5 ms·

Analog computing (aka: OpAmps) will always exist in situations where the A-to-D converter is a problem. For example: 24-bit ADCs may exist but with nonlinearit

Analog computing (aka: OpAmps) will always exist in situations where the A-to-D converter is a problem. For example: 24-bit ADCs may exist but with nonlinearity errors, offset errors and noise problems. You will likely get better results out of Instrumentation OpAmps (specifically designed OpAmps for (A-B) * C type operations). Less noise, more accuracy and more linearity across wider voltages and currents. ------ And if my Analog design is already better than the best possible A-to-D converters out there, then no digital technique can ever possibly catch up. Just converting the analog signal to the digital world already introduced significant errors before the computer even booted up... Let alone the final D-to-A conversion back. (Most things today need a voltage or current applied to operate, possibly in proportion to the computed values). I expect radio (WiFi, cellphones etc. etc.) to remain analog for the near future. SDR techniques are crazy good today but still expensive.

jerf 2y ago
I don't get the sense that people are expecting that sort of thing, but expecting analog computers to move into what digital computers are doing in a big way, and I just don't see that happening. I think the people who are talking about this sort of thing wouldn't even call what you're talking about 'computing'. I'm comfortable calling it that. I'm happy to take an expansive definition. When one end of the output is analog, it makes perfect sense that you may have a stack of components that are operating in that regime. Similarly I'm sure top-end robot arms have a lot of components designed to do things that you could model in the control software as some operation, but it's easier in every way to add things like real physical dampening and such. That sure isn't going anywhere, but neither is that about to start displacing the digital portions; the symbiosis is already near optimal probably.

jerf 2y ago

I don't get the sense that people are expecting that sort of thing, but expecting analog computers to move into what digital computers are doing in a big way, and I just don't see that happening. I think the people who are talking about this sort of thing wouldn't even call what you're talking about 'computing'. I'm comfortable calling it that. I'm happy to take an expansive definition. When one end of the output is analog, it makes perfect sense that you may have a stack of components that are operating in that regime. Similarly I'm sure top-end robot arms have a lot of components designed to do things that you could model in the control software as some operation, but it's easier in every way to add things like real physical dampening and such. That sure isn't going anywhere, but neither is that about to start displacing the digital portions; the symbiosis is already near optimal probably.