dBm to uV Calculator and Formula

Use this calculator to convert from dBm to microvolt (μV) RMS

Note: the impedance will have to be specified and the default value is 50 ohm

🔁 uV to dBm

Formula

μV = √(10dBm/10 x Z x 10−3 ) x 106

where Z is the impedance

Background

Microvolt

A microvolt (μV) is a unit of electric potential equal to one-millionth of a volt (0.000001 volts). It is commonly used in various scientific, engineering, and medical applications where small voltages need to be measured or referenced.

Definition:

  • 1 microvolt (μV) = 0.000001 volts (V)
  • 1 volt (V) = 1,000,000 microvolts (μV)

Contexts Where Microvolts are Used:

  1. Biomedical Applications: Microvolts are commonly used to measure electrical potentials in the human body, such as in electroencephalography (EEG) for brain wave activity or electrocardiography (ECG) for heart activity.
  2. Electronic Devices: In highly sensitive electronic equipment, such as low-noise amplifiers and certain types of sensors, signals may be in the microvolt range.
  3. Environmental Measurements: Instruments that measure natural phenomena, such as seismic sensors, can detect voltage changes in the microvolt range due to very small ground movements.
  4. Scientific Research: Experiments in fields such as physics and chemistry often require the measurement of very small voltages, sometimes in the microvolt range.

Conversion to Other Units:

  • 1 microvolt (μV) = 0.000001 volts (V)
  • 1 microvolt (μV) = 1000 nanovolts (nV)
  • 1 volt (V) = 1,000,000 microvolts (μV)

dBm (deciBel-milliwatt)

dBm (decibel-milliwatts) is a unit of power measurement that expresses power levels relative to one milliwatt (mW). It is widely used in telecommunications, radio frequency (RF) engineering, and audio engineering to quantify signal strength and power levels.

Definition:

dBm is a logarithmic unit that quantifies power levels relative to a reference power of 1 milliwatt (mW).

The formula to convert power in milliwatts (mW) to dBm is: PdBm​=10*Log10​(PmW​)

Applications:

  1. Telecommunications:
    • dBm is used to measure signal strength in wireless communication systems such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular networks.
    • It helps in determining the quality of the signal received by a device and in optimizing network coverage.
  2. RF Engineering:
    • In RF engineering, dBm is used to measure the output power of transmitters and the received signal strength.
    • It aids in designing and troubleshooting RF circuits and systems.
  3. Audio Engineering:
    • dBm can also be used in audio engineering to measure the power of audio signals, especially in professional audio equipment.

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