In
electronicsElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
,
high impedanceElectrical impedance, or simply impedance, is the measure of the opposition that an electrical circuit presents to the passage of a current when a voltage is applied. In quantitative terms, it is the complex ratio of the voltage to the current in an alternating current circuit...
means that a point in a circuit (a node) has a relatively high impedance to other points in the circuit.
Digital electronics
High impedanceElectrical impedance, or simply impedance, is the measure of the opposition that an electrical circuit presents to the passage of a current when a voltage is applied. In quantitative terms, it is the complex ratio of the voltage to the current in an alternating current circuit...
(also known as
hi-Z,
tri-stated, or
floating) is the united state of an output terminator which is not currently driven by the circuit. In
digital circuitDigital electronics represent signals by discrete bands of analog levels, rather than by a continuous range. All levels within a band represent the same signal state...
s, it means that the signal is neither driven to a logical high nor low level - hence "tri-stated". Such a signal can be seen as an
open circuitThe term Open circuit may refer to:*Open-circuit scuba, a type of SCUBA-diving equipment where the user breathes from the set and then exhales to the surroundings without recycling the exhaled air...
(or "floating" wire) because connecting it to a low impedance circuit will not affect that circuit; it will instead itself be pulled to the same
voltageVoltage, otherwise known as electrical potential difference or electric tension is the difference in electric potential between two points — or the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points...
as the actively driven output. The combined input/output pins found on many
ICAn integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s are actually tri-state capable outputs which have been internally connected to inputs. This is the basis for
busIn computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers.Early computer buses were literally parallel electrical wires with multiple connections, but the term is now used for any physical arrangement that provides the same...
-systems in
computerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s, among many other uses.
In digital circuits, a
wireA wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
at high impedance may sometimes have a
voltageVoltage, otherwise known as electrical potential difference or electric tension is the difference in electric potential between two points — or the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points...
that is around, or even lower than, the threshold for a digital 0. This can cause people to mistakenly read a hi-Z wire as a digital 0. To verify if a wire is at hi-Z, a large value
pull-up resistorPull-up resistors are used in electronic logic circuits to ensure that inputs to logic systems settle at expected logic levels if external devices are disconnected or high-impedance...
can be used to try to pull the wire to high and low voltage levels. A non-hi-Z signal should not be able to be pulled in such a way.
Analog electronics
In analog circuits a high impedance node is one that does not have any low impedance paths to any other nodes. Since the terms low and high depend on context to some extent, it is possible in principle for some high impedance nodes to be described as low impedance in one context, and high impedance in another.
High impedance nodes have higher thermal noise and are more prone to capacitive & inductive noise pick up. They are often difficult to
probe- Science and technology :* Medical equipment** Anal probe** Endoscope** Proctoscope* Atom probe, an atomic-resolution microscope* Hybridization probe or chemical probe, used in molecular biology...
as the impedance of a
scopeAn oscilloscope is a type of electronic test instrument that allows observation of constantly varying signal voltages, usually as a two-dimensional graph of one or more electrical potential differences using the vertical or 'Y' axis, plotted as a function of time,...
or
meterA multimeter or a multitester, also known as a VOM , is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several measurement functions in one unit. A typical multimeter may include features such as the ability to measure voltage, current and resistance...
can heavily affect the signal or voltage on the node. High impedance nodes are used because some
transducerA transducer is a device that converts one type of energy to another. Energy types include electrical, mechanical, electromagnetic , chemical, acoustic or thermal energy. While the term transducer commonly implies the use of a sensor/detector, any device which converts energy can be considered a...
s require a high impedance load, and useful in
amplifierGenerally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
s since high impedance allows for large voltage gains without large power consumption.
See also
- Electrical impedance
Electrical impedance, or simply impedance, is the measure of the opposition that an electrical circuit presents to the passage of a current when a voltage is applied. In quantitative terms, it is the complex ratio of the voltage to the current in an alternating current circuit...
- Three-state logic
In digital electronics three-state, tri-state, or 3-state logic allows an output port to assume a high impedance state in addition to the 0 and 1 logic levels, effectively removing the output from the circuit...
- Four valued logic
In logic, a four-valued logic is used to model signal values in digital circuits: the four values are Z, X and the boolean values 1 and 0. Z stands for high impedance or open circuit, while X stands for "unknown"...
- open emitter