Data acquisition systems, and those which monitor the continuously changing value of a parameter, do so for a variety of applications. Among these is statistical analysis, where the objective is to check for patterns of behaviour, or simply to check parameter limits and convey warnings and alarms.
Since computer systems are far happier manipulating discrete values of a parameter, rather than a continuously varying analogue value, it is convenient to measure the value of that parameter at discrete points in time, and pass the time-value pairs to the computer for analysis.
In pursuit of that goal, we will propose a model of a sample-and-hold circuit, and analyse its performance in the time and frequency domains. We will also discuss other applications of sampling, specifically those arising from intentional undersampling.
Experiment Findings Exploring the Sampling Theorem with SPICE