Comparator

In electronics, a comparator is a device that compares two voltages or currents and outputs a digital signal indicating which is larger. It has two analog input terminals




V

+





{\displaystyle V_{+}\,}
and




V

−





{\displaystyle V_{-}\,}
and one binary digital output




V


o






{\displaystyle V_{\rm {o}}\,}
. The output is ideally





V


o



=


{



1
,




if



V

+


>

V

−






0
,




if



V

+


<

V

−










{\displaystyle V_{\rm {o}}={\begin{cases}1,&{\mbox{if }}V_{+}>V_{-}\\0,&{\mbox{if }}V_{+}<V_{-}\end{cases}}}
A comparator consists of a specialized high-gain differential amplifier. They are commonly used in devices that measure and digitize analog signals, such as successive-approximation ADCs, as well as relaxation oscillators.

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