A limiter is an analog circuit designed to clip or compress the peaks of a waveform that rise above a set threshold, leaving the rest of the signal unaffected. In radio frequency applications, limiters protect sensitive receiver inputs from being overloaded by strong nearby transmitters. In audio electronics, they prevent sudden transient spikes from clipping the amplifier or damaging the speakers.
Put a diode limiter on the input stage so the op-amp doesn't saturate when the sensor gets bumped.
Also heard as
- clipper
Do not mix it up with
- Compressor: A limiter abruptly stops a signal from crossing a threshold, while a compressor gradually reduces the gain of louder signals.
Related terms
Clipper
A circuit that cuts off the top or bottom of a waveform at a specific voltage level.
Compressor
An audio signal processing circuit that reduces the dynamic range of a waveform.
Brick-wall limiter
An audio or RF circuit that strictly prevents a signal from exceeding a predefined amplitude threshold.
Op-amp
A high-gain electronic voltage amplifier with differential inputs and usually a single output.