What are Electronic Filters?

Real-world signals contain both wanted and unwanted information. Therefore, some kind of electronic signal filtering technique must separate the two before processing and analysis can begin. Every electronic design project produces signals that require electronic signal filtering, processing, or amplification, from simple gain to the most complex digital-signal processing (DSP). Designers base their electronic signal filter implementation selections on the desired bandwidth and accuracy of the target system. These parameters, along with hardware costs, determine the system's speed (sample rate), resolution (number of bits), type of A/D converter (sigma-delta, successive-approximation, flash), and anti-alias filter technology. Choosing an electronic signal filter technology (analog/DSP) is less straightforward than simply selecting a transfer function from among Butterworth, Bessel, elliptic, or FIR-40, -60, -80 dB. The best solution depends heavily on the application.