
AMP04
REV. A
–10–
APPLICATION CIRCUITS
Low Power Precision Single Supply RTD Amplifier
Figure 11 shows a linearized RTD amplifier that is powered off
a single +5 volt supply. However, the circuit will work up to 36
volts without modification. The RTD is excited by a 100
μ
A
constant current that is regulated by amplifier A (OP295). The
0.202 volts reference voltage used to generate the constant cur-
rent is divided down from the 2.500 volt reference. The AMP04
amplifies the bridge output to a 10 mV/
°
C output coefficient.
100
7
1
6
5
4
2
3
8
+5V
AMP-04
8
7
4
5
6
+5V
50k
R7
121k
1/2
OP-295
1/2
OP-295
A
B
REF-43
GND
OUT
IN
6
4
2
2
3
1
+5V
C2
0.1
μ
F
R1
26.7k
R2
26.7k
R4
RTD
100
R
SENSE
1k
R9
50
R8
383
C3
0.1
μ
F
C1
0.47
μ
F
R10
R6
11.5k
2.5V
R5
1.02k
500
0.202V
V
OUT
0
→
4.00V
(0
°
C TO 400
°
C)
FULL-SCALE
ADJ
LINEARITY
ADJ.
(@1/2 FS)
NOTES: ALL RESISTORS
±
0.5%,
±
25 PPM/
°
C
ALL POTENTIOMETERS
±
25 PPM/
°
C
R3
BALANCE
Figure 11. Precision Single Supply RTD Thermometer
Amplifier
The RTD is linearized by feeding a portion of the signal back to
the reference circuit, increasing the reference voltage as the tem-
perature increases. When calibrated properly, the RTD’s non-
linearity error will be canceled.
To calibrate, either immerse the RTD into a zero-degree ice
bath or substitute an exact 100
resistor in place of the RTD.
Then adjust bridge BALANCE potentiometer R3 for a 0 volt
output. Note that a 0 volt output is also the negative output
swing limit of the AMP04 powered with a single supply. There-
fore, be sure to adjust R3 to first cause the output to swing
positive and then back off until the output just stop swinging
negatively.
Next, set the LINEARITY ADJ. potentiometer to the mid-
range. Substitute an exact 247.04
resistor (equivalent to
400
°
C temperature) in place of the RTD. Adjust the
FULL-SCALE potentiometer for a 4.000 volts output.
Finally substitute a 175.84
resistor (equivalent to 200
°
C
temperature), and adjust the LINEARITY ADJ potentiometer
for a 2.000 volts at the output. Repeat the full-scale and the
half-scale adjustments as needed.
When properly calibrated, the circuit achieves better than
±
0.5
°
C accuracy within a temperature measurement range from
0
°
C to 400
°
C.
Precision 4-20 mA Loop Transmitter With Noninteractive
Trim
Figure 12 shows a full bridge strain gage transducer amplifier
circuit that is powered off the 4-20 mA current loop. The
AMP04 amplifies the bridge signal differentially and is con-
verted to a current by the output amplifier. The total quiescent
current drawn by the circuit, which includes the bridge, the am-
plifiers, and the resistor biasing, is only a fraction of the 4 mA
null current that flows through the current-sense resistor
R
SENSE
. The voltage across R
SENSE
feeds back to the OP90’s in-
put, whose common-mode is fixed at the current summing
reference voltage, thus regulating the output current.
With no bridge signal, the 4 mA null is simply set up by the
50 k
NULL potentiometer plus the 976 k
resistors that in-
ject an offset that forces an 80 mV drop across R
SENSE
. At a
50 mV full-scale bridge voltage, the AMP04 amplifies the
voltage-to-current converter for a full-scale of 20 mA at the out-
put. Since the OP90’s input operates at a constant 0 volt
common-mode voltage, the null and the span adjustments do
Figure 12. Precision 4-20 mA Loop Transmitter Features Noninteractive Trims