
In
electronics
Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC, A/D, or A-to-D) is a system that converts an
analog signal
An analog signal (American English) or analogue signal (British and Commonwealth English) is any continuous-time signal representing some other quantity, i.e., ''analogous'' to another quantity. For example, in an analog audio signal, the ins ...
, such as a sound picked up by a
microphone
A microphone, colloquially called a mic (), or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...
or light entering a
digital camera
A digital camera, also called a digicam, is a camera that captures photographs in Digital data storage, digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film or film stock. Dig ...
, into a
digital signal
A digital signal is a signal that represents data as a sequence of discrete values; at any given time it can only take on, at most, one of a finite number of values. This contrasts with an analog signal, which represents continuous values; ...
. An ADC may also provide an isolated measurement such as an
electronic device
Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other electrically charged particles. It is a subfield of physics and ...
that converts an analog input
voltage
Voltage, also known as (electrical) potential difference, electric pressure, or electric tension, is the difference in electric potential between two points. In a Electrostatics, static electric field, it corresponds to the Work (electrical), ...
or
current
Currents, Current or The Current may refer to:
Science and technology
* Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas
** Air current, a flow of air
** Ocean current, a current in the ocean
*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (hydr ...
to a digital number representing the magnitude of the voltage or current. Typically the digital output is a
two's complement
Two's complement is the most common method of representing signed (positive, negative, and zero) integers on computers, and more generally, fixed point binary values. Two's complement uses the binary digit with the ''greatest'' value as the ''s ...
binary number that is proportional to the input, but there are other possibilities.
There are several ADC
architectures. Due to the complexity and the need for precisely matched
components
Component may refer to:
In engineering, science, and technology Generic systems
*System components, an entity with discrete structure, such as an assembly or software module, within a system considered at a particular level of analysis
* Lumped e ...
, all but the most specialized ADCs are implemented as
integrated circuit
An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a set of electronic circuits, consisting of various electronic components (such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors) and their interconnections. These components a ...
s (ICs). These typically take the form of
metal–oxide–semiconductor
upright=1.3, Two power MOSFETs in amperes">A in the ''on'' state, dissipating up to about 100 watt">W and controlling a load of over 2000 W. A matchstick is pictured for scale.
In electronics, the metal–oxide–semiconductor field- ...
(MOS)
mixed-signal integrated circuit
A mixed-signal integrated circuit is any integrated circuit that has both analog circuits and digital circuits on a single semiconductor die.[analog
Analog or analogue may refer to:
Computing and electronics
* Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable
** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals
*** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...]
and
digital circuits
Digital electronics is a field of electronics involving the study of digital signals and the engineering of devices that use or produce them. It deals with the relationship between binary inputs and outputs by passing electrical signals through ...
.
A
digital-to-analog converter
In electronics, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC, D/A, D2A, or D-to-A) is a system that converts a digital signal into an analog signal. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) performs the reverse function.
DACs are commonly used in musi ...
(DAC) performs the reverse function; it converts a digital signal into an analog signal.
Explanation
An ADC converts a continuous-time and continuous-amplitude
analog signal
An analog signal (American English) or analogue signal (British and Commonwealth English) is any continuous-time signal representing some other quantity, i.e., ''analogous'' to another quantity. For example, in an analog audio signal, the ins ...
to a
discrete-time
In mathematical dynamics, discrete time and continuous time are two alternative frameworks within which variables that evolve over time are modeled.
Discrete time
Discrete time views values of variables as occurring at distinct, separate "poi ...
and discrete-amplitude
digital signal
A digital signal is a signal that represents data as a sequence of discrete values; at any given time it can only take on, at most, one of a finite number of values. This contrasts with an analog signal, which represents continuous values; ...
. The conversion involves
quantization of the input, so it necessarily introduces a small amount of
quantization error
Quantization, in mathematics and digital signal processing, is the process of mapping input values from a large set (often a continuous set) to output values in a (countable) smaller set, often with a finite number of elements. Rounding and ...
. Furthermore, instead of continuously performing the conversion, an ADC does the conversion periodically,
sampling the input, and limiting the allowable bandwidth of the input signal.
The performance of an ADC is primarily characterized by its
bandwidth
Bandwidth commonly refers to:
* Bandwidth (signal processing) or ''analog bandwidth'', ''frequency bandwidth'', or ''radio bandwidth'', a measure of the width of a frequency range
* Bandwidth (computing), the rate of data transfer, bit rate or thr ...
and
signal-to-noise and distortion ratio
Signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SNDR) is a term used for a set of measures of the quality of a signal from a communications device. These include SINAD and SINADR.
SINAD
The signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SINAD) is a measure of the ...
(SNDR). The bandwidth of an ADC is characterized primarily by its
sampling rate
In signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a continuous-time signal to a discrete-time signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave to a sequence of "samples".
A sample is a value of the signal at a point in time and/or s ...
. The SNDR of an ADC is influenced by many factors, including the
resolution, linearity and accuracy (how well the quantization levels match the true analog signal),
aliasing
In signal processing and related disciplines, aliasing is a phenomenon that a reconstructed signal from samples of the original signal contains low frequency components that are not present in the original one. This is caused when, in the ori ...
and
jitter
In electronics and telecommunications, jitter is the deviation from true periodicity of a presumably periodic signal, often in relation to a reference clock signal. In clock recovery applications it is called timing jitter. Jitter is a signifi ...
. The SNDR of an ADC is often summarized in terms of its
effective number of bits
Effective number of bits (ENOB) is a measure of the real dynamic range of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), digital-to-analog converter (DAC), or associated circuitry. Although the resolution of a converter may be specified by the number of b ...
(ENOB), the number of bits of each measure it returns that are on average not
noise
Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...
. An ideal ADC has an ENOB equal to its resolution. ADCs are chosen to match the bandwidth and required SNDR of the signal to be digitized. If an ADC operates at a sampling rate greater than twice the bandwidth of the signal, then per the
Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem
The Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem is an essential principle for digital signal processing linking the frequency range of a signal and the sample rate required to avoid a type of distortion called aliasing. The theorem states that the sample r ...
, near-perfect reconstruction is possible. The presence of quantization error limits the SNDR of even an ideal ADC. However, if the SNDR of the ADC exceeds that of the input signal, then the effects of quantization error may be neglected, resulting in an essentially perfect digital representation of the
bandlimited
Bandlimiting is the process of reducing a signal’s energy outside a specific frequency range, keeping only the desired part of the signal’s spectrum. This technique is crucial in signal processing and communications to ensure signals stay cl ...
analog input signal.
Resolution

The resolution of the converter indicates the number of different, i.e. discrete, values it can produce over the allowed range of analog input values. Thus a particular resolution determines the magnitude of the quantization error and therefore determines the maximum possible
signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR or S/N) is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. SNR is defined as the ratio of signal power to noise power, often expressed in deci ...
for an ideal ADC without the use of
oversampling
In signal processing, oversampling is the process of sampling (signal processing), sampling a signal at a sampling frequency significantly higher than the Nyquist rate. Theoretically, a bandwidth-limited signal can be perfectly reconstructed if ...
. The input samples are usually stored electronically in
binary
Binary may refer to:
Science and technology Mathematics
* Binary number, a representation of numbers using only two values (0 and 1) for each digit
* Binary function, a function that takes two arguments
* Binary operation, a mathematical op ...
form within the ADC, so the resolution is usually expressed as the
audio bit depth
In digital audio using pulse-code modulation (PCM), bit depth is the number of bits of information in each sample, and it directly corresponds to the resolution of each sample. Examples of bit depth include Compact Disc Digital Audio, whic ...
. In consequence, the number of discrete values available is usually a power of two. For example, an ADC with a resolution of 8 bits can encode an analog input to one in 256 different levels (2
8 = 256). The values can represent the ranges from 0 to 255 (i.e. as unsigned integers) or from −128 to 127 (i.e. as signed integer), depending on the application.
Resolution can also be defined electrically, and expressed in
volt
The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...
s. The change in voltage required to guarantee a change in the output code level is called the
least significant bit
In computing, bit numbering is the convention used to identify the bit positions in a binary number.
Bit significance and indexing
In computing, the least significant bit (LSb) is the bit position in a binary integer representing the lowes ...
(LSB) voltage. The resolution ''Q'' of the ADC is equal to the LSB voltage. The voltage resolution of an ADC is equal to its overall voltage measurement range divided by the number of intervals:
:
where ''M'' is the ADC's resolution in bits and ''E''
FSR is the full-scale voltage range (also called 'span'). ''E''
FSR is given by
:
where ''V''
RefHi and ''V''
RefLow are the upper and lower extremes, respectively, of the voltages that can be coded.
Normally, the number of voltage intervals is given by
:
where ''M'' is the ADC's resolution in bits.
That is, one voltage interval is assigned in between two consecutive code levels.
Example:
* Coding scheme as in figure 1
*
Full scale
In electronics and signal processing, full scale represents the maximum amplitude a system can represent.
In digital systems, a signal is said to be at digital full scale when its magnitude has reached the maximum representable value. Once a si ...
measurement range = 0 to 1 volt
* ADC resolution is 3 bits: 2
3 = 8 quantization levels (codes)
* ADC voltage resolution, ''Q'' = 1 V / 8 = 0.125 V.
In many cases, the useful resolution of a converter is limited by the
signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR or S/N) is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. SNR is defined as the ratio of signal power to noise power, often expressed in deci ...
(SNR) and other errors in the overall system expressed as an ENOB.
Quantization error
Quantization error is introduced by the
quantization inherent in an ideal ADC. It is a rounding error between the analog input voltage to the ADC and the output digitized value. The error is nonlinear and signal-dependent. In an ideal ADC, where the quantization error is uniformly distributed between − LSB and + LSB, and the signal has a uniform distribution covering all quantization levels, the
signal-to-quantization-noise ratio
Signal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR or SNqR) is widely used quality measure in analysing digitizing schemes such as pulse-code modulation (PCM). The SQNR reflects the relationship between the maximum nominal signal strength and the quanti ...
(SQNR) is given by
:
where Q is the number of quantization bits. For example, for a
16-bit
16-bit microcomputers are microcomputers that use 16-bit microprocessors.
A 16-bit register can store 216 different values. The range of integer values that can be stored in 16 bits depends on the integer representation used. With the two ...
ADC, the quantization error is 96.3 dB below the maximum level.
Quantization error is distributed from DC to the
Nyquist frequency
In signal processing, the Nyquist frequency (or folding frequency), named after Harry Nyquist, is a characteristic of a Sampling (signal processing), sampler, which converts a continuous function or signal into a discrete sequence. For a given S ...
. Consequently, if part of the ADC's bandwidth is not used, as is the case with
oversampling
In signal processing, oversampling is the process of sampling (signal processing), sampling a signal at a sampling frequency significantly higher than the Nyquist rate. Theoretically, a bandwidth-limited signal can be perfectly reconstructed if ...
, some of the quantization error will occur
out-of-band
In telecommunications, out-of-band activity is activity outside a defined frequency band, or, metaphorically, outside of any primary communication channel. Protection from falsing is among its purposes.
Examples General usage
* Out-of-band agr ...
, effectively improving the SQNR for the bandwidth in use. In an oversampled system,
noise shaping
Noise shaping is a technique typically used in digital audio, Image processing, image, and video processing, usually in combination with dithering, as part of the process of Quantization (signal processing), quantization or Audio bit depth, bit-dep ...
can be used to further increase SQNR by forcing more quantization error out of band.
Dither
In ADCs, performance can usually be improved using
dither
Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise used to randomize quantization error, preventing large-scale patterns such as color banding in images. Dither is routinely used in processing of both digital audio and video data, and is ofte ...
. This is a very small amount of random noise (e.g.
white noise
In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used with this or similar meanings in many scientific and technical disciplines, i ...
), which is added to the input before conversion. Its effect is to randomize the state of the LSB based on the signal. Rather than the signal simply getting cut off altogether at low levels, it extends the effective range of signals that the ADC can convert, at the expense of a slight increase in noise. Dither can only increase the resolution of a sampler. It cannot improve the linearity, and thus accuracy does not necessarily improve.
Quantization distortion in an audio signal of very low level with respect to the bit depth of the ADC is correlated with the signal and sounds distorted and unpleasant. With dithering, the distortion is transformed into noise. The undistorted signal may be recovered accurately by averaging over time. Dithering is also used in integrating systems such as
electricity meter
file:Hydro quebec meter.JPG, North American domestic analog signal, analog (Galileo Ferraris, Ferraris disk) electricity meter.
file:Transparent Electricity Meter found in Israel.JPG, Electricity meter with transparent plastic case (Israel)
fil ...
s. Since the values are added together, the dithering produces results that are more exact than the LSB of the analog-to-digital converter.
Dither is often applied when quantizing photographic images to a fewer number of bits per pixel—the image becomes noisier but to the eye looks far more realistic than the quantized image, which otherwise becomes
banded. This analogous process may help to visualize the effect of dither on an analog audio signal that is converted to digital.
Accuracy
An ADC has several sources of errors.
Quantization error and (assuming the ADC is intended to be linear) non-
linearity
In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties:
* linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping'');
* linearity of a '' polynomial''.
An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x) ...
are intrinsic to any analog-to-digital conversion. These errors are measured in a unit called the
least significant bit
In computing, bit numbering is the convention used to identify the bit positions in a binary number.
Bit significance and indexing
In computing, the least significant bit (LSb) is the bit position in a binary integer representing the lowes ...
(LSB). In the above example of an eight-bit ADC, an error of one LSB is of the full signal range, or about 0.4%.
Nonlinearity
All ADCs suffer from nonlinearity errors caused by their physical imperfections, causing their output to deviate from a linear function (or some other function, in the case of a deliberately nonlinear ADC) of their input. These errors can sometimes be mitigated by
calibration
In measurement technology and metrology, calibration is the comparison of measurement values delivered by a device under test with those of a calibration standard of known accuracy. Such a standard could be another measurement device of known ...
, or prevented by testing. Important parameters for linearity are
integral nonlinearity
Integral nonlinearity (acronym INL) is a commonly used measure of performance in digital-to-analog (DAC) and analog-to-digital (ADC) converters. In DACs, it is a measure of the deviation between the ideal output value and the actual measured outpu ...
and
differential nonlinearity
Differential nonlinearity (acronym DNL) is a commonly used measure of performance in digital-to-analog (DAC) and analog-to-digital (ADC) converters. It is a term describing the deviation between two analog values corresponding to adjacent input ...
. These nonlinearities introduce distortion that can reduce the
signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR or S/N) is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. SNR is defined as the ratio of signal power to noise power, often expressed in deci ...
performance of the ADC and thus reduce its effective resolution.
Jitter
When digitizing a sine wave
, the use of a non-ideal sampling clock will result in some uncertainty in when samples are recorded. Provided that the actual sampling time uncertainty due to clock
jitter
In electronics and telecommunications, jitter is the deviation from true periodicity of a presumably periodic signal, often in relation to a reference clock signal. In clock recovery applications it is called timing jitter. Jitter is a signifi ...
is
, the error caused by this phenomenon can be estimated as
. This will result in additional recorded noise that will reduce the
effective number of bits
Effective number of bits (ENOB) is a measure of the real dynamic range of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), digital-to-analog converter (DAC), or associated circuitry. Although the resolution of a converter may be specified by the number of b ...
(ENOB) below that predicted by
quantization error
Quantization, in mathematics and digital signal processing, is the process of mapping input values from a large set (often a continuous set) to output values in a (countable) smaller set, often with a finite number of elements. Rounding and ...
alone. The error is zero for DC, small at low frequencies, but significant with signals of high amplitude and high frequency. The effect of jitter on performance can be compared to quantization error:
, where q is the number of ADC bits.
Clock jitter is caused by
phase noise
In signal processing, phase noise is the frequency-domain representation of random fluctuations in the phase of a waveform, corresponding to time-domain deviations from perfect periodicity (jitter). Generally speaking, radio-frequency enginee ...
. The resolution of ADCs with a
digitization
Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) format.Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Definition of 'digitize'. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ ...
bandwidth between 1 MHz and 1 GHz is limited by jitter. For lower bandwidth conversions such as when sampling audio signals at 44.1 kHz, clock jitter has a less significant impact on performance.
Sampling rate
An analog signal is
continuous
Continuity or continuous may refer to:
Mathematics
* Continuity (mathematics), the opposing concept to discreteness; common examples include
** Continuous probability distribution or random variable in probability and statistics
** Continuous ...
in
time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
and it is necessary to convert this to a flow of digital values. It is therefore required to define the rate at which new digital values are sampled from the analog signal. The rate of new values is called the ''sampling rate'' or ''
sampling frequency
In signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a continuous-time signal to a discrete-time signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave to a sequence of "samples".
A sample is a value of the signal at a point in time and/or s ...
'' of the converter. A continuously varying bandlimited signal can be
sampled
Sample or samples may refer to:
* Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel
* Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something
* Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal
* Sample ...
and then the original signal can be reproduced from the discrete-time values by a
reconstruction filter
In a mixed-signal system ( analog and digital), a reconstruction filter, sometimes called an anti-imaging filter, is used to construct a smooth analog signal from a digital input, as in the case of a digital to analog converter ( DAC) or other sam ...
. The Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem implies that a faithful reproduction of the original signal is only possible if the sampling rate is higher than twice the highest frequency of the signal.
Since a practical ADC cannot make an instantaneous conversion, the input value must necessarily be held constant during the time that the converter performs a conversion (called the ''conversion time''). An input circuit called a
sample and hold
In electronics, a sample and hold (also known as sample and follow) circuit is an analog device that samples (captures, takes) the voltage of a continuously varying analog signal and holds (locks, freezes) its value at a constant level for a ...
performs this task—in most cases by using a
capacitor
In electrical engineering, a capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy by accumulating electric charges on two closely spaced surfaces that are insulated from each other. The capacitor was originally known as the condenser, a term st ...
to store the analog voltage at the input, and using an electronic switch or gate to disconnect the capacitor from the input. Many ADC
integrated circuit
An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a set of electronic circuits, consisting of various electronic components (such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors) and their interconnections. These components a ...
s include the sample and hold subsystem internally.
Aliasing
An ADC works by sampling the value of the input at discrete intervals in time. Provided that the input is sampled above the
Nyquist rate
In signal processing, the Nyquist rate, named after Harry Nyquist, is a value equal to twice the highest frequency ( bandwidth) of a given function or signal. It has units of samples per unit time, conventionally expressed as samples per se ...
, defined as twice the highest frequency of interest, then all frequencies in the signal can be reconstructed. If frequencies above half the Nyquist rate are sampled, they are incorrectly detected as lower frequencies, a process referred to as aliasing. Aliasing occurs because instantaneously sampling a function at two or fewer times per cycle results in missed cycles, and therefore the appearance of an incorrectly lower frequency. For example, a 2 kHz sine wave being sampled at 1.5 kHz would be reconstructed as a 500 Hz sine wave.
To avoid aliasing, the input to an ADC must be
low-pass filter
A low-pass filter is a filter that passes signals with a frequency lower than a selected cutoff frequency and attenuates signals with frequencies higher than the cutoff frequency. The exact frequency response of the filter depends on the filt ...
ed to remove frequencies above half the sampling rate. This filter is called an ''
anti-aliasing filter
An anti-aliasing filter (AAF) is a filter used before a signal sampler to restrict the bandwidth of a signal to satisfy the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem over the band of interest. Since the theorem states that unambiguous reconstructi ...
'', and is essential for a practical ADC system that is applied to analog signals with higher frequency content. In applications where protection against aliasing is essential, oversampling may be used to greatly reduce or even eliminate it.
Although aliasing in most systems is unwanted, it can be exploited to provide simultaneous down-mixing of a band-limited high-frequency signal (see
undersampling
In signal processing, undersampling or bandpass sampling is a technique where one samples a bandpass-filtered signal at a sample rate below its Nyquist rate (twice the upper cutoff frequency), but is still able to reconstruct the signal.
Whe ...
and
frequency mixer
In electronics, a mixer, or frequency mixer, is an electrical circuit that creates new frequencies from two signals applied to it. In its most common application, two signals are applied to a mixer, and it produces new signals at the sum and di ...
). The alias is effectively the lower
heterodyne
A heterodyne is a signal frequency that is created by combining or mixing two other frequencies using a signal processing technique called ''heterodyning'', which was invented by Canadian inventor-engineer Reginald Fessenden. Heterodyning is us ...
of the signal frequency and sampling frequency.
Oversampling
For economy, signals are often sampled at the minimum rate required with the result that the quantization error introduced is
white noise
In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used with this or similar meanings in many scientific and technical disciplines, i ...
spread over the whole
passband
A passband is the range of frequency, frequencies or wavelengths that can pass through a Filter (signal processing), filter. For example, a radio receiver contains a bandpass filter to select the frequency of the desired radio signal out of all t ...
of the converter. If a signal is sampled at a rate much higher than the
Nyquist rate
In signal processing, the Nyquist rate, named after Harry Nyquist, is a value equal to twice the highest frequency ( bandwidth) of a given function or signal. It has units of samples per unit time, conventionally expressed as samples per se ...
and then
digitally filtered to limit it to the signal bandwidth produces the following advantages:
* Oversampling can make it easier to realize analog anti-aliasing filters
* Improved
audio bit depth
In digital audio using pulse-code modulation (PCM), bit depth is the number of bits of information in each sample, and it directly corresponds to the resolution of each sample. Examples of bit depth include Compact Disc Digital Audio, whic ...
* Reduced noise, especially when
noise shaping
Noise shaping is a technique typically used in digital audio, Image processing, image, and video processing, usually in combination with dithering, as part of the process of Quantization (signal processing), quantization or Audio bit depth, bit-dep ...
is employed in addition to oversampling.
Oversampling is typically used in audio frequency ADCs where the required sampling rate (typically 44.1 or 48 kHz) is very low compared to the clock speed of typical transistor circuits (>1 MHz). In this case, the performance of the ADC can be greatly increased at little or no cost. Furthermore, as any aliased signals are also typically out of band, aliasing can often be eliminated using very low cost filters.
Relative speed and precision
The speed of an ADC varies by type. The
Wilkinson ADC is limited by the clock rate which is processable by current digital circuits. For a
successive-approximation ADC
A successive-approximation ADC (or SAR ADC) is a type of analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that Digitization, digitizes each Sampling (signal processing), sample from a continuous analog waveform using a binary search through all possible Quanti ...
, the conversion time scales with the logarithm of the resolution, i.e. the number of bits.
Flash ADC
A flash ADC (also known as a direct-conversion ADC) is a type of analog-to-digital converter that uses a linear voltage ladder with a comparator at each "rung" of the ladder to compare the input voltage to successive reference voltages. Often thes ...
s are certainly the fastest type of the three; The conversion is basically performed in a single parallel step.
There is a potential tradeoff between speed and precision. Flash ADCs have drifts and uncertainties associated with the comparator levels results in poor linearity. To a lesser extent, poor linearity can also be an issue for successive-approximation ADCs. Here, nonlinearity arises from accumulating errors from the subtraction processes. Wilkinson ADCs have the best linearity of the three.
Sliding scale principle
The sliding scale or randomizing method can be employed to greatly improve the linearity of any type of ADC, but especially flash and successive approximation types. For any ADC the mapping from input voltage to digital output value is not exactly a
floor
A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from wikt:hovel, simple dirt in a cave to many layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the ex ...
or
ceiling function
In mathematics, the floor function is the function that takes as input a real number , and gives as output the greatest integer less than or equal to , denoted or . Similarly, the ceiling function maps to the least integer greater than or eq ...
as it should be. Under normal conditions, a pulse of a particular amplitude is always converted to the same digital value. The problem lies in that the ranges of analog values for the digitized values are not all of the same widths, and the
differential linearity
Differential nonlinearity (acronym DNL) is a commonly used measure of performance in digital-to-analog (DAC) and analog-to-digital (ADC) converters. It is a term describing the deviation between two analog values corresponding to adjacent inpu ...
decreases proportionally with the divergence from the average width. The sliding scale principle uses an averaging effect to overcome this phenomenon. A random, but known analog voltage is added to the sampled input voltage. It is then converted to digital form, and the equivalent digital amount is subtracted, thus restoring it to its original value. The advantage is that the conversion has taken place at a random point. The statistical distribution of the final levels is decided by a weighted average over a region of the range of the ADC. This in turn desensitizes it to the width of any specific level.
Types
These are several common ways of implementing an electronic ADC.
RC charge time
Resistor-capacitor (RC) circuits have a known voltage charging and discharging curve that can be used to solve for an unknown analog value.
Wilkinson
The Wilkinson ADC was designed by
Denys Wilkinson
Sir Denys Haigh Wilkinson FRS (5 September 1922 – 22 April 2016) was a British nuclear physicist.
Life
Wilkinson was born on 5 September 1922 in Leeds, Yorkshire and educated at Loughborough Grammar School and Jesus College, Cambridge, ...
in 1950. The Wilkinson ADC is based on the comparison of an input voltage with that produced by a charging capacitor. The capacitor is allowed to charge until a comparator determines it matches the input voltage. Then, the capacitor is discharged linearly by using a constant
current source
A current source is an electronic circuit that delivers or absorbs an electric current which is independent of the voltage across it.
A current source is the dual of a voltage source. The term ''current sink'' is sometimes used for sources fed ...
. The time required to discharge the capacitor is proportional to the amplitude of the input voltage. While the capacitor is discharging, pulses from a high-frequency oscillator clock are counted by a register. The number of clock pulses recorded in the register is also proportional to the input voltage.
Measuring analog resistance or capacitance
If the analog value to measure is represented by a resistance or capacitance, then by including that element in an
RC circuit
A resistor–capacitor circuit (RC circuit), or RC filter or RC network, is an electric circuit composed of resistors and capacitors. It may be driven by a voltage source, voltage or current source and these will produce different responses. A fi ...
(with other resistances or capacitances fixed) and measuring the time to charge the capacitance from a known starting voltage to another known ending voltage through the resistance from a known voltage supply, the value of the unknown resistance or capacitance can be determined using the capacitor charging equation:
and solving for the unknown resistance or capacitance using those starting and ending datapoints. This is similar but contrasts to the Wilkinson ADC which measures an unknown voltage with a known resistance and capacitance, by instead measuring an unknown resistance or capacitance with a known voltage.
For example, the positive (and/or negative) pulse width from a
555 Timer IC in monostable or astable mode represents the time it takes to charge (and/or discharge) its capacitor from ''V''
supply to ''V''
supply. By sending this pulse into a microcontroller with an accurate clock, the duration of the pulse can be measured and converted using the capacitor charging equation to produce the value of the unknown resistance or capacitance.
Larger resistances and capacitances will take a longer time to measure than smaller one. And the accuracy is limited by the accuracy of the microcontroller clock and the amount of time available to measure the value, which potentially might even change during measurement or be affected by external
parasitics.
Flash ADC
A flash ADC, also known as a parallel ADC, employs a bank of
voltage comparators sampling the input signal in parallel, each with a different voltage threshold. The circuit consists of a resistive divider network, a set of voltage comparators and a priority encoder. Each node of the resistive divider provides a voltage threshold for one comparator. The comparator outputs are applied to a
priority encoder
A priority encoder is a Electronic circuit, circuit or algorithm that compresses multiple Binary code, binary inputs into a smaller number of outputs, similar to a Encoder (digital), simple encoder. The output of a priority encoder is the binary re ...
, which generates a binary number proportional to the input voltage.
Flash ADCs have a large
die
Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life.
Die may also refer to:
Games
* Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers
Manufacturing
* Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...
size and high power dissipation. They are used in a variety of applications, including
video
Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...
,
wideband communications, and for digitizing other fast signals.
The circuit has the advantage of high speed as the conversion takes place simultaneously rather than sequentially. Typical conversion time is 100 ns or less. Conversion time is limited only by the speed of the comparator and of the priority encoder. This type of ADC has the disadvantage that for each additional output bit, the number of comparators required almost doubles and priority encoder becomes more complex.
Successive approximation
A
successive-approximation ADC
A successive-approximation ADC (or SAR ADC) is a type of analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that Digitization, digitizes each Sampling (signal processing), sample from a continuous analog waveform using a binary search through all possible Quanti ...
uses a comparator and a
binary search
In computer science, binary search, also known as half-interval search, logarithmic search, or binary chop, is a search algorithm that finds the position of a target value within a sorted array. Binary search compares the target value to the m ...
to successively narrow a range that contains the input voltage. At each successive step, the converter compares the input voltage to the output of an internal
digital-to-analog converter
In electronics, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC, D/A, D2A, or D-to-A) is a system that converts a digital signal into an analog signal. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) performs the reverse function.
DACs are commonly used in musi ...
(DAC) which initially represents the midpoint of the allowed input voltage range. At each step in this process, the approximation is stored in a successive approximation register (SAR) and the output of the digital-to-analog converter is updated for a comparison over a narrower range.
Ramp-compare
A ramp-compare ADC produces a
saw-tooth signal that ramps up or down then quickly returns to zero.
When the ramp starts, a timer starts counting. When the ramp voltage matches the input, a comparator fires, and the timer's value is recorded. Timed ramp converters can be implemented economically, however, the ramp time may be sensitive to temperature because the circuit generating the ramp is often a simple analog
integrator
An integrator in measurement and control applications is an element whose output signal is the time integral of its input signal. It accumulates the input quantity over a defined time to produce a representative output.
Integration is an importan ...
. A more accurate converter uses a clocked counter driving a DAC. A special advantage of the ramp-compare system is that converting a second signal just requires another comparator and another register to store the timer value. To reduce sensitivity to input changes during conversion, a
sample and hold
In electronics, a sample and hold (also known as sample and follow) circuit is an analog device that samples (captures, takes) the voltage of a continuously varying analog signal and holds (locks, freezes) its value at a constant level for a ...
can charge a capacitor with the instantaneous input voltage and the converter can time the time required to discharge with a
constant current
A constant current (steady current, time-independent current, stationary current) is a type of direct current (DC) that does not change its intensity with time. The syntagma stationary current is a contradiction in terms, however in use.
Sources ...
.
Integrating
An
integrating ADC
An integrating ADC is a type of analog-to-digital converter that converts an unknown input voltage into a digital representation through the use of an integrator. In its basic implementation, the dual-slope converter, the unknown input voltage is ...
(also dual-slope or multi-slope ADC) applies the unknown input voltage to the input of an
integrator
An integrator in measurement and control applications is an element whose output signal is the time integral of its input signal. It accumulates the input quantity over a defined time to produce a representative output.
Integration is an importan ...
and allows the voltage to ramp for a fixed time period (the run-up period). Then a known reference voltage of opposite polarity is applied to the integrator and is allowed to ramp until the integrator output returns to zero (the run-down period). The input voltage is computed as a function of the reference voltage, the constant run-up time period, and the measured run-down time period. The run-down time measurement is usually made in units of the converter's clock, so longer integration times allow for higher resolutions. Likewise, the speed of the converter can be improved by sacrificing resolution. Converters of this type (or variations on the concept) are used in most
digital voltmeter
A voltmeter is an instrument used for measuring electric potential difference between two points in an electric circuit. It is connected in Parallel circuit, parallel. It usually has a high Electrical resistivity and conductivity, resistance ...
s for their linearity and flexibility.
; Charge balancing ADC: The principle of charge balancing ADC is to first convert the input signal to a frequency using a
voltage-to-frequency converter
A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is an electronic oscillator whose oscillation frequency is controlled by a voltage input. The applied input voltage determines the instantaneous oscillation frequency. Consequently, a VCO can be used for fre ...
. This frequency is then measured by a counter and converted to an output code proportional to the analog input. The main advantage of these converters is that it is possible to transmit frequency even in a noisy environment or in isolated form. However, the limitation of this circuit is that the output of the voltage-to-frequency converter depends upon an RC product whose value cannot be accurately maintained over temperature and time.
; Dual-slope ADC: The analog part of the circuit consists of a high input impedance buffer, precision integrator and a voltage comparator. The converter first integrates the analog input signal for a fixed duration and then it integrates an internal reference voltage of opposite polarity until the integrator output is zero. The main disadvantage of this circuit is the long duration time. They are particularly suitable for accurate measurement of slowly varying signals such as
thermocouple
A thermocouple, also known as a "thermoelectrical thermometer", is an electrical device consisting of two dissimilar electrical conductors forming an electrical junction. A thermocouple produces a temperature-dependent voltage as a result of the ...
s and
weighing scale
A scale or balance is a device used to measure weight or mass. These are also known as mass scales, weight scales, mass balances, massometers, and weight balances.
The traditional scale consists of two plates or bowls suspended at equal d ...
s.
Delta-encoded
A ''delta-encoded'' or ''counter-ramp'' ADC has an up-down
counter that feeds a DAC. The input signal and the DAC both go to a comparator. The comparator controls the counter. The circuit uses negative
feedback
Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause and effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handle ...
from the comparator to adjust the counter until the DAC's output matches the input signal and number is read from the counter. Delta converters have very wide ranges and high resolution, but the conversion time is dependent on the input signal behavior, though it will always have a guaranteed worst-case. Delta converters are often very good choices to read real-world signals as most signals from physical systems do not change abruptly. Some converters combine the delta and successive approximation approaches; this works especially well when high frequency components of the input signal are known to be small in magnitude.
Pipelined
A ''pipelined ADC'' (also called ''subranging quantizer'') uses two or more conversion steps. First, a coarse conversion is done. In a second step, the difference to the input signal is determined with a DAC. This difference is then converted more precisely, and the results are combined in the last step. This can be considered a refinement of the successive-approximation ADC wherein the feedback reference signal consists of the interim conversion of a whole range of bits (for example, four bits) rather than just the next-most-significant bit. By combining the merits of the successive approximation and flash ADCs this type is fast, has a high resolution, and can be implemented efficiently.
Delta-sigma
A delta-sigma ADC (also known as a sigma-delta ADC) is based on a
negative feedback
Negative feedback (or balancing feedback) occurs when some function (Mathematics), function of the output of a system, process, or mechanism is feedback, fed back in a manner that tends to reduce the fluctuations in the output, whether caused ...
loop with an analog filter and low resolution (often 1 bit) but high
sampling rate
In signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a continuous-time signal to a discrete-time signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave to a sequence of "samples".
A sample is a value of the signal at a point in time and/or s ...
ADC and DAC. The feedback loop continuously corrects accumulated quantization errors and performs
noise shaping
Noise shaping is a technique typically used in digital audio, Image processing, image, and video processing, usually in combination with dithering, as part of the process of Quantization (signal processing), quantization or Audio bit depth, bit-dep ...
: quantization noise is reduced in the low frequencies of interest, but is increased in higher frequencies. Those higher frequencies may then be removed by a
downsampling
In digital signal processing, downsampling, compression, and decimation are terms associated with the process of ''resampling'' in a multi-rate digital signal processing system. Both ''downsampling'' and ''decimation'' can be synonymous with ''co ...
digital filter
In signal processing, a digital filter is a system that performs mathematical operations on a Sampling (signal processing), sampled, discrete-time signal to reduce or enhance certain aspects of that signal. This is in contrast to the other ma ...
, which also converts the data stream from that high sampling rate with low
bit depth to a lower rate with higher bit depth.
Time-interleaved
A
time-interleaved ADC Time interleaved (TI) ADCs are Analog-to-digital converter, Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) that involve ''M'' converters working in parallel. Each of the ''M'' converters is referred to as sub-ADC, channel or slice in the literature. The time i ...
uses M parallel ADCs where each ADC samples data every M:th cycle of the effective sample clock. The result is that the sample rate is increased M times compared to what each individual ADC can manage. In practice, the individual differences between the M ADCs degrade the overall performance reducing the
spurious-free dynamic range Spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) is the strength ratio of the fundamental signal to the strongest spurious signal in the output. It
is also defined as a measure used to specify analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters (ADCs and DACs, re ...
(SFDR). However, techniques exist to correct for these time-interleaving mismatch errors.
Intermediate FM stage
An ADC with an intermediate FM stage first uses a
voltage-to-frequency converter
A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is an electronic oscillator whose oscillation frequency is controlled by a voltage input. The applied input voltage determines the instantaneous oscillation frequency. Consequently, a VCO can be used for fre ...
to produce an oscillating signal with a frequency proportional to the voltage of the input signal, and then uses a
frequency counter
A frequency counter is an electronics, electronic measuring instrument, instrument, or Electronic component, component of one, that is used for measuring frequency. Frequency counters usually measure the number of cycles of oscillation or pulses p ...
to convert that frequency into a digital count proportional to the desired signal voltage. Longer integration times allow for higher resolutions. Likewise, the speed of the converter can be improved by sacrificing resolution. The two parts of the ADC may be widely separated, with the frequency signal passed through an
opto-isolator
An opto-isolator (also called an optocoupler, photocoupler, or optical isolator) is an electronic component that transfers electrical signals between two isolated circuits by using light. Opto-isolators prevent high voltages from affecting the s ...
or transmitted wirelessly. Some such ADCs use sine wave or square wave
frequency modulation
Frequency modulation (FM) is a signal modulation technique used in electronic communication, originally for transmitting messages with a radio wave. In frequency modulation a carrier wave is varied in its instantaneous frequency in proporti ...
; others use
pulse-frequency modulation
Pulse-frequency modulation (PFM) is a modulation method for representing an analog signal using only two levels (1 and 0). It is analogous to pulse-width modulation (PWM), in which the magnitude of an analog signal is encoded in the duty cycle of ...
. Such ADCs were once the most popular way to show a digital display of the status of a remote analog sensor.
Time-stretch
A
time-stretch analog-to-digital converter
The time-stretch analog-to-digital converter (TS-ADC), also known as the time-stretch enhanced recorder (TiSER), is an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system that has the capability of digitizing very high Bandwidth (signal processing), bandwidth ...
(TS-ADC) digitizes a very wide bandwidth analog signal, that cannot be digitized by a conventional electronic ADC, by time-stretching the signal prior to digitization. It commonly uses a
photonic
Photonics is a branch of optics that involves the application of generation, detection, and manipulation of light in the form of photons through emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, and sensing. Eve ...
preprocessor
In computer science, a preprocessor (or precompiler) is a Computer program, program that processes its input data to produce output that is used as input in another program. The output is said to be a preprocessed form of the input data, which i ...
to time-stretch the signal, which effectively slows the signal down in time and compresses its bandwidth. As a result, an electronic ADC, that would have been too slow to capture the original signal, can now capture this slowed-down signal. For continuous capture of the signal, the front end also divides the signal into multiple segments in addition to time-stretching. Each segment is individually digitized by a separate electronic ADC. Finally, a
digital signal processor
A digital signal processor (DSP) is a specialized microprocessor chip, with its architecture optimized for the operational needs of digital signal processing. DSPs are fabricated on metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit chips. ...
rearranges the samples and removes any distortions added by the preprocessor to yield the binary data that is the digital representation of the original analog signal.
Measuring physical values other than voltage
Although the term ADC is usually associated with measurement of an analog voltage, some partially-electronic devices that convert some measurable physical analog quantity into a digital number can also be considered ADCs, for instance:
*
Rotary encoder
A rotary encoder, also called a shaft encoder, is an electro-mechanical device that converts the angle, angular position or motion of a shaft or axle to Analog signal, analog or Digital signal, digital output signals.
There are two main types of ...
s convert from an analog physical quantity that mechanically produces an amount of
rotation
Rotation or rotational/rotary motion is the circular movement of an object around a central line, known as an ''axis of rotation''. A plane figure can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise sense around a perpendicular axis intersect ...
into a stream of digital
Gray code
The reflected binary code (RBC), also known as reflected binary (RB) or Gray code after Frank Gray (researcher), Frank Gray, is an ordering of the binary numeral system such that two successive values differ in only one bit (binary digit).
For ...
that a
microcontroller
A microcontroller (MC, uC, or μC) or microcontroller unit (MCU) is a small computer on a single integrated circuit. A microcontroller contains one or more CPUs (processor cores) along with memory and programmable input/output peripherals. Pro ...
can digitally interpret to derive the direction of rotation, angular position, and rotational speed.
*
Capacitive sensing
In electrical engineering, capacitive sensing (sometimes capacitance sensing) is a technology, based on capacitive coupling, that can detect and measure anything that is conductive or has a dielectric constant different from air. Many types of sens ...
converts from the analog physical quantity of a
capacitance
Capacitance is the ability of an object to store electric charge. It is measured by the change in charge in response to a difference in electric potential, expressed as the ratio of those quantities. Commonly recognized are two closely related ...
. That capacitance could be a
proxy for some other physical quantity, such as the distance some metal object is from a metal sensing plate, or the amount of water in a tank, or the
permittivity
In electromagnetism, the absolute permittivity, often simply called permittivity and denoted by the Greek letter (epsilon), is a measure of the electric polarizability of a dielectric material. A material with high permittivity polarizes more ...
of a
dielectric
In electromagnetism, a dielectric (or dielectric medium) is an Insulator (electricity), electrical insulator that can be Polarisability, polarised by an applied electric field. When a dielectric material is placed in an electric field, electric ...
material.
** Capacitive-to-digital (CDC) converters determine capacitance by applying a known excitation to a plate of a
capacitor
In electrical engineering, a capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy by accumulating electric charges on two closely spaced surfaces that are insulated from each other. The capacitor was originally known as the condenser, a term st ...
and measuring its charge.
*
Digital calipers convert from the analog physical quantity of an amount of displacement between two sliding rulers.
* Inductive-to-digital converters measure a change of
inductance
Inductance is the tendency of an electrical conductor to oppose a change in the electric current flowing through it. The electric current produces a magnetic field around the conductor. The magnetic field strength depends on the magnitude of the ...
by a conductive target moving in an
inductor
An inductor, also called a coil, choke, or reactor, is a Passivity (engineering), passive two-terminal electronic component, electrical component that stores energy in a magnetic field when an electric current flows through it. An inductor typic ...
's
AC magnetic field.
* Time-to-digital converter, Time-to-digital converters recognize events and provide a digital representation of the analog
time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
they occurred.
** Time of flight measurements for instance can convert from some analog quantity that affects a propagation delay for an event.
* Sensors in general that don't directly produce a voltage may indirectly produce a voltage or through other ways be converted into a digital value.
** Resistive output (e.g. from a potentiometer or a force-sensing resistor) can be made into a voltage by sending a known current through it, or can be made into a RC time constant, RC charging time measurement, to produce a digital result.
Commercial
In many cases, the most expensive part of an integrated circuit is the pins, because they make the package larger, and each pin has to be connected to the integrated circuit's silicon. To save pins, it is common for ADCs to send their data one bit at a time over a serial interface to the computer, with each bit coming out when a clock signal changes state. This saves quite a few pins on the ADC package, and in many cases, does not make the overall design any more complex.
Commercial ADCs often have several inputs that feed the same converter, usually through an analog multiplexer. Different models of ADC may include
sample and hold
In electronics, a sample and hold (also known as sample and follow) circuit is an analog device that samples (captures, takes) the voltage of a continuously varying analog signal and holds (locks, freezes) its value at a constant level for a ...
circuits, instrumentation amplifiers or differential signalling, differential inputs, where the quantity measured is the difference between two inputs.
Applications
Music recording
Analog-to-digital converters are integral to modern music reproduction technology and digital audio workstation-based sound recording. Music may be produced on computers using an analog recording and therefore analog-to-digital converters are needed to create the pulse-code modulation (PCM) data streams that go onto compact discs and digital music files. The current crop of analog-to-digital converters utilized in music can sample at rates up to 192 kilohertz. Many recording studios record in 24-bit 96 kHz pulse-code modulation (PCM) format and then downsample and dither the signal for Compact Disc Digital Audio production (44.1 kHz) or to 48 kHz for radio and television broadcast applications.
Digital signal processing
ADCs are required in digital signal processing systems that process, store, or transport virtually any analog signal in digital form. TV tuner cards, for example, use fast video analog-to-digital converters. Slow on-chip 8-, 10-, 12-, or 16-bit analog-to-digital converters are common in
microcontroller
A microcontroller (MC, uC, or μC) or microcontroller unit (MCU) is a small computer on a single integrated circuit. A microcontroller contains one or more CPUs (processor cores) along with memory and programmable input/output peripherals. Pro ...
s. Digital storage oscilloscopes need very fast analog-to-digital converters, also crucial for software-defined radio and their new applications.
Scientific instruments
Digital imaging systems commonly use analog-to-digital converters for digitizing pixels. Some radar systems use analog-to-digital converters to convert signal strength to digital values for subsequent signal processing. Many other in situ and remote sensing systems commonly use analogous technology.
Many sensors in scientific instruments produce an analog signal; temperature, pressure, pH, Candela, light intensity etc. All these signals can be amplified and fed to an ADC to produce a digital representation.
Displays
Flat-panel displays are inherently digital and need an ADC to process an analog signal such as Composite video, composite or VGA.
Electrical symbol
Testing
Testing an analog-to-digital converter requires an analog input source and Computer hardware, hardware to send control signals and capture digital data output. Some ADCs also require an accurate source of reference signal.
The key parameters to test an ADC are:
# DC offset error
# DC gain error
#
signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR or S/N) is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. SNR is defined as the ratio of signal power to noise power, often expressed in deci ...
(SNR)
# Total harmonic distortion (THD)
# Integral nonlinearity (INL)
# Differential nonlinearity (DNL)
# Spurious free dynamic range
# Power dissipation
See also
* Adaptive predictive coding, a type of ADC in which the value of the signal is predicted by a linear function
* Audio codec
* Beta encoder
* Integral linearity
* Modem
Notes
References
*
*
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
An Introduction to Delta Sigma ConvertersA very nice overview of Delta-Sigma converter theory.
Digital Dynamic Analysis of A/D Conversion Systems through Evaluation Software based on FFT/DFT AnalysisRF Expo East, 1987
article by Walt Kester
* Defines commonly used technical terms
– Analog to digital conversion with Atmel microcontrollers
* [http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/55912-adc MATLAB Simulink model of a simple ramp ADC]
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Analog-To-Digital Converter
Digital signal processing
Electronic circuits
Analog computers