 |
Glossary Term: Differential Signaling
Definition
Most electrical signals are single-ended, comprised of a single wire and ground. Differential signals use two wires which are the inverse of each other -- when one swings positive, the other swings negative in equal magnitude. The receiving circuit looks only at the difference between the two, ignoring any common-mode voltage. This "push-pull" arrangement reduces the impact of electrical interference because external noise will affect both wires equally and the common-mode rejection will ignore the noise.
Examples: RS-422, RS-485, professional audio signal standards (especially for microphones), the signal lines employed by Ethernet, and the standard twisted-pair analog telephone (POTS) line.
Also see the tutorial, Understanding Common-Mode Signals.
Synonyms
- Differential
- Balanced
- Twisted-Pair
See Also
Find Another Term
0-9
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Comment on This Term (Corrections, Suggestions, etc.)
Suggest Another Term We Should Add
|
