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How to Reduce Signal Noise

Noise is an electrical signal or disturbance that interferes with circuit operation. It is present in all circuits and can be caused by external factors such as power lines. It can also be caused by thermal noise within the device itself. Noise in circuits is usually high frequency and can be controlled by using metal shielding in containers and around cables. It is also controlled with components and circuits. To reduce signal noise, add a capacitor inside of a circuit or build a low pass filter. Some circuits use more than one control method.

Things You'll Need

  • Resistor
  • Capacitor
  • Circuit
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Instructions

    • 1

      Add a tantalum capacitor to the load. Loads may be other components or circuits. A capacitor is usually very small, with average values of 1.0 microfarad or smaller. Components such as mini speakers may require much larger capacitors, such as 22 or 200 microfarads, especially if they are used inside radio circuits.

    • 2

      Attach a tantalum capacitor to the inputs or outputs of IC or integrated circuit chips. For example, use a 0.1 capacitor at pin 5 of a 555 timer. The capacitor is used to control fluctuations if the input voltage varies too rapidly. Place a capacitor at pin 6 of a 741 op amp, before it reaches the load.

    • 3

      Shorten the leads in circuits with IC chips. IC chips are more susceptible to noise when they are built with long jumper wires.

    • 4

      Construct a low-pass filter. A low-pass filter is used to block high frequency signals, and is built with a resistor and capacitor. It is also known as an RC filter or voltage divider. Design one using the formula for the cutoff frequency, which is the value where the filter begins to block or attenuate the signal. The equation is f = 1/2PI*R*C, where f is the frequency, PI is the constant 3.14, R is the resistor, and C is the capacitor.


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