1.3. CLASSIFICATION OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Basically there are no borders between all fields of electronic devices, as there are:

- communicationsystems (radios, transmitters, recorders etc.)

- data processing systems (computers and measuring instruments)

- controlsystems (in machines, aeroplanes powerstations)

In all those applications the same technical principles and similar basic circuits are applied.

Nevertheless, if one has a general look at all these different kinds of circuits, he will find two different FAMILIES of circuits differentiated according to the method of translating the original physical effect (for example the air pressure of the sound) into an electric signal.

The first family is the so called “ANALOGUE CIRCUIT”. Here the shape of the output-signal is equal to the input-signal.

fig. 3

The second family is the so-called “DIGITAL CIRCUIT”. Here the shape of the outputsignal represents the input signal in form of digits(steps). These years the development of electrical technology is very fast. Therefore in future you might easily find circuits of one or the other family which you would have not expected in a special device of a that certain kind.