Efficient Electronic Hardware [taken from C and the 8051]

1. Use as few supply voltages as possible. With the right analog devices, a logic supply (usually 5V, but recently going as low as 2.7V) can often suffice. Microphone signals and most sensor signals never get that big. There is no law that all analog processing must be done with ±15V. Often, if the signal goes into an A-D converter and the signal-to-noise ratio is not a problem, it is unnecessary to amplify it to such levels.
2. Use as little current as you safely can, and design so the high current drains are the shorter duration ones. Continue reading →