A Lot Of Gain For Very Little Pain

Most of the designs we do for our clients have two conflicting requirements from the start - the system must be high performance, but must also cost as little as possible! It can be tricky to balance these twin needs, particularly in the area of analogue electronics, where the temptation to use cheaper components inevitably compromises the performance of the circuit. Of course here at MLE we have a few tricks up our sleeves for squeezing the best performance possible out of some fairly bog-standard low-cost op amps, but when the end application really needs a high precision, high accuracy instrumentation amplifier stage, dedicated chips are really the only way to go.

TI seem to have achieved a good balance with their micro-power precision INA launched at the back end of last year, the INA333. This little chip packs in a lot of performance for its price, with excellent input offset characteristics, high CMRR, high gain, low noise, and low quiescent current demand. Combined with its tiny DRG-8 surface mount package and operating voltage down to 1.8V (great for use in circuits with low voltage processors), this chip would be ideal for portable battery-powered applications which need to give a really accurate boost to a small signal, whether that be from a pressure or temperature sensor, a strain gauge, or even a physiological signal like an ECG / EEG.

by Anna

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MLE Creative Electronics

A Lot Of Gain For Very Little Pain