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True RMS converter

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heat the thermistor comes from the circuit being measured. If the circuit being measured can support the heating current, then it is possible to make a post-measurement calculation to correct the effect, as the impedance of the heating element is known. If the signal is small then a pre-amplifier is necessary, and the measuring capabilities of the instrument will be limited by this pre-amplifier. In radio frequency (
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limitation of the operational amplifier used to create the absolute value (especially at low input signal levels) tends to make the second method the poorest at high frequencies, while the FET method can work close to VHF. Specialist techniques are required to produce sufficiently accurate integrated
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The technique is not very precise but it will measure any waveform at any frequency (except for extremely low frequencies, where the thermistor's thermal capacitance is too small so that its temperature is fluctuating too much). A big drawback is that it is low-impedance: that is, the power used to
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include a function to give the RMS value of a waveform. The precision and the bandwidth of the conversion is entirely dependent on the analog to digital conversion. In most cases, true RMS measurements are made on repetitive waveforms, and under such conditions digital oscilloscopes (and a few
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Thermal converters have become rare, but are still used by radio hams and hobbyists, who may remove the thermal element of an old unreliable instrument and incorporate it into a modern design of their own construction. Additionally, at very high frequencies
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in a specific configuration which multiplies the input signal by itself (squares it), averages the result with a capacitor, and then calculates the square root of the value (via a multiplier/squarer circuit in the feedback loop of an
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sophisticated sampling multimeters) are able to achieve very high bandwidths as they sample at much higher sampling frequency than the signal frequency to obtain a stroboscopic effect.
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True RMS provides a more correct value that is proportional to the square root of the average of the square of the curve, and not to the average of the absolute value. For any given
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circuits for complex analog calculations, and very often meters equipped with such circuits offer true RMS conversion as an optional extra with a significant price increase.
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This principle was exploited in early thermal converters. The AC signal would be applied to a small heating element that was matched with a
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Tyler, Les; Kirkwood, Wayne (2008). "12.3.4 Dedicated Analog Integrated Circuits for Audio Applications". In Glen Ballou (ed.).
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value that would be required to get the same heating effect. For example, if 120 V AC RMS is applied to a resistive
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and applying a correction factor. The value of the correction factor applied is only correct if the input signal is
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If a waveform has been digitized, the correct RMS value may be calculated directly. Most digital and PC-based
106:(RMS). Simple instrumentation and signal converters carry out this conversion by filtering the signal into an 301: 107: 232: 294: 207: 316:
work. The circuitry before time averaging is particularly crucial for high-frequency performance. The
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may be used to directly create the square-law transfer function, before time-averaging.
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it would heat up by exactly the same amount as if 120 V DC were applied.
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National Semiconductor - LB-25 True rms Detector (Linear Brief 25), June 1973
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A list of digital multimeters having true rms feature in them.
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as a means of deriving the square-law transfer function
235: 369:of an analog true RMS-to-DC converter based on the 282: 312:limitations which makes them unsuitable for most 169:, which could be used in a DC measuring circuit. 154:, as it is a voltage which is equivalent to the 379:https://meterreviews.com/best-fluke-multimeter/ 308:Unlike thermal converters they are subject to 8: 340:Handbook for Sound Engineers. Fourth Edition 272: 264: 263: 253: 240: 234: 221:of the input signal, which is fed into a 66:Learn how and when to remove this message 29:This article includes a list of general 406: 330: 402:Springer Vieweg, 2013, 8. Aufl., S. 2. 98:the signal is often converted into a 7: 342:. Focal/Elsevier. pp. 347–348. 283:{\displaystyle x^{2}=e^{2\ln {|x|}}} 197:Analog electronic circuits may use: 35:it lacks sufficient corresponding 14: 293:a log-domain precision detector ( 125:requires a more complex circuit. 400:Elektrotechnik für Ingenieure 2. 20: 395:Vieweg, 2000, 6. Aufl., S. 18. 273: 265: 1: 193:Analog electronic converters 455: 225:, doubled and fed into an 94:For the measurement of an 102:of equivalent value, the 393:Elektrische Messtechnik. 82:Distortion of a waveform 302:field-effect transistor 108:average rectified value 50:more precise citations. 284: 217:circuit to create the 129:Digital RMS converters 91: 83: 439:Electronic amplifiers 434:Measuring instruments 398:Wilfried Weißgerber: 295:Blackmer RMS detector 285: 227:exponential amplifier 208:operational amplifier 150:is also known as its 89: 81: 233: 146:The RMS value of an 429:Electronic circuits 367:Circuit description 215:precision rectifier 148:alternating current 96:alternating current 90:True RMS Multimeter 280: 142:Thermal converters 123:true RMS converter 92: 84: 349:978-0-240-80969-4 203:analog multiplier 76: 75: 68: 446: 414: 411: 354: 353: 335: 289: 287: 286: 281: 279: 278: 277: 276: 268: 245: 244: 104:root mean square 71: 64: 60: 57: 51: 46:this article by 37:inline citations 24: 23: 16: 454: 453: 449: 448: 447: 445: 444: 443: 419: 418: 417: 412: 408: 391:Kurt Bergmann: 388: 363: 358: 357: 350: 337: 336: 332: 327: 249: 236: 231: 230: 195: 160:heating element 144: 131: 72: 61: 55: 52: 42:Please help to 41: 25: 21: 12: 11: 5: 452: 450: 442: 441: 436: 431: 421: 420: 416: 415: 405: 404: 403: 396: 387: 384: 383: 382: 375: 374: 362: 361:External links 359: 356: 355: 348: 329: 328: 326: 323: 306: 305: 298: 291: 275: 271: 267: 262: 259: 256: 252: 248: 243: 239: 219:absolute value 211: 194: 191: 156:direct current 143: 140: 130: 127: 100:direct current 74: 73: 28: 26: 19: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 451: 440: 437: 435: 432: 430: 427: 426: 424: 410: 407: 401: 397: 394: 390: 389: 385: 380: 377: 376: 372: 368: 365: 364: 360: 351: 345: 341: 334: 331: 324: 322: 319: 315: 311: 303: 299: 296: 292: 269: 260: 257: 254: 250: 246: 241: 237: 228: 224: 223:log amplifier 220: 216: 212: 209: 204: 200: 199: 198: 192: 190: 188: 184: 178: 176: 170: 168: 163: 161: 157: 153: 152:heating value 149: 141: 139: 136: 135:oscilloscopes 128: 126: 124: 120: 115: 113: 109: 105: 101: 97: 88: 80: 70: 67: 59: 49: 45: 39: 38: 32: 27: 18: 17: 409: 399: 392: 339: 333: 307: 213:a full-wave 196: 179: 171: 164: 151: 145: 132: 122: 116: 93: 62: 56:January 2020 53: 34: 373:techniques. 371:log/antilog 48:introducing 423:Categories 386:Literature 325:References 167:thermistor 112:sinusoidal 31:references 318:slew rate 310:bandwidth 261:⁡ 189:RF work. 183:microwave 119:waveform 44:improve 346:  33:, but 210:), or 187:(MMW) 344:ISBN 201:an 425:: 314:RF 300:a 258:ln 175:RF 114:. 352:. 274:| 270:x 266:| 255:2 251:e 247:= 242:2 238:x 181:( 69:) 63:( 58:) 54:( 40:.

Index

references
inline citations
improve
introducing
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alternating current
direct current
root mean square
average rectified value
sinusoidal
waveform
oscilloscopes
alternating current
direct current
heating element
thermistor
RF
microwave
(MMW)
analog multiplier
operational amplifier
precision rectifier
absolute value
log amplifier
exponential amplifier
Blackmer RMS detector
field-effect transistor
bandwidth

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