AD736
tions: input amplifier, full-wave rectifier, rms core, output am-
plifier and bias sections. T he FET input amplifier allows
both a high impedance, buffered input (Pin 2) or a low imped-
ance, wide-dynamic-range input (Pin 1). T he high impedance
input, with its low input bias current, is well suited for use with
high impedance input attenuators.
TYP ES O F AC MEASUREMENT
T he AD736 is capable of measuring ac signals by operating as
either an average responding or a true rms-to-dc converter. As
its name implies, an average responding converter computes the
average absolute value of an ac (or ac and dc) voltage or current
by full wave rectifying and low-pass filtering the input signal;
this will approximate the average. T he resulting output, a dc
“average” level, is then scaled by adding (or reducing) gain; this
scale factor converts the dc average reading to an rms equivalent
value for the waveform being measured. For example, the aver-
age absolute value of a sine-wave voltage is 0.636 that of VPEAK
the corresponding rms value is 0.707 times VPEAK. T herefore,
for sine-wave voltages, the required scale factor is 1.11 (0.707
divided by 0.636).
T he output of the input amplifier drives a full wave precision
rectifier, which in turn, drives the rms core. It is in the core that
the essential rms operations of squaring, averaging and square
rooting are performed, using an external averaging capacitor,
;
C
AV. Without CAV, the rectified input signal travels through the
core unprocessed, as is done with the average responding con-
nection (Figure 17).
A final subsection, an output amplifier, buffers the output from
the core and also allows optional low-pass filtering to be per-
formed via external capacitor, CF, connected across the feed-
back path of the amplifier. In the average responding
connection, this is where all of the averaging is carried out. In
the rms circuit, this additional filtering stage helps reduce any
output ripple which was not removed by the averaging capaci-
In contrast to measuring the “average” value, true rms measure-
ment is a “universal language” among waveforms, allowing the
magnitudes of all types of voltage (or current) waveforms to be
compared to one another and to dc. RMS is a direct measure of
the power or heating value of an ac voltage compared to that of
dc: an ac signal of 1 volt rms will produce the same amount of
heat in a resistor as a 1 volt dc signal.
tor, CAV
.
Mathematically, the rms value of a voltage is defined (using a
simplified equation) as:
V rms = Avg.(V 2 )
T his involves squaring the signal, taking the average, and then
obtaining the square root. T rue rms converters are “smart recti-
fiers”: they provide an accurate rms reading regardless of the
type of waveform being measured. However, average responding
converters can exhibit very high errors when their input signals
deviate from their precalibrated waveform; the magnitude of the
error will depend upon the type of waveform being measured.
As an example, if an average responding converter is calibrated
to measure the rms value of sine-wave voltages, and then is used
to measure either symmetrical square waves or dc voltages, the
converter will have a computational error 11% (of reading)
higher than the true rms value (see T able I).
AD 736 TH EO RY O F O P ERATIO N
As shown by Figure 16, the AD736 has five functional subsec-
Figure 16. AD736 True RMS Circuit
Table I. Error Introduced by an Average Responding Circuit When Measuring Com m on Waveform s
Waveform Type
1 Volt P eak
Am plitude
Crest Factor
(VP EAK/V rm s)
True rm s Value
Average Responding
Circuit Calibrated to
Read rm s Value of
% of Reading Error*
Using Average
Responding Circuit
Sine Waves Will Read
Undistorted
Sine Wave
1.414
0.707 V
0.707 V
0%
Symmetrical
Square Wave
1.00
1.73
1.00 V
1.11 V
+11.0%
–3.8%
Undistorted
T riangle Wave
0.577 V
0.555 V
Gaussian
Noise (98% of
Peaks <1 V)
3
0.333 V
0.295 V
–11.4%
Rectangular
Pulse T rain
2
10
0.5 V
0.1 V
0.278 V
0.011 V
–44%
–89%
SCR Waveforms
50% Duty Cycle
25% Duty Cycle
2
4.7
0.495 V
0.212 V
0.354 V
0.150 V
–28%
–30%
Average RespondingValue – True rmsValue
*% of Reading Error =
×100%
True rmsValue
–6–
REV. C