Design and implementation of a high-precision voltage-controlled current source circuit

CHEN Tao, LUO Fan, LIU Hewei, LI Wei

Integrated Circuits and Embedded Systems ›› 2026, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (5) : 83-88.

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Integrated Circuits and Embedded Systems ›› 2026, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (5) : 83-88. DOI: 10.20193/j.ices2097-4191.2025.0132
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Design and implementation of a high-precision voltage-controlled current source circuit

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Abstract

This paper introduces the working principle of a voltage-controlled current source circuit, which is an improved version of the traditional Howland current source circuit. It employs a differential operational amplifier (op-amp) circuit structure to construct a voltage-to-current conversion circuit. By using an FPGA to control the DAC output to generate different voltages, the circuit achieves current output ranging from 4 mA to 24 mA. The paper analyzes the impact of factors such as the op-amp, DAC, and resistor network on current output accuracy, providing guidance for component selection and circuit design. A compensation method using linear fitting is proposed, effectively improving current output accuracy. The constant current source circuit built using the SGM8249 operational amplifier was tested under temperature conditions ranging from -30℃ to 70℃. Within the current output range of 4 mA to 24 mA, the maximum error did not exceed 0.03 mA, and the relative full-scale error was less than 0.15%, meeting the requirement of current output accuracy less than 0.3% in actual engineering applications.

Key words

voltage-controlled constant current source / operational amplifier / linear fitting / DAC

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CHEN Tao , LUO Fan , LIU Hewei , et al. Design and implementation of a high-precision voltage-controlled current source circuit[J]. Integrated Circuits and Embedded Systems. 2026, 26(5): 83-88 https://doi.org/10.20193/j.ices2097-4191.2025.0132

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