Name: ecg signal amplifier design
Uploaded: 2025-07-11T07:24:08.000Z
Duration: 1 min 25 s
Channel: JoVE

In an electrocardiography machine, electrodes detect small electrical changes on the skin resulting from heart muscle depolarization during each heartbeat.
These microvolt-range signals can be overwhelmed by noise or interference.
To rectify this, the ECG machine uses an instrumentation amplifier to amplify the ECG waveform while minimizing common-mode noise signals.
The instrumentation amplifier is a type of difference amplifier. It includes six resistors, three terminals, and an external resistor connected between the gain set terminals.
It amplifies small differences between input signals while rejecting signals common to both inputs.
The output voltage is the product of the voltage gain and the input voltage difference., The gain can be easily adjusted by varying only the external resistor.
Instrumentation amplifiers have high input impedance, low output impedance, high gain stability, and a high common mode rejection ratio.
The high input impedance prevents signal distortion by avoiding signal load, and high CMRR helps reject noises picked by the electrode leads, like electrical interference from other equipment.
Instrumentation amplifiers are used in biomedical instrumentation and telecommunication.

instrumentation amplifier

An electrocardiography (ECG) machine is an essential piece of medical equipment used to monitor the electrical activity of the heart. It operates by detecting small electrical changes on the skin that result from the depolarization of the heart muscle during each heartbeat. However, these signals are in the microvolt range and can be easily overwhelmed by noise or interference.
To overcome this challenge, an ECG machine utilizes an instrumentation amplifier. This specialized amplifier is designed to amplify the ECG waveform while minimizing the impact of common-mode noise signals, such as electrical interference from other devices.
The instrumentation amplifier is a type of difference amplifier. Its circuitry includes six resistors, three terminals, and an external resistor connected between the gain set terminals. This amplifier functions by amplifying the small differences between input signals while rejecting signals common to both inputs.
The output voltage of the amplifier is determined by the product of the voltage gain and the input voltage difference. The gain can be easily adjusted by varying the value of the external resistor, providing flexibility and control over the amplification process.
Instrumentation amplifiers exhibit several key characteristics that make them ideal for use in ECG machines. They have high input impedance, low output impedance, high gain stability, and a high common mode rejection ratio (CMRR).
The high input impedance prevents signal distortion by avoiding signal loading, ensuring the integrity of the electrical signals from the heart. The high CMRR enables the amplifier to effectively reject noises picked up by the electrode leads, such as electrical interference from other equipment, thereby improving the quality of the ECG waveform.
Beyond their use in ECG machines, instrumentation amplifiers are commonly employed in a variety of biomedical instrumentation and telecommunication applications due to their unique properties.

Instrumentation Amplifier

In an electrocardiography machine, electrodes detect small electrical changes on the skin resulting from heart muscle depolarization during each ...

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JoVE Core

Electrical Engineering

Unit 1

Operational Amplifiers

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

ecg signal amplifier design

An ECG signal amplifier helps an electrocardiography machine measure the heart’s electrical activity. ECG electrodes detect tiny voltage changes on the skin that come from depolarization of the heart muscle during each heartbeat. These signals are in the microvolt range, so they can be easily hidden by noise or interference.

To solve this problem, ECG machines use an instrumentation amplifier. This amplifier boosts the ECG waveform while reducing common-mode noise, which is interference that appears on both inputs. It works as a difference amplifier, so it strengthens the small voltage difference between the two input signals and rejects the signals they share.

The circuit uses six resistors, three terminals, and an external resistor connected between the gain set terminals. The output voltage depends on the voltage gain and the input voltage difference. The gain can be adjusted by changing the value of the external resistor, which gives the circuit flexibility.

Instrumentation amplifiers are well suited for ECG systems because they have high input impedance, low output impedance, high gain stability, and a high common mode rejection ratio, or CMRR. High input impedance helps prevent signal loading, so the heart signal is not distorted. High CMRR helps block interference picked up by the electrode leads, such as noise from other equipment, and improves the ECG waveform. These amplifiers are also used in other biomedical instrumentation and telecommunication applications.

ECG Signal Amplifier Design

operational amplifiers

Operational Amplifier Pinout and Signal Use

An operational amplifier, or op-amp, is a flexible circuit building block used in many electronic designs. It can act like a voltage-controlled voltage source, and it can also be used to create a voltage- or current-controlled current source. When resistors and capacitors are connected to its terminals, an op-amp can perform mathematical operations on signals. Op-amps are able to sum signals, amplify a signal, integrate it, or differentiate it. These features make them useful in practical...

characteristics of opamp

Op-Amp Gain, Feedback, and Saturation

An operational amplifier, or op-amp, is an electronic circuit component used with other circuit parts to carry out a signal-processing task. It is often described with an equivalent circuit model. In that model, the output section includes a voltage-controlled source in parallel with the output resistance, R o. The model also shows the input resistance, R i, which is the Thevenin equivalent resistance seen at the input terminals. The differential input voltage, v d, is the difference between...

design example: vintage mixing console

Op-Amp Preamp for a Vintage Console

A sound engineer designs an op-amp pre-amplifier for a vintage mixing console. The console’s output is too low for modern recording equipment, so the signal must be boosted before it can be used. The goal is to build a preamp that raises the audio level without changing the console’s character. The design must meet three clear requirements. It needs a gain of 10, an input impedance above 10 kilo-ohms so the console is not overloaded, and a frequency range that covers the full audio spectrum...

inverting and non-inverting opamps

Op-Amp Gain: Inverting, Noninverting, Buffer

Operational amplifiers can be used as inverting, noninverting, and buffer amplifiers. In these circuits, the output voltage depends on the input voltage and the resistor setup around the op-amp. In an inverting amplifier, the input voltage is sent through a resistor to the inverting terminal. The non-inverting terminal is grounded, and a feedback resistor links the inverting terminal to the output. Using Kirchhoff's Current Law and an ideal op-amp model, the gain can be found. This circuit...

sum and difference opamps

Op-Amp Adders and Subtractors

Operational amplifiers can be wired to add or subtract signals. In these two op-amp setups, the summing amplifier combines several input signals into one output, while the difference amplifier compares two inputs and amplifies their difference. A summing amplifier is also called an adder. Input signals, such as audio signals, enter through input resistors. These resistors send currents through the feedback resistor, which produces an output voltage. Using Kirchhoff's current law and Ohm's Law,...

characteristics of practical op amps

Op Amp Noise Rejection and Buffering

Practical op amps are used to separate useful signals from unwanted noise. A difference amplifier should ideally amplify only the difference between two input signals. In real circuits, though, the output depends on both differential gain and common-mode gain. The common-mode rejection ratio, or CMRR, measures how well an op amp rejects common-mode signals. Common-mode signals are the same on both inputs. A higher CMRR helps an op amp ignore noise and amplify the wanted signal, such as music...

integrator and differentiator

Op-Amp Circuits in Cruise Control

Op-amp circuits are used in cruise control systems to help cars keep a constant speed. In these systems, operational amplifiers, or op-amps, can work as integrators and differentiators. Both circuits use resistors and capacitors, which makes them compact and cost-effective. An integrator circuit produces an output that is proportional to the integral of the input signal. It is made by replacing the feedback resistor in a standard inverting amplifier with a capacitor. The output and input...

cascaded op amps

Op Amp Stages in Series

Operational amplifiers can be connected in series as separate stages. This cascade works because op-amps have very high input resistance and very low output resistance. Those properties help each stage keep its input-output relationship while driving the next stage. In a cascaded op-amp circuit, the output of one stage becomes the input of the next. Each stage adds gain to the signal as it passes through. The overall gain is the product of the gain of each stage. This design can improve...

An ECG signal amplifier helps an electrocardiography machine measure the heart’s electrical activity. ECG electrodes detect tiny voltage changes on the skin that come from depolarization of the heart muscle during each heartbeat. These signals are in the microvolt range, so they can be easily hidden by noise or interference. To solve this problem, ECG machines use an instrumentation amplifier. This amplifier boosts the ECG waveform while reducing common-mode noise, which is interference that...

key terms and concepts

Learn how an instrumentation amplifier helps an ECG machine boost tiny heart signals, reject noise, and improve waveform quality using adjustable gain and high CMRR.

ECG Signal Amplifier Design | JoVE K12

JoVE Core Electrical Engineering offers easy-to-understand animated videos that cover fundamental concepts of electric circuits along with circuit analysis techniques. It incorporates first-order and second-order circuits using operational amplifiers and circuit transformation concepts. The inclusion of practical design examples and real-world applications through scientist-in-action videos adds significant educational value, making complex concepts accessible.

electrical engineering

ECG Signal Amplifier Design

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