In signal-conditioning applications utilizing single power source, a reference voltage equal to one-half the supply voltage is required for termination of all analog signal grounds. TI presents a precision virtual ground whose output voltage is always equal to one-half the input voltage—the TLE2426 rail splitter.

The unique combination of a high-performance, micropower operational amplifier and a precisiontrimmed divider on a single silicon chip results in a precise V_O/V_I ratio of 0.5 while sinking and sourcing current. The TLE2426 provides a lowimpedance output with 20 mA of sink and source capability, while drawing less than 280 µA of supply current over the full input range of 4 V to 40 V. A designer need not pay the price in terms of board space for a conventional signal ground consisting of resistors, capacitors, operational amplifiers, and voltage references. For increased performance, the 8-pin package provides noise-reduction pin. With the addition of an external capacitor (C_NR), peak-to-peak noise is reduced, while line ripple rejection is improved.

Initial output tolerance for a single 5-V or 12-V system is better than 1% over the full 40-V input range. Ripple rejection exceeds 12 bits of accuracy. Whether the application is for a data-acquisition front end, analog signal termination, or simply a precision voltage reference, the TLE2426 eliminates a major source of system error.