Linear Electronics in Control Systems

Fewer and fewer people these days understand the fundamentals of linear electronics, a technology that is less glamorous than digital electronics but just as vital. "There remain control applications where the linear device is a better answer than attempting to travel the purely digital route," writes Robert C. Baker in the introduction to this book, but "it becomes more difficult year by year to find engineers and technicians who are properly versed in the use of linear devices.Contributing to the linear device's unglamorous image is the relative difficulty of its application. Digital devices operate in one of only two states -- on or off -- but with linear devices, the range of operating states is infinite.Linear Electronics in Control Systems provides a broad yet concise look at these important devices. Early chapters introduce the reader to discrete solid-state devices and instruments for measuring their characteristics and performance. The second half of the book shows how linear devices are used in control systems.