Terminology » Data Communication » Polar Line Coding: Advantages and Disadvantages

Polar Line Coding: Advantages and Disadvantages

line coding polar encoding digital signal nrz rz

This page delves into the pros and cons of Polar Line Coding, along with a general overview. Line coding plays a vital role in transforming digital data into digital signal waveforms suitable for transmission. Various line coding techniques exist, categorized by the pulse shapes used to map binary data. These categories include unipolar, polar, and bipolar.

What is Polar Line Coding?

Polar encoding employs two distinct voltage levels. A binary ‘1’ is represented by a positive pulse (voltage +V), while a binary ‘0’ is represented by a negative pulse (voltage -V). By utilizing both positive and negative voltage levels, the average voltage on the transmission line is reduced. This effectively mitigates the DC component issue commonly encountered in unipolar encoding.

Polar encoding comes in several variants, including:

  • NRZ (Non-Return-to-Zero): NRZ-L and NRZ-I
  • RZ (Return-to-Zero)
  • Biphase (Manchester, Differential Manchester)

Polar NRZ

Polar NRZ

As illustrated above, polar NRZ represents a binary ‘1’ with a positive pulse of amplitude ‘V’ and a binary ‘0’ with a negative pulse of amplitude ‘V’.

Polar NRZ-L and NRZ-I

Polar NRZ-L and NRZ-I when zero is taken as 'Low' voltage

Polar NRZ-L and NRZ-I when zero is taken as 'High' voltage

  • NRZ-L (NRZ-Level): The signal level directly corresponds to the state of the bit. A positive voltage represents a binary ‘1,’ and a negative voltage represents a binary ‘0,’ or vice versa.

  • NRZ-I (NRZ-Inverted): A voltage inversion signifies a binary ‘1,’ while no change in voltage represents a binary ‘0.’ In this scheme, data is not represented by specific voltage levels but by transitions between the two polar voltages.

Polar RZ

Polar RZ

Polar RZ encoding utilizes three voltage levels: 0, +V, and -V. The signal state is determined by the voltage level during the first half of the bit period. A binary ‘1’ is represented by a positive voltage level, and a binary ‘0’ is represented by a negative voltage level during this initial half.

During the second half of the bit period, the pulse changes its voltage level. For a binary ‘1,’ the pulse voltage transitions from +V to zero and remains there for the remainder of the half bit period. Similarly, for a binary ‘0,’ the pulse voltage transitions from -V to zero. Consequently, in polar RZ coding, the waveform changes not between bits but within each bit period.

Benefits or Advantages of Polar Line Coding

Here’s a rundown of the benefits of using Polar Line Coding:

  • Simple Implementation: Polar line coding is relatively easy to implement.
  • Reduced DC Voltage: The use of both positive and negative voltage levels helps minimize the DC voltage component.
  • Synchronization (NRZ-I): NRZ-I aids in receiver synchronization by using voltage transitions to represent binary ‘1.’
  • Synchronization (Polar RZ): Polar RZ resolves the synchronization issues present in polar NRZ.

Drawbacks or Disadvantages of Polar Line Coding

Let’s examine the disadvantages associated with Polar Line Coding:

  • Synchronization Problem (Polar NRZ): Long sequences of consecutive 1s or 0s can lead to synchronization problems in polar NRZ. (Polar RZ addresses this.)
  • Baseline Wandering (Polar NRZ): Baseline wandering remains a concern in Polar NRZ.
  • Bandwidth Requirement (Polar RZ): Polar RZ requires two signal changes per bit, resulting in a higher bandwidth requirement.