Recently I learned about the functionalities of an Op Amp and how they are used to amplify voltages. Don’t they serve the same purpose as that of a boost converter but in a more cleaner fashion? Someone please highlight their subtle differences
In: Engineering
No, they are completely different.
OpAmp doesn’t actually amplify voltage – it actually requires an external source of a greater voltage to work. OpAmp can only reduce that source voltage, it can never increase it.
OpAmps also have abysmal efficiency – they pretty much “burn away” the leftover voltage. They are supposed to manipulate only low power control signals – they are not supposed to be on the main power path.
It is pretty much the opposite for boost converters – they are designed for the power path. They can bump voltage, but even if they lower voltage – they don’t burn it, but convert into a higher current. They can have high efficiency. However, they can have slower response time and some other disadvantages, which make them bad for signal processing.
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