Document Type: Prentice Hall

Author: Joseph J. Carr John M. Brown

Book: Introduction to Biomedical Equipment Technology, Third Edition
Copyright: 1998
ISBN: 0-13-849431-2
NI Supported: No
Publish Date: Sep 6, 2006

Decibels
Table of Contents

1. Logarithmic representation of signal levels: decibel notation

2. Adding it all up
3. Converting between decibel and gain notation
4. Special dB scales
5. Converting dBm to voltage
6. Buy the Book

Logarithmic representation of signal levels: decibel notation

The subject of decibels frequently confuses the newcomer to electronics, and even many an old-timer seems to have occasional memory lapses regarding the subject. For the benefit of both, and
because the subject is so vitally important to understanding instrumentation and measurement systems, we will review the decibel.

The decibel measurement originated in the telephone industry and was named after telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell. The original unit was the bel. The prefix deci means 1/10, so the
decibel is one-tenth of a bel. The bel is too large for most common applications, so it is rarely, if ever, used. Thus, we will concentrate only on the more familiar decibel (dB).

The decibel is nothing more than a means of logarithmically expressing the ratio between two signal levels; for example, the output-over-input signal ratio (gain) of an amplifier. Because the decibel is
a ratio, it is also dimensionless, despite the fact that dB looks like a dimension to some people.

Consider the voltage amplifier as an example of dimensionless gain; its gain is expressed as the output voltage over the input voltage (V o/Vin). It is dimensionless because the units are volts/volts,
which cancel out.

Example 3-2
A voltage amplifier outputs 6 V when the input signal has a potential of 0.5 V. Find the voltage gain (A v).

Note above that volts units (V) appeared in both numerator and denominator and thus cancelled out, leaving only a dimensionless 12 behind (Cancel out is a short way to express the situation in
which units in the numerator and denominator are the same and thus evaluate to 1).

To analyze system gains and losses using simple addition and subtraction rather than multiplication and division, we use a little math trick on the ratio. We take the base-10 logarithm of the ratio and
multiply it by a scaling factor (either 10 or 20). For voltage systems such as our voltage amplifier, the expression becomes:

In the earlier example we had a voltage amplifier with a gain of 12 because 0.5 V input produced a 6-V output. How is this same gain (i.e., V o/Vin ratio) expressed in decibels?
dB = 20 LOG (Vo/Vin)
dB = 20 LOG (6/0.5)
dB = 20 LOG (12) = 21.6)

Despite the fact that we have changed the ratio by converting it to a logarithm, the decibel is nonetheless nothing more than a means for expressing a ratio. Thus, a voltage gain of 12 can also be
expressed as a gain of 21.6 dB.

A similar expression can be used for current amplifiers, where the gain ratio is l o/In:

For power measurements we need a modified expression to account for the fact that power is proportional to the square of the voltage or current:

We now have three basic equations for calculating decibels, which are summarized in Figure 3-5.

1/4 www.ni.com
 Figure 3-5 Three basic equations for calculating decibels. Source: EEIM.
Adding it all up
So why bother converting seemingly easy-to-handle, dimensionless numbers like voltage or power gains to a logarithmic number like decibels? Because it makes calculating signal strengths in a
system easier. To see this effect, let's consider the multistage system in Figure 3-6. Here we have a hypothetical electronic circuit that has three amplifier stages and an attenuator pad. The stage
gains are as follows:

A1 = V1/Vin = 0.2/0.010 = 20
Atten = V2/V1 = 0.1/0.2 = 0.5
A2 = V3/V2 = 1.5/0.1 = 15
A3 = Vo/V3 = 6/1.5 = 4

The overall gain is the product of the stage gains in the system:

Av = A1 X Atten X A2 X A3
Av = (20) (0.5) (15) (4) = 600

When converted to decibels, the gains are expressed as:

A1 = 26.02
Atten = -6.02
A2 = 23.52
A3 = 12.04

The overall gain of the system (in decibels) is the sum of these numbers:

Av(dB) = A1 + Attn + A2 + A3
Av(dB) = (26.02) + (-6.02) + (23.52) + (12.04)
Av(dB) = 55.56 dB

The system gain calculated earlier was 600, and this number should be the same as above:

AdB = 20 LOG (600)

AdB = 55.56 dB

They're the same.

One convenience of the decibel scheme is that gains are expressed as positive numbers and losses as negative numbers. Conceptually, it seems easier to understand a loss of —6.02 dB than a loss
represented as a gain of +0.50.

Figure 3-6 Three-stage amplifier with attenuator pad. Source: EEIM.

Converting between decibel and gain notation
We sometimes face situations in which gain is expressed in decibels, and we want to calculate the gain in terms of the output-input ratio. Common values of gain and loss expressed in decibels are
shown in Table 3-8. Suppose we have an amplifier of+ 20 dB with an input signal of 1 mV (1 mV = 0.001 V), as shown in Figure 3-7. What is the expected output voltage? It's 20 dB higher than 0.001
V. However, your meter or oscilloscope is probably not calibrated in decibels but rather in volts (note: some instruments are indeed calibrated in logarithmic units or decibels; e.g., audio voltmeters
are often calibrated in both volts and decibels or volume units). By using a little algebra we can rearrange the expression (dB = 20 LOG [V o/Vin]) to solve for output voltage, V o. The new expression
is:

Vo = Vin 10dB/20 (3-13)

which is also sometimes written in the alternative form:

Vo = Vin EXP (dB/20) (3-14)

2/4 www.ni.com
In the example above we want to calculate V o if the gain in dB and the input signal voltage are known. We can calculate it from the equations above. Using the values given above (20 dB and 1 mV):

Vo = Vin EXP (dB/20)

Vo = (0.001) EXP (20/20)
Vo = (0.001) EXP (1)
Vo = (0.001) (100) = 0.01 V

Figure 3-7 20-dB amplifier with 1-mV input signal. Source: EEIM.

For those who don't want to make the calculation, Table 3-8 shows common voltage and power gains and losses expressed both ways.

Again we see the convenience of decibel scales over gain ratios. If we want to calculate the system gain of a circuit that has a gain of 10,000, and an attenuation of 1/1000 in series, then we can do it
either way:

Av = (10, 000) (0.001) = 10

or
Av = (+ 80 dB)+ (-60 dB) =+ 20 dB

TABLE 3-8 COMMON GAINS AND LOSSES EXPRESSED IN DECIBELS

Ratio (out/ in) Voltage Gain Power Gain (dB)
(dB)
1/1000 -60 -30
1/100 -40 -20
1/10 -20 -10
1/2 -6.02 -3.01
1 0 0
2 + 6.02 + 3.01
5 + 14 +7
10 + 20 + 10
100 + 40 + 20
1, 000 + 60 + 30
10, 000 + 80 + 40
100, 000 + 100 + 50
1, 000, 000 + 120 + 60

Special dB scales

Various user groups have defined special decibel-based scales that meet their own needs. They make a special scale by defining a certain reference signal level as 0 dB and comparing all other
signal levels to that defined point. In the dimensionless dB scale, 0 dB corresponds to a gain of unity (Table 3-8). But if we define 0 dB as a particular signal level, then we obtain one of the special
scales. Below are listed several such scales commonly used in electronics:

dBm Used in reference frequency (RF) measurements, 0 dBm is defined as 1 mW of RF signal dissipated in a 50-W resistive load.

Volume Units (VU) The VU scale is used in audio work and defines 0 VU as 1 mW of 1000 Hz audio signal dissipated in a 600-W resistive load.

dB (Telephone) The dB scale, now obsolete, defined 0 dB as 6 mW of a 1000-Hz audio signal dissipated in a 500-W load (once used in telephone work). (Note: one source listed 400 Hz as the
reference frequency.)

dBmv Used in television antenna coaxial cable systems with a 75-W resistive impedance, the dBmV system uses 1000 µV (1 mV) across a 75-W resistive load as the 0 dBmv reference point.

Consider the case of the RF signal generator. In RF systems using standard 50-W input-and-output impedances, all power levels are referenced to 0 dBm being 1 mW (0.001 W). To write signal
levels in dBm we used the modified power dB expression:

Example 3-3
What is the signal level 9 mW as expressed in dBm?

dBm = 10 LOG (P/l mW)

dBm = 10 LOG (9/1)
dBm = 9.54 dBm

Thus, when we refer to a signal level of 9.54 dBm, we mean an RF power of 9 mW dissipated in a 50-W load.

Signal levels less than 1 mW show up as negative dBm. For example, 0.02 mW is also written as -17 dBm.
Converting dBm to voltage

3/4 www.ni.com
Signal generator output controls and level meters are frequently calibrated in microvolts or millivolts (although some are also calibrated in dBm). How do we convert dBm to volts or volts to dBm?

Microvolts to dBm Use the expression P = V/R = V/50 to find milliwatts, and then use the dBm expression given above.

Example 3-4
Express a signal level of 800 µV (i.e., 0.8 mV) rms in dBm.

2
P = V /50
2
P = (0.8 m) /50
P = 0.64µ/50 = 0.0128 µW
dBm = 10 LOG (P/1 µW)
dBm = 10 LOG (0.0128 µW/1 mW)
dBm = -48.9

Converting dBm to Microvolts or Millivolts

Find the power level represented by the dBm level, and then calculate the voltage using 50 W as the load.

Example 3-5
What voltage exists across a 50-W resistive load when —6 dBm is dissipated in the load?
dBm/10
P = (1 mW)(IO )
-6dBm/10
P = (1 mW)(10 )
P = (1 mW) (10-0.6)
P = (1 mW) (0.25) = 0.25 mW

2 1/2 1/2
If P = V /50, then V = (50P) =7.07(P ), so:

V = (7.07)(P1/2)
1/2
V = (7.07) (0.25 ) = 3.54 mV

(Note: Because power is expressed in milliwatts, the resulting answer is in millivolts. To convert to microvolts, multiply the result by 1,000).
Buy the Book

Purchase Introduction to Biomedical Equipment Technology from Prentice Hall.

Legal
Excerpt from the book published by Prentice Hall Professional ( http://www.phptr.com).
Copyright Prentice Hall Inc., A Pearson Education Company, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458.
This material is protected under the copyright laws of the U.S. and other countries and any uses not in conformity with the copyright laws are prohibited, including but not limited to reproduction,
DOWNLOADING, duplication, adaptation and transmission or broadcast by any media, devices or processes.

4/4 www.ni.com