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Buffer-and-Tri-State-Buffer

The document discusses buffers and tri-state buffers. A buffer is a logic gate that passes its input directly to its output. Buffers are used to isolate circuits and drive low impedance loads. A tri-state buffer has two inputs - a data input and a control input. When the control input is high, it acts as a normal buffer, but when low it enters a high impedance state. Tri-state buffers allow multiple devices to share a single bus line. Bi-directional buffers use two tri-state buffers to allow data flow in either direction depending on the control input.

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Sai Ramesh
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911 views10 pages

Buffer-and-Tri-State-Buffer

The document discusses buffers and tri-state buffers. A buffer is a logic gate that passes its input directly to its output. Buffers are used to isolate circuits and drive low impedance loads. A tri-state buffer has two inputs - a data input and a control input. When the control input is high, it acts as a normal buffer, but when low it enters a high impedance state. Tri-state buffers allow multiple devices to share a single bus line. Bi-directional buffers use two tri-state buffers to allow data flow in either direction depending on the control input.

Uploaded by

Sai Ramesh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Buffer and Tri-State Buffer

What is Digital Buffer?


The buffer is a logic gate whose output is same as the input. If the input to the buffer is logic ‘0’,
then its output is also equal to ‘0’. And if the input is logic ‘1’, then output is also logic ‘1’. The
truth table and the logic symbol of the buffer is shown below.

Truth Table and logic Symbol of Buffer:

Why Buffer is used in Digital Circuits?


As its name suggest, buffer isolates the one circuit from another circuit and yet it passes the signal
from output to input side. It is used for driving the low impedance load or for increasing fanout
of the digital circuit.

Let’s understand the importance of the buffer using one example.


Example:

Let’s say, the output of the circuit A is connected to the input of the Circuit B. The input
impedance of the circuit B is 250 ohm (low impedance load). And let’s say, the maximum current
which can be supplied by the circuit A is 10mA.

So, when the output of the circuit A is 5V or logic ‘1’, then the current drawn by the circuit B
from the circuit A is 5V/ 250 Ω = 20mA. But the maximum supplied current by circuit A is only
10mA. That means circuit A will not be able to supply the enough current. And because of that,
the loading will occur. And the voltage at the input of the circuit B will be less than 5V. (It may
not be logic ‘1’)

This issue can be avoided if the buffer is used between the two circuits.

The buffer has high input impedance. So, it draws a very little current from the circuit A. And it
passes the same signal towards circuit B. Also, the buffer has high current driving capability. Let’s
say, the current driving capability of the buffer is 50 mA. So, in this given case, it can easily drive
250 ohm load.
Apart from that, buffers are also used when we want to increase the fanout of the circuit.
For example, the same circuit A, will not be able to drive 3 AND gates, where each AND gate is
drawing 10 mA current.

But if we introduce a buffer in between, then buffer can easily drive 3 AND gates.

What is Tri-State Buffer?

The buffer which we have discussed so far is the single input buffer. Because it has only one
input. But the Tri-State buffer has two inputs.
1) Data Input
2) Control Input

The symbol of the Tri-State buffer is shown below.

The control input acts as a valve and it decides when the input will reach the output side.
When the control input is 1 then Tri-State buffer will act as a normal buffer and the output is
same as the input.

When control input is 0 then it operates in Hi-Z (High Impedance) mode. In this mode, there is a
high impedance between input and output side. And effectively, input and output side are
isolated from each other. In this mode, the circuit on the output side is not drawing any current
from the input side.
The truth table of the active High Tri-State Buffer is shown below:

As seen from the truth table, the output of the Tri-State Buffer has three output states. The logic
‘0’, logic ‘1’ and Hi-Z mode. And since it has three output states, it is known as Tri-State or Three-
State Buffer.

Similarly, the symbol and truth table of active low Tri-State Buffer is shown below. In this buffer,
when control input (enable input) is low then it will act as a normal buffer and when control input
is 1 then it will operate in Hi-Z mode.
Applications of Tri-State Buffer

1) Multiplexing multiple devices to a single wire or single pin


When we want to connect the output of the multiple devices to the single wire or single pin of
another device then Tri-State buffer is very useful.

Without Tri-State buffer, when multiple devices are connected together to a single pin, then short
circuit may happen. Because if one device puts logic ‘1’ on the pin and another device puts logic
‘0’ on the same pin, then data will get corrupted and it may a cause a short circuit and can damage
the devices.
Using the Tri-State buffer, it can be avoided.

Using a Tri-State buffer, only specific device can be enabled. For example, if the control input of
only device A is made logic ‘1’ and remaining control inputs are kept logic ‘0’ then only device A
can send the data to controller. And remaining devices will remain isolated from the controller
pin. So, in this way, using Tri-State buffer, multiple devices can be multiplexed to a single pin or
wire.

2) Connecting multiple memories or devices to data bus

To connect the multiple memories or multiple devices to a data bus, Tri-State Buffers are used.

Without Tri-State buffers, when multiple devices are connected to the data bus, then bus
contention may occur. It can be avoided using the Tri-State buffer.

Typically, the commercially available devices or memories (which needs to be connected with
data bus) have built-in Tri-state buffers.
Bi-Directional Buffer:

The buffer which have discussed so far is the single directional buffer. Meaning that, in this buffer,
data movement will happen only in one direction. But using two Tri-State buffers, it is possible
to make bi-directional buffer.
Here, the control / Enable input decides the direction of the data movement. When the E =1,
then the output of the NOT gate is 0. So, lower Tri-State buffer will operate in Hi-Z mode, while
the upper Tri-State buffer will operate like a normal buffer. So, in this case, the left side will act
as input and right side will act as an output.

Similarly, when E = 0, then output of the NOT gate will be 1. So, lower Tri-State Buffer will get
enabled while the upper Tri-State buffer will operate in Hi-Z mode. And in this case, the right side
will act as an input and right side will act as an output.

Using one Active High Tri-State Buffer and one Active Low Tri-State buffer also we can design
the Bi-directional Buffer.
This bi-directional buffer is used in Bus Transceivers.

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