Blog: What is Multiplexer and what are its applications and expression simplification using Multiplexer?

What is Multiplexer and what are its applications and expression simplification using Multiplexer?

Multiplexer is a digital circuit with multiple signal inputs, one of which is selected by separate address inputs to be sent to the single output. The multiplexer circuit is typically used to combine two or more digital signals onto a single line, by placing them there at different times. Technically, this is known as time-division multiplexing.

Input A is the addressing input, which controls which of the two data inputs, X0 or X1, will be transmitted to the output. If the A input switches back and forth at a frequency more than double the frequency of either digital signal, both signals will be accurately reproduced, and can be separated again by a demultiplexer circuit synchronized to the multiplexer.

This is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance; the telephone network combines multiple audio signals onto a single pair of wires using exactly this technique, and is readily able to separate many telephone conversations so that everyone's voice goes only to the intended recipient. With the growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web, most people have heard about T1 telephone lines. A T1 line can transmit up to 24 individual telephone conversations by multiplexing them in this manner.

A very common application for this type of circuit is found in computers, where dynamic memory uses the same address lines for both row and column addressing. A set of multiplexers is used to first select the row address to the memory, then switch to the column address. This scheme allows large amounts of memory to be incorporated into the computer while limiting the number of copper traces required to connect that memory to the rest of the computer circuitry. In such an application, this circuit is commonly called a data selector. Multiplexers are not limited to two data inputs. If we use two addressing inputs, we can multiplex up to four data signals. With three addressing inputs, we can multiplex eight signals.