Series Clippers : part 1
Clipper circuits, also called limiters, are designed to limit the signal swing. They are often used at the input of a system to protect the system from overvoltage. When clipping occurs, the shape of the waveform is changed. Circuits designed to respond to frequency variations often use limiters to clip the signal and remove unwanted amplitude variations. For example, FM radio system use frequency variations to transfer information. Therefor, one of the first circuits in an FM radio receiver is a limiter circuit that removes the unwanted amplitude variations but keeps the frequency variations. Clipper circuits use diodes to perform the clipping. If the diode is in series with the load, the circuit is called a series clipper. If the diode is in parallel with the load, the circuit is called a parallel clipper.
