On 3/20/2011 10:00 AM, William Sommerwerck wrote:
Not so! If you understand The Basic Rule in op-amp circuit
design, you'll see that there is no difference among these
applications. Nor will you be wondering how to do something.

If it could all be boiled down to a simple rule, then
EVERYONE would be able to design perfect circuits "first
time, every time" -- with/without SPICE.

I probably overstated the case, but understanding Basic Principles can be a
major leg-up to creating a workable design.

But, isn't that so of everything? : I enjoy watching
folks "design by app-note" -- cutting and pasting together
circuit fragments from various publications -- and wondering
why their designs don't work.

"Um, if you UNDERSTOOD what you had /designed/, you would
understand why it WON'T work!"

This is where The Trades have a leg up (in theory) on The Sciences.
In the former, there is a hands-on learning process where you see
the practical aspects of what you are learning *before* you are
deemed "qualified" to practice that skill. In the latter, you
get an abstract exposure to things (to be fair, often a wider
range of "things" since "paper is cheap") but aren't qualified
to use *any* of them before you are "certified" (diploma-ed).

:

M Crichton's novels are typically based on this "lack of
(full) experience" -- Man having "getting" technology
before he has "earned" it (i.e., has the wisdom to know
how to *use* it).