Draw the circuit diagram and explain the operation of a differentiator. What are the limitations of the ideal differentiator? How they are overcome in practical circuits, state their application areas.

Solution:

The differentiator or differentiating amplifier is shown in fig (a). It is a first-order HPF with infinite gain.

This circuit will perform the mathematical operation of differentiation on the input voltage waveform and the output is equal to the derivative of the input signal. For the configuration of fig …