As the title implies, I'm asking members of this forum whether they think analog will remain in the world of electronics. Or, do you think that digital will become ubiquitous in every aspect of electronics, and eradicate analog?

Digital is unique for its incredible efficiency, simplicity, and convinience. It's been questioned whether digital will over-ride analog, but some say that analog will still remain in certain applications. I believe analog will not eventually be supplanted by digital, both of those facets are auspicious in their own way for different reasons. For example, RF & radio applications still require the means of analog in phone. Although, perhaps phone will eventually be suppressed if not eliminated? Simply put, digital has an advantage for specific applications and analog has an advantage for specific applications as well.

Please by all means post any comments you might have regarding this matter, I'm interested (and I'm sure others are as well) what people think of this.

Thanks,

Austin

 

a basic definition of Pulse Width Modulation is the changing of an analog voltage into a digital signal.
So if analog wasn't present, what would the digital be pulsing?

In digital audio recording, the digital snippets are bits of sampled analog data.

 

The "real" or "physical" world is analog. Analog is required to interface just about everything. Also remember that digital signals have analog characteristics. Analog is going nowhere.

 

What Ethan said. Electronics is a method humans use to sense the natural world. When sunlight, trees, and my vocal cords are digital, we won't need analog electronics.

 

Yep, as Ethan & Bychon say, the real world is Analog.

Virtually any 'digital' transducer for a real-world value consists of an Analog sensor and an ADC plus interfacing in the package.

 

Hello,

Analog is still a major part in the electronics world.
A rjenkins said even "digital" sensors start-off an analog part.

Think also about all the RF stuff (amplifiers, mixers, detectors) wich heavely depends on analog techniques.

In holland even the vinyl music carriers (LP and 12 inch) are coming up again.
I still have a pickup (vinyl record player) in my stereo at home.

Bertus

 

There is no reason to get rid of analog.

VERY fast digital acts like analog. So there was a time where analog seemed on its way out, but after speeding up so much, digital acts like analog.

Some of the first courses taken in high-speed digital are analog courses. They are hand in hand now a days.

 

basically what everyone has said - especially about the world being an analog environment.

 

I personally believe that analog will surpass digital because if it's infinite qualities. We just need to figure it out.

 

Where is the poll that showed that everybody voted for analog? On a different website?

 

Analog electronics is the core for every piece of electronic device. Even digital electronics are actually analog working either in saturation or cut-off. Thus, I say that analog will always exist, especially for high frequency signals.

 

Just for contradiction . More and more is becoming digital for some obvious reasons, but we just cannot just get rid of the analog electronics. However at school (university) they tend to teach more digital stuff nowadays :/.

 

Excellent replies everyone! Although I do have a few more considerations.

Now it is evident by virtually everyone that analog will always remain immutable in electronics. However, it's been noted that there continues to be less analog engineers and more digital and software engineers. I'm also convinced that there is still an abundance of potential that analog might conceive in the near future, but based on the diminutive number of analog engineers, don't you think that potential will mitigate? Will advances in the analog industry still be sought after in the future? Do you think that analog engineers will continue to diminish and be replaced by digital engineers?

Austin

 

Yet another consideration arose when I reflected on the responses: Do you think that analog will provoke inspiration towards digital applications?

I believe that is a true statement. Analog preceded digital and many analog systems were transferred into digital systems.

One more thing to consider; do you think that in the future there might be another possible form of "intelligent" electricity transfer? We have analog and digital, but do you think there might be something else?

Austin

 

I think as digital gets even faster, there will be a new breed of digi-log engineers and ICs. ADC Comparators that compare or even convert a sinusoidal into a digi-log sodial (?) and filtering ICs that basically act on digi-log signals for filtering the way todays caps work with analog.

There will be a gap for a while where buisiness will be hiring analog professionals with strong digital backgrounds.

 

Analog electronics is the core for every piece of electronic device. Even digital electronics are actually analog working either in saturation or cut-off. Thus, I say that analog will always exist, especially for high frequency signals.

That's completely true; digital components consist of analog components.

Austin

 

The fact that there are more digital engineers nowadays is because most people do not like to study analog because digital circuits are easier to understand.

Analog engineers might get less and less but they are important for the design of integrated circuits. The performance of a digital IC depends on the internal analog circuitry which needs to be analyzed by analog engineers as to improve the performance of the digital IC. The majority of modern applications are digital based due to obvious reasons, however, on integrated circuit level analog engineers needed if digital technology will continue to improve.

 

The fact that there are more digital engineers nowadays is because most people do not like to study analog because digital circuits are easier to understand.

Analog engineers might get less and less but they are important for the design of integrated circuits. The performance of a digital IC depends on the internal analog circuitry which needs to be analyzed by analog engineers as to improve the performance of the digital IC. The majority of modern applications are digital based due to obvious reasons, however, on integrated circuit level analog engineers needed if digital technology will continue to improve.

Yes I would have to agree with that. Wouldn't you say that mathematics is the true aspect of analog electronics that inhibits people from pursuing it? Or is there other aspects as well?

Austin

 

The other aspect is the amount of money in the field.

 

The other aspect is the amount of money in the field.

I didn't realize that. Those who want to pursue analog have to pay more than for those who want to pursue digital?

Austin