APPLY SAMPLE-AND-HOLD TECHNIQUES FOR ELEGANT DESIGN SOLUTIONS.

Sample/hold (S/H) amplifiers are used as components in high speed data-acquisition systems. However, these devices have other application possibilities as circuit oriented building blocks. Several applications of S/H amplifiers are presented and discussed. One design detects attempts to tap a fiber-optic data link. Another measures short-duration pulses in a pulse-stretching circuit. The S/H amplifier makes possible the amplitude-stabilized pulse generator. One powerful extension of the pulse-amplitude-control scheme permits measurement of low level signals (e. g. thermocouple output) in the presence of common-mode noise or voltages as high as 500 V. A high stability oven-temperature controller uses an S/H amplifier for tight temperature control.