💡 About Voltage Dividers
A voltage divider is one of the most fundamental circuits. Two resistors in series, output taken from the middle.
Formula
Vout = Vin × R2 / (R1 + R2)
Common Applications
- 5V → 3.3V level shifting for Arduino (R1=1.7kΩ, R2=3.3kΩ)
- Sensor signal conditioning
- ADC reference voltage generation
- Battery voltage monitoring
Important Notes
- A load resistor RL connects in parallel with R2, changing the ratio
- Higher resistor values reduce power consumption but increase noise sensitivity
- Use 1% tolerance resistors for accurate output voltage