voltages. I think you can also use an inverting configuration where the non-inverting input is at 0.2V instead of ground.






          share|improve this answer









          $endgroup$















            2












            2








            2





            $begingroup$

            Digital designer here so I'm not certain, but...



            The other answers assume high-frequency fluctuations. Instead you want to subtract the 0.2 V and amplify that. You can use a summing amplifier to subtract the offset, if you've got positive and negative supply voltages. I think you can also use an inverting configuration where the non-inverting input is at 0.2V instead of ground.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$



            Digital designer here so I'm not certain, but...



            The other answers assume high-frequency fluctuations. Instead you want to subtract the 0.2 V and amplify that. You can use a summing amplifier to subtract the offset, if you've got positive and negative supply voltages. I think you can also use an inverting configuration where the non-inverting input is at 0.2V instead of ground.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Apr 17 at 21:57









            MattMatt

            33016




            33016





















                2












                $begingroup$

                Sure, just an ordinary inverting op-amp can do that:





                schematic





                simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



                Remember that an op-amp wants to make its inputs the same. So if you put 2V on the non-inverting input, and the signal input is also 2V, the output will be 2V.



                But say the signal input is 2.1 V. The op-amp wants to make the non-inverting input also 2V, and will have to drive the output higher than 2V to make that happen due to the voltage divider action of R1 and R2. The selection of these resistors thus sets the gain.



                Keep in mind any source impedance will effectively add to R2, so if your sensor doesn't already have a low-impedance output, you may want to buffer it.



                You have a couple options for realizing V2, since you probably won't want to find a 2V battery. Since the op-amp's input impedance is quite high, this doesn't need to be a low impedance source, so it could be as simple as a potentiometer across the power supply. Of course this will make the circuit somewhat dependent on the supply voltage, and the small but non-zero input current to the op-amp will introduce some error, so if you require high precision you might find an adjustable voltage regulator more suitable.






                share|improve this answer









                $endgroup$

















                  2












                  $begingroup$

                  Sure, just an ordinary inverting op-amp can do that:





                  schematic





                  simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



                  Remember that an op-amp wants to make its inputs the same. So if you put 2V on the non-inverting input, and the signal input is also 2V, the output will be 2V.



                  But say the signal input is 2.1 V. The op-amp wants to make the non-inverting input also 2V, and will have to drive the output higher than 2V to make that happen due to the voltage divider action of R1 and R2. The selection of these resistors thus sets the gain.



                  Keep in mind any source impedance will effectively add to R2, so if your sensor doesn't already have a low-impedance output, you may want to buffer it.



                  You have a couple options for realizing V2, since you probably won't want to find a 2V battery. Since the op-amp's input impedance is quite high, this doesn't need to be a low impedance source, so it could be as simple as a potentiometer across the power supply. Of course this will make the circuit somewhat dependent on the supply voltage, and the small but non-zero input current to the op-amp will introduce some error, so if you require high precision you might find an adjustable voltage regulator more suitable.






                  share|improve this answer









                  $endgroup$















                    2












                    2








                    2





                    $begingroup$

                    Sure, just an ordinary inverting op-amp can do that:





                    schematic





                    simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



                    Remember that an op-amp wants to make its inputs the same. So if you put 2V on the non-inverting input, and the signal input is also 2V, the output will be 2V.



                    But say the signal input is 2.1 V. The op-amp wants to make the non-inverting input also 2V, and will have to drive the output higher than 2V to make that happen due to the voltage divider action of R1 and R2. The selection of these resistors thus sets the gain.



                    Keep in mind any source impedance will effectively add to R2, so if your sensor doesn't already have a low-impedance output, you may want to buffer it.



                    You have a couple options for realizing V2, since you probably won't want to find a 2V battery. Since the op-amp's input impedance is quite high, this doesn't need to be a low impedance source, so it could be as simple as a potentiometer across the power supply. Of course this will make the circuit somewhat dependent on the supply voltage, and the small but non-zero input current to the op-amp will introduce some error, so if you require high precision you might find an adjustable voltage regulator more suitable.






                    share|improve this answer









                    $endgroup$



                    Sure, just an ordinary inverting op-amp can do that:





                    schematic





                    simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab



                    Remember that an op-amp wants to make its inputs the same. So if you put 2V on the non-inverting input, and the signal input is also 2V, the output will be 2V.



                    But say the signal input is 2.1 V. The op-amp wants to make the non-inverting input also 2V, and will have to drive the output higher than 2V to make that happen due to the voltage divider action of R1 and R2. The selection of these resistors thus sets the gain.



                    Keep in mind any source impedance will effectively add to R2, so if your sensor doesn't already have a low-impedance output, you may want to buffer it.



                    You have a couple options for realizing V2, since you probably won't want to find a 2V battery. Since the op-amp's input impedance is quite high, this doesn't need to be a low impedance source, so it could be as simple as a potentiometer across the power supply. Of course this will make the circuit somewhat dependent on the supply voltage, and the small but non-zero input current to the op-amp will introduce some error, so if you require high precision you might find an adjustable voltage regulator more suitable.







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered Apr 17 at 23:28









                    Phil FrostPhil Frost

                    46.2k14114227




                    46.2k14114227





















                        1












                        $begingroup$

                        Use a coupling capacitor prior to the amplifier. The DC signal will be blocked but the fluctuations will pass through.






                        share|improve this answer









                        $endgroup$

















                          1












                          $begingroup$

                          Use a coupling capacitor prior to the amplifier. The DC signal will be blocked but the fluctuations will pass through.






                          share|improve this answer









                          $endgroup$















                            1












                            1








                            1





                            $begingroup$

                            Use a coupling capacitor prior to the amplifier. The DC signal will be blocked but the fluctuations will pass through.






                            share|improve this answer









                            $endgroup$



                            Use a coupling capacitor prior to the amplifier. The DC signal will be blocked but the fluctuations will pass through.







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered Apr 17 at 21:31









                            Charles HCharles H

                            1761




                            1761



























                                draft saved

                                draft discarded
















































                                Thanks for contributing an answer to Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange!


                                • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                                But avoid


                                • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                                • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.

                                Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


                                To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                                draft saved


                                draft discarded














                                StackExchange.ready(
                                function ()
                                StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2felectronics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f433132%2fcircuit-to-zoom-in-on-mv-fluctuations-of-a-dc-signal%23new-answer', 'question_page');

                                );

                                Post as a guest















                                Required, but never shown





















































                                Required, but never shown














                                Required, but never shown












                                Required, but never shown







                                Required, but never shown

































                                Required, but never shown














                                Required, but never shown












                                Required, but never shown







                                Required, but never shown







                                Popular posts from this blog

                                Wikipedia:Vital articles Мазмуну Biography - Өмүр баян Philosophy and psychology - Философия жана психология Religion - Дин Social sciences - Коомдук илимдер Language and literature - Тил жана адабият Science - Илим Technology - Технология Arts and recreation - Искусство жана эс алуу History and geography - Тарых жана география Навигация менюсу

                                Bruxelas-Capital Índice Historia | Composición | Situación lingüística | Clima | Cidades irmandadas | Notas | Véxase tamén | Menú de navegacióneO uso das linguas en Bruxelas e a situación do neerlandés"Rexión de Bruxelas Capital"o orixinalSitio da rexiónPáxina de Bruselas no sitio da Oficina de Promoción Turística de Valonia e BruxelasMapa Interactivo da Rexión de Bruxelas-CapitaleeWorldCat332144929079854441105155190212ID28008674080552-90000 0001 0666 3698n94104302ID540940339365017018237

                                What should I write in an apology letter, since I have decided not to join a company after accepting an offer letterShould I keep looking after accepting a job offer?What should I do when I've been verbally told I would get an offer letter, but still haven't gotten one after 4 weeks?Do I accept an offer from a company that I am not likely to join?New job hasn't confirmed starting date and I want to give current employer as much notice as possibleHow should I address my manager in my resignation letter?HR delayed background verification, now jobless as resignedNo email communication after accepting a formal written offer. How should I phrase the call?What should I do if after receiving a verbal offer letter I am informed that my written job offer is put on hold due to some internal issues?Should I inform the current employer that I am about to resign within 1-2 weeks since I have signed the offer letter and waiting for visa?What company will do, if I send their offer letter to another company