Active Instrument Cables with Buffer Amplification

Abstract

ABSTRACT Title of Thesis: ACTIVE INSTRUMENT CABLES WITH BUFFER AMPLIFICATION Timothy A. Babich, Master of Science, 2011 Thesis Directed by: Professor Patrick O'Shea Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering "When connecting electronic instruments to power amplifiers with traditional passive instrument cables signal attenuations can occur due to several factors such as signal reflections and cable capacitance. This thesis examines the possibility of better preserving electronic instrument signals by using buffer amplification built into instrument cables. Active instrument cables were developed that are powered by an internal AA battery in a form factor similar to traditional passive cables. The goal was to achieve a design that was small and had substantial battery life such that the product would be marketable to musicians."