Description
In modern circuits, refers to a positive voltage supply. Explicitly, it is the positive supply for a BJT.
Almost all integrated circuits (ICs) have at least two pins that connect to the power rails of the circuit in which they are installed. These are known as the power-supply pins. However, the labeling of the pins varies by IC family and manufacturer.
| Typical supply pin labeling | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJT | FET | |||
| Positive supply voltage | VCC/VBB | VDD | V+ | VS+ |
| Negative supply voltage | VEE | VSS | V− | VS− |
| Ground | GND | GND | 0 | 0 |
The simplest labels are V+ and V−, but internal design and historical traditions have led to a variety of other labels being used. V+ and V− may also refer to the non-inverting (+) and inverting (−) voltage inputs of ICs like op amps.
For power-supplies sometimes one of the supply rails will be referred to as ground (abbreviated "GND") - positive and negative voltages are relative to the ground. In digital electronics, negative voltages are seldom present, and the ground nearly always is the most negative voltage level. In analog electronics (e.g. an audio power amplifier) the ground can be a voltage level between the most positive and most negative voltage level.
While double subscript notation, where subscripted letters denote the difference between two points, uses similar looking placeholders with subscripts, the double letter supply voltage subscript notation is not directly linked (though it may have been an influencing factor).
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