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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: yeeshkul on November 25, 2009, 03:30:49 AM

Title: low-pass RC filter
Post by: yeeshkul on November 25, 2009, 03:30:49 AM
Does it matter in what order i place the cap in parallel with the load and the series resistor? I thought it didn't but ... it actually played a role when i was building Red Llama. The order had quite an impact on the circuit behaviour. Although the theory only talks about cap in parallel and series resistor, Red Llama was quite picky about the placement.
res -> cap .. OK
cap -> res .. oscillations
Title: Re: low-pass RC filter
Post by: alanlan on November 25, 2009, 08:15:55 AM
Yes, it does matter.  It won't form a low pass filter otherwise.  Also, caps don't generally like capacitive loads and that probably explains your oscillation assuming it is an op-amp output.
Title: Re: low-pass RC filter
Post by: yeeshkul on November 25, 2009, 12:13:38 PM
Thank you :)
Title: Re: low-pass RC filter
Post by: alanlan on November 25, 2009, 02:42:07 PM
Sorry, should have read "Also, *op-amps* don't generally like capacitive loads". 
Title: Re: low-pass RC filter
Post by: cpm on November 25, 2009, 04:26:30 PM
i was about to ask about that "capacitive load" issue, but feeling bad for that much lazyness i asked google first  ;D

http://www.analog.com/library/analogdialogue/archives/38-06/capacitive_loading.html

the first paragraphs are enough for a basic explanation
Title: Re: low-pass RC filter
Post by: yeeshkul on November 26, 2009, 03:14:44 AM
Interesting thing is that the resistor placed after the cap doesn't form the filter. It is still in series with the source and the load, and so is the cap in parallel.

Also, i see that i experienced troubles where i should not have experienced any troubles (talking bout Red Llama) ->  the cap straight on the IO output (= capacitive load) was doing fine fine. The cap decoupled by the resistor was doing things - although along with what you said, the low-pass filter was not formed in this case ...