The unused op amp -- what to do?

Find out on The Signal, brought to you by Texas Instruments

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Dec 17, 2012, 09:33 ET

DALLAS, Dec. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a dilemma every analog engineer has faced – what to do with your unused op amp? No, I'm not referring to the operational amplifiers (op amps) in your parts bin. Those should be in anti-static bags or conductive foam. What about the one on your circuit board...the unused op amp in a quad or dual package? Hummm?

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It's best to connect the op amp in a real op amp circuit with feedback. A unity-gain buffer is an obvious choice since no additional components are required; then connect the input to a voltage within its linear input and output range. Connections, or open-circuit inputs, that can potentially overload the input, output, or leave the amplifier in an indeterminate noisy state are undesirable.

Check out other suggestions from blog author Bruce Trump on what to do with your unused op amp at The Signal, a technical blog from Texas Instruments on topics related to analog signal processing circuits and solutions: www.ti.com/thesignal1.

SOURCE Texas Instruments