Common-mode rejection ratio

The common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of a differential amplifier (or other device) measures the tendency of the device to reject input signals common to both input leads. A high CMRR is important in applications where the signal of interest is represented by a small voltage fluctuation superimposed on a (possibly large) voltage offset, or when relevant information is contained in the voltage difference between two signals. (An example is audio transmission over balanced lines.)

Ideally, a differential amplifier takes the voltages V ₊ and V ₋ on its two inputs and produces an output voltage V_o = A_d(V ₊ − V ₋ ), where A_d is the differential gain. However, the output of a real differential amplifier is better described as

where A_cm is the common-mode gain, which is typically much smaller than the differential gain.

The CMRR is defined as the ratio of the powers of the differential gain over the common-mode gain, measured in positive decibels (thus using the 20 log rule):

As differential gain should exceed common-mode gain, this will be a positive number, and the higher the better.

The CMRR is a very important specification, as it indicates how much of the common-mode signal will appear in your measurement. The value of the CMRR often depends on signal frequency as well, and must be specified as a function thereof.

CMRR is often important in reducing noise on transmission lines. For example, when measuring a thermocouple in a noisy environment, the noise from the environment appears as an offset on both input leads, making it a common-mode voltage signal. The CMRR of the measurement instrument determines the attenuation applied to the offset or noise.

Example: operational amplifiers

An operational amplifier (op-amp) has two inputs, V₊ and V_-, and an open-loop gain G. In the ideal case, the output of an ideal op-amp behaves according to the equation

This equation represents an infinite CMRR: if both inputs fluctuate by the same amount (while remaining constant relative to each other), this change will have no bearing on the output. In real applications, this is not always the case: the lower the CMRR, the larger the effect on the output signal. The 741, a common op-amp chip, has a CMRR of 90 dB, which is reasonable in most cases. A value of 70 dB may be adequate for applications which are insensitive to the effects on amplifier output; on the other hand, some high-end devices may use op-amps with a CMRR of 120 dB or more.

See also

• Signal-to-noise ratio
• Balanced line
• XLR connector
• Tip ring sleeve

External links

• PowerPoint presentation on audio connectors