Why do we need to make the RC time constant at least five times the half period of the input signal greater? Is having a 2, 3, or 4 times RC time constant, not enough? Explain your answer.
Facts about Clampers
A clamper is an electronic circuit that fixes either the positive or the negative peak excursions of a signal to a defined value by shifting its DC value. The clamper does not restrict the peak-to-peak excursion of the signal, it moves the whole signal up or down so as to place the peaks at the reference level.
A diode clamp (a simple, common type) consists of a diode, which conducts electric current in only one direction and prevents the signal from exceeding the reference value; and a capacitor, which provides a DC offset from the stored charge. The capacitor forms a time constant with the resistor load, which determines the range of frequencies over which the clamper will be effective.
Question:
A clamping circuit has to have an independent source, a diode, a resistor, and a capacitor. To keep a constant voltage on the capacitor over the period of the input, the RC time constant must be large. A design rule of thumb is to make the RC time constant at least five times the half period of the input signal.
Why do we need to make the RC time constant at least five times the half period of the input signal greater? Is having a 2, 3, or 4 times RC time constant, not enough? Explain your answer.
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