Electronic – Vary the integration factor of a opamp integrator

capacitorintegratoroperational-amplifierpid controllerresistors

I am working on a analog PID circuit and I need to make a opamp integrator circuit where I can change the integration factor. Now why do I've to make this circuit (I saw the circuit for example here):

schematic

simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab

But a 'normal' opamp integrator is a circuit without the variable resistor. Why can I not just vary \$\text{R}_1\$?

Best Answer

R1 and C, without R2, make an op-amp integrator. Adjust either value, of course R1 is easier to adjust than the C, to adjust the gain.

R2 does something else, it forms a time constant with C, turning it into a low pass filter, with low frequency gain R2/R1, and corner frequency controlled by the R2.C product.

Alternatively, you could regard it as an integrator that works for AC, and R2 limits the DC gain to a reasonable and controllable value, rather than infinity (theoretical) or the open loop gain of the op-amp (practical)