Cebu Institute of Technology – University

Computer Engineering Department

CPE368 Mixed Signal and Sensors

I. Summing Amplifier

The Summing Amplifier is another type of operational amplifier circuit configuration that is used
to combine the voltages present on two or more inputs into a single output voltage.

We saw previously in the inverting operational amplifier that the inverting amplifier has a
single input voltage, (Vin) applied to the inverting input terminal. If we add more input
resistors to the input, each equal in value to the original input resistor, (Rin) we end up with
another operational amplifier circuit called a Summing Amplifier, “summing inverter” or
even a “voltage adder” circuit as shown above.
Summing Amplifier Circuit

Vout (output voltage) is now proportional to the sum of the input voltages, V1, V2 , V3, etc.
Then we can modify the original equation for the inverting amplifier to take account of these
new inputs thus:

But, if all the input impedances, ( RIN ) are equal in value, we can simplify the above
equation to give an output voltage of:

We now have an operational amplifier circuit that will amplify each individual input voltage and
produce an output voltage signal that is proportional to the algebraic “SUM” of the three individual
input voltages V1, V2 and V3. We can also add more inputs if required as each individual input
“sees” their respective resistance, Rin as the only input impedance.
This is because the input signals are effectively isolated from each other by the “virtual earth”
node at the inverting input of the op-amp. A direct voltage addition can also be obtained when all
the resistances are of equal value and Rƒ is equal to Rin.
Note: When the summing point is connected to the inverting input of the op-amp the circuit will
produce the negative sum of any number of input voltages. Likewise, when the summing point is

Engr. Jundith D. Alterado

[email protected]
 Cebu Institute of Technology – University
Computer Engineering Department
CPE368 Mixed Signal and Sensors

connected to the non-inverting input of the op-amp, it will produce the positive sum of the input
voltages.
Scaling Summing Amplifier
The individual input Resistance (Rin) are NOT equal. Then the equation would have to be
modified to:
𝑅𝑓 𝑅𝑓 𝑅𝑓
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝑉1 ( ) + 𝑉2 ( ) + 𝑉3 ( )+⋯
𝑅𝑖𝑛1 𝑅𝑖𝑛2 𝑅𝑖𝑛3
We can also rearrange the formula with Rf as the subject of the equation.
𝑉 𝑉 𝑉
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝑅𝑓 (𝑅 1 + 𝑅 2 + 𝑅 3 + ⋯)
𝑖𝑛1 𝑖𝑛2 𝑖𝑛3

This allows the output voltage to be easily calculated if more input resistors are connected to the
amplifiers inverting input terminal. The input impedance of each individual channel is the value of
their respective input resistors, ie, R1, R2, R3 … etc. Sometimes we need a summing circuit to
just add together two or more voltage signals without any amplification. By putting all of the
resistances of the circuit above to the same value R, the op-amp will have a voltage gain of unity
and an output voltage equal to the direct sum of all the input voltages as shown:

The Summing Amplifier is a very flexible circuit indeed, enabling us to effectively “Add” or “Sum”
(hence its name) together several individual input signals. If the inputs resistors, R1, R2, R3 etc,
are all equal a “unity gain inverting adder” will be made. However, if the input resistors are of
different values a “scaling summing amplifier” is produced which will output a weighted sum of
the input signals.
Summing Amplifier Example 1
Find the output voltage of the Summing Amplifier circuit.

Using the previously found formula Vout of the circuit:

𝑉 𝑉 𝑉
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝑅𝑓 (𝑅 1 + 𝑅 2 + 𝑅 3 + ⋯)
𝑖𝑛1 𝑖𝑛2 𝑖𝑛3

We can now substitute the values of the resistors in the circuit as follows:
2𝑚𝑉 5𝑚𝑉
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 10𝑘( + ) 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝟒𝟓𝒎𝑽
1𝑘 2𝑘

Then the output voltage of the Summing Amplifier circuit above is given as -45 mV and is
negative as it’s an inverting amplifier.

We can also use the previously founded formula for the Gain.

Substitute the values of the resistors:

Engr. Jundith D. Alterado

[email protected]
 Cebu Institute of Technology – University
Computer Engineering Department
CPE368 Mixed Signal and Sensors

We know that the output voltage is the sum of the two amplified input signals and is calculated
as:

Non-Inverting Summing Amplifier

But as well as constructing inverting summing amplifiers, we can also use the non-inverting input
of the operational amplifier to produce a non-inverting summing amplifier. We have seen above
that an inverting summing amplifier produces the negative sum of its input voltages then it follows
that the non-inverting summing amplifier configuration will produce the positive sum of its input
voltages.
As its name implies, the non -inverting summing amplifier is based around the configuration of a
non-inverting operational amplifier circuit in that the input (either ac or dc) is applied to the non-
inverting (+) terminal, while the required negative feedback and gain is achieved by feeding back
some portion of the output signal (VOUT) to the inverting (-) terminal as shown.

Advantage:
- Op-amps output voltage V OUT is in phase with its input
- The output voltage is the weighted sum of all its inputs which themselves are determined
by their resistance ratios.
- Because there is no virtual earth condition across the input terminals, its input impedance
is much higher than that of the standard inverting amplifier configuration.
- The input summing part of the circuit is unaffected if the op-amps closed-loop voltage gain
is changed. However, there is more computations involved in selecting the weighted gains
for each individual input at the summing junction especially if there are more than two
inputs each with a different weighting factor. Nevertheless, if all the inputs have the same
resistive values, then the computations involved will be a lot less.
If the closed-loop gain of the non-inverting operational amplifier is made equal the number of
summing inputs, then the op-amps output voltage will be exactly equal to the sum of all the input
voltages. That is for a two input non-inverting summing amplifier, the op-amps gain is equal to 2,
for a three input summing amplifier the op -amps gain is 3, and so on. This is because the currents
which flow in each input resistor is a function of the voltage at all its inputs. If the input resistances
made all equal, (R1 = R2) then the circulating currents cancel out as they can not flow into the
high impedance non-inverting input of the op-amp and the voutput voltage becomes the sum of
its inputs.
So for a 2-input non-inverting summing amplifier the currents flowing into the input terminals can
be defined as:

Engr. Jundith D. Alterado

[email protected]
 Cebu Institute of Technology – University
Computer Engineering Department
CPE368 Mixed Signal and Sensors

If we make the two input resistances equal in value, then R1 = R2 = R.

The standard equation for the voltage gain of a non-inverting summing amplifier circuit is given
as:

The non-inverting amplifiers closed-loop voltage gain A V is given as: 1 + RA/RB. If we

make this closed-loop voltage gain equal to 2 by making RA = RB, then the output voltage
Vout becomes equal to the sum of all the input voltages as shown.

Therefore, for a 3-input non-inverting summing amplifier configuration, setting the closed -loop
voltage gain to 3 will make VOUT equal to the sum of the three input voltages, V1, V 2 and V3.

Summing Amplifier Applications

What can we use summing amplifiers for, either inverting or non-inverting? If the input resistances
of a summing amplifier are connected to potentiometers the individual input signals can be mixed
together by varying amounts.
For example, measuring temperature, you could add a negative offset voltage to make the output
voltage or display read “0” at the freezing point or produce an audio mixer for adding or mixing
together individual waveforms (sounds) from different source channels (vocals, instruments, etc)
before sending them combined to an audio amplifier.
Summing Amplifier Audio Mixer

Engr. Jundith D. Alterado

[email protected]
 Cebu Institute of Technology – University
Computer Engineering Department
CPE368 Mixed Signal and Sensors

Digital to Analog Converter

Another useful application of a Summing Amplifier is as a weighted sum digital-to -analogue
converter, (DAC). If the input resistors, RIN of the summing amplifier double in value for each
input, for example, 1kΩ, 2kΩ, 4kΩ, 8kΩ, 16kΩ, etc, then a digital logical voltage, either a logic
level “0” or a logic level “1” on these inputs will produce an output which is the weighted sum of
the digital inputs. Consider the circuit below.
DAC Circuit
.

This is an example of a DAC with 4-bits input data word which would determine the output step
voltage as a percentage of the full-scale analogue output voltage.
Also, the accuracy of this full-scale analogue output depends on voltage levels of the input bits
being consistently 0V for “0” and consistently 5V for “1” as well as the accuracy of the resistance
values used for the input resistors, RIN.
Fortunately to overcome these errors, at least on our part, commercially available Digital-to
Analogue and Analogue-to Digital devices are readily available with highly accurate resistor
ladder networks already built-in.

Engr. Jundith D. Alterado

[email protected]