Clipper (electronics)

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In electronics, a clipper is a device designed to prevent the output of a circuit from exceeding a predetermined voltage level without distorting the remaining part of the applied waveform.

A clipping circuit consists of linear elements like resistors and non-linear elements like junction diodes or transistor, but it does not contain energy-storage elements like capacitors. Clipping circuits are used to select for purposes of transmission, that part of a signal wave form which lies above or below a certain reference voltage level.

Thus a clipper circuit can remove certain portions of an arbitrary waveform near the positive or negative peaks. Clipping may be achieved either at one level or a two levels. Usually under the section of clipping , there is a change brought about in the wave shape of the signal.

Clipping Circuits are also called as Slicers, amplitude selectors or limiters.

1 Example
2 Application
3 Classification
4 See also

[edit] Example

A sinusoidal waveform can be converted to a trapezoidal wave, using a two-level clipper.

[edit] Application

It is used in television sets and FM receivers. It is also used for amplifier and different types of op-amps through which we can do some mathematical operations.

[edit] Classification

Practical clippers may be classified into two types : (a) Shunt Clippers , and (b) Series Clippers .

In a shunt clipper which uses a diode in conjunction with a resistor the diode forms a parallel path across the output .
Shunt clippers are of two types Images removed to avoid possible copyright violation.

The clamping network is the one that will "clamp" a signal to a different dc level. The network must have capacitor, a diode, and a resistive element, but it can also employ an independent dc supply to introduce an additional shift.