Patent ID: 7901021

Claim:
A circuit for controlling magnitude of current flowing to an actuator element configured to deposit ink in a printing apparatus, the circuit comprising: at least one switching device configured to selectively allow and cutoff the flow of current to an actuator based upon a firing signal turning on and off, wherein the actuator is configured to deposit a printing substance in a printing apparatus; and at least one circuit component having standard sizing relative to other components on the printing apparatus, wherein the component is configured to control the firing signal provided to the switching device in order to cause flow of current to the actuator to dissipate slowly enough such that damaging levels of voltages are not induced in the circuit, wherein the component is further configured to control the firing signal to cause flow of current to the actuator to dissipate quickly enough such that the actuator current reaches substantially zero in under about 1 microsecond; and wherein the at least one circuit component comprises a component that dissipates current caused by the firing pulse according to a characteristic that approximates a resistor.