OA comparator: a) simplest circuit b) performance
Comparator ‐ a device comparing two voltages - input Uin with reference Uop.
The reference voltage is a constant voltage of positive or negative polarity,
input voltage varies over time. The simplest comparator circuit on an operational amplifier is shown in the figure.
If U in > U op , the output voltage changes stepwise to saturation voltage U sat .
Thus, the comparator has two stable signal states at the output: U + sat and U -sat .
The rate of change of the output signal is determined by the large gain of the operational amplifier.