Voltage references are electronic devices that provide a fixed voltage. They provide a constant voltage regardless of external factors like the load on the device or fluctuations in the power supply.
Voltage references have different characteristics depending on their purpose. Voltage references used in laboratory applications are designed to have extremely high precision and accuracy, whereas those used as regulators for computer power supplies are much cheaper but less precise.
Types of voltage references
There are many different kinds of voltage references, generally categorised by type, tolerance, rated voltage, reference voltage and rated current. The most common tolerances are ±2%, ±1% and ±0.5%, but voltage references are available even up to ±40%.
What are voltage references used for?
Voltage references can be used for a variety of different precision measurement and control systems such as power supplies in personal computers and analog-to-digital converters. They are also used in scientific applications and in medical equipment where voltage variations need to be tested regularly.
Description:
The range of highly integrated high-efficiency switching voltage
regulators from Texas Instruments includes Step-up (Boost), Step-down (Buck), Step-up/down (Boost/Buck) and Inverting types providing efficient solutions for every DC Voltage Regulator application.
Description:
Designed specifically for bus termination in DDR and
QDR memory applications. These sink/source tracking termination regulators are aimed for space saving, low-cost applications with low external part counts.
Description:
A range of Texas Instruments Low Dropout (LDO)
Linear Voltage regulators. LDO voltage regulators are able to operate with a small input-output differential making them suitable for a variety of applications where conventional regulators would be unsatisfactory. The latest generation ...
Description:
A range of Texas Instruments Low Dropout (LDO)
Linear Voltage regulators. LDO voltage regulators are able to operate with a small input-output differential making them suitable for a variety of applications where conventional regulators would be unsatisfactory. The latest generation ...