What Is a Demultiplexer?
Demultiplexers are ICs used to control signals in a circuit.
Demultiplexers are sometimes abbreviated as DEMUX and operate in the reverse order of a multiplexer (MUX). Sometimes a multiplexer and demultiplexer are used as a set within a single device, in which case they are referred to as a multiplexer as a whole.
Demultiplexers have one input signal and multiple output signals. A demultiplexer operates by switching a signal received as an input signal to one of several outputs. A multiplexer, on the other hand, has multiple input signals and a single output signal, and switches between multiple input signals to output a single output signal.
Uses of Demultiplexers
Demultiplexers are sometimes used in combination with multiplexers. A multiplexer can switch multiple input signals to a single output signal and multiplex information.
Multiplexers are used on the transmitter side and demultiplexers are used on the receiver side to multiplex and send information. Demultiplexers multiplex the information and demultiplex it back to the original multiple lines. Demultiplexers are often used in telecommunication products such as voice signal transmission, communication systems, and telephone networks.
Principle of Demultiplexers
Demultiplexers have one input signal and multiple output signals. It operates by switching the signal received as an input signal to one of the multiple outputs.
Multiplexers used in digital circuits can be implemented in a circuit using a combinational circuit of logic elements. A combinational circuit is a logic circuit in which the output signal for a given input signal is uniquely determined once the input signal is determined. Digital multiplexers can also be formed by combining AND, OR, and NOT circuits.
A combinational circuit similar to demultiplexers is a decoder. A decoder is a logic circuit that converts binary numbers to decimal numbers. A decoder has n inputs and n control inputs and selects one of n outputs to the power of 2 by decoding a binary value based on the n inputs.
Therefore, the decoder can be used as a demultiplexer. Decoders are used for bit detection and data encoding, whereas demultiplexers can distribute and switch data.