6th Summer School on data acquisition systems

University of Sannio . Benevento June 25 July 7, 2006

1
Analog signal preprocessing: blocks, trends and limitations

Ramon Palls Areny
Castelldefels School of Technology
Technical University of Catalonia (UPC)
Barcelona Spain

PROBLEMS
1. A temperature is to be measured in the range from 0 C to 100 C with a
0.5 C resolution by a sensor whose sensitivity is -2.2485 mV/C and whose
output voltage at 25 C is 0.6 V. If the desired output voltage is from 0.54 V
to 4.46 V, determine the dynamic range and the gain for the analog
processor, and any other analog functions required. [Problem 1.7 from
Analog Signal Processing]

2. The AD590 is a temperature sensor whose sensitivity is 1 A/K. In order to
measure a temperature from 10 C to 50 C with a 0.1 C resolution, the
sensor is connected to a 1 k resistor. How many bits should the A/D
converter have? If the converters input range is from 0 V to 5 V, determine
the amplifiers gain and any other analog function required before the A-to-D
conversion.

3. The amplitude range for the human brachial arterial pressure is smaller than
50 mmHg to 200 mmHg. If a measurement resolution of 3 mmHg is desired,
calculate the dynamic range required for a system able to measure that
pressure. If a sensor with a 0 psi to 5 psi is available that offers a 100 mV
full scale output, calculate the required gain for the ensuing analog
processor if the ADC available has a 0 V to 1 V input range. [Units:
1 mmHg = 133 Pa; 1 psi = 6895 Pa]. [Problem 1.8 from Analog Signal
Processing]

4. A grounded signal generator with 600 output resistance is connected to
an oscilloscope using a voltage probe whose equivalent input impedance is
10 M in parallel with 15 pF. If a maximal 0.1 % amplitude attenuation is
accepted, calculate the maximal signal frequency allowed. [Problem 1.9
from Analog Signal Processing]

5. A sine waveform of frequency 1 kHz is to be processed by a second-order,
Butterworth low-pass filter without disturbing its amplitude by more than
0.1 %. What is the minimal value for the filter natural frequency (f
n
)?
Compare the result with that for a first-order low-pass filter.

6. A given PC plug-in DAQ card has 12 bit resolution, -10 V to +10 V input
range and input impedance 1 M,,100 pF. Design an attenuator with an
input resistance of 1 M, that enable us to measure input voltages up to
42 V. How we could proceed to achieve a constant attenuation factor
regardless of the signal frequency?

6th Summer School on data acquisition systems
University of Sannio . Benevento June 25 July 7, 2006

2
7. A series 250 is inserted in a 4-20 mA loop. If the drop in voltage is
measured by a 12 bit ADC, what is the minimal value for the internal
resistance of the current source so that its presence results in a deviation
smaller than the maximal quantization error?

8. A 4-20 mA current is to be measured with a 12 bit DAQ card whose input
range is 0-10 V, by placing a resistor R across its input terminals. Determine
R. If the input resistance of the card is 1 M, what is the maximal relative
deviation because of its finite value? How large should that input resistance
be in order for that relative deviation be smaller than half the maximal
quantization error?

9. A given differential amplifier with gain G
d
= 10 has a CMRR = 100 dB 0 at
low frequencies, which decreases by 20 dB/decade from 10 Hz up
(asymptotically) and whose phase goes from 0 to -90. Calculate the
amplitude and phase of the output voltage when a 1 V common-mode signal
is applied to its input, whose frequency is 60 Hz, 1 kHz and 20 kHz.
[Problem 2.1 from Analog Signal Processing].

10. Calculate the effective CMRR for a sensor bridge whose output resistance is
100 with a maximal 1 % unbalance, when connected to a differential
amplifier whose common-mode input resistance is 50 k and
CMRR = 90 dB. If the bridge is supplied at 10 V and the amplifier has unity
gain, calculate the output voltage resulting from the bridge supply when it is
balanced and when its equivalent output resistance has a 1 % unbalance.
[Problem 2.5 from Analog Signal Processing].

11. Determine the order and corner frequency of a Butterworth anti-alias filter for
a signal with 100 Hz bandwidth (- 3 dB) and 50 dB SNR, sampled at
1024 Hz by a 14 b analog-to-digital converter. [Problem 7.1 from Analog
Signal Processing].

12. Design an input (passive) filter with 1 M input impedance at 1 Hz, able to
reduce a 60 Hz interference by 40 dB without attenuating 1 Hz signals by
more than 3 dB. [Problem 7.5 from Analog Signal Processing].

13. A given PC plug-in DAQ card has 16 bit resolution, programmable gain (1 to
500), input range from 0 V to 5 V maximum, and input impedance
100 M,,100 pF. If when measuring a 0-10 mV signal, the gain is
inadvertently set at G = 1, what is the effective bit resolution? To protect
from overcurrents, a 3 k is placed in series with the input, and to protect
from overvoltages, a MOV with 28 pF parasitic capacitance is placed in
parallel with the input terminals. If a 1 V is connected to the input and G = 5,
how long should be wait after switching the signal for the input voltage to be
closer than 1/16 LSB to its final value.

6th Summer School on data acquisition systems
University of Sannio . Benevento June 25 July 7, 2006

3
SOLUTIONS

1. The dynamic range for the temperature to measure is
100 C 0 C
DR 200
0.5 C

= =

The gain needed is the output voltage range desired divided by the input
voltage range, which is the sensitivity times the input temperature range,
( )
4.46 V 0.54 V 3.92 V
G 17.4
mV
0.22485 V
2.2485 100 0 C
C

= = =

At 0 C the sensor yields a voltage
( ) ( )
s
0.6 V 2.2485 mV C 0 25 C 656 mV v = =
We wish v
o
(0 C) = 0.54 V. Therefore, we need a level shift
0.54 V
656 mV 687 mV
17.4
V = =

2. Dynamic range: 600; N = 9.2 bit 10 bit. Gain: 83.3. Zero shift: -263 mV.

3. The dynamic range for the pressure to measure is
200 mmHg 50 mmHg
DR 50
3 mmHg

= =
The sensor can measure a pressure lower than the minimal input pressure
and a maximal pressure of 5 psi,
6895 Pa 1 mmHg
5 psi 259.2 mmHg
1 psi 133 Pa
=
which is lower than the maximal input pressure. Hence, the sensor fits the
input range. The gain needed is
( )
1 V 0 V
13
100 mV
200 mmHg
259.2 mmHg
G

=

If the sensor output is shifted so that 50 mmHg give 0 V, the ADC would
need lower resolution. The amplifier gain should then be
( )
1 V 0 V
17.3
100 mV
200 mmHg 50 mmHg
259.2 mmHg
G

=


The level shift should compensate an input voltage
100 mV
50 mmHg 19.3 mV
259.2 mmHg
V = =
Therefore, the level shift should be 19.3 mV.

4. The equivalent circuit for a grounded signal generator connected to an
oscilloscope by a voltage divider probe is
6th Summer School on data acquisition systems
University of Sannio . Benevento June 25 July 7, 2006

4
v
o
R
o
R
e
600
10 M
C
e
15 pF

The effective input voltage applied to the oscilloscope is
e
i o
e o
Z
V V
Z R
=
+

where R
o
= 600 ,
e
e
e e
1
R
Z
j R C
=
+

and R
e
= 10 M and C
e
= 15 pF. We wish that the amplitude of the transfer
function be 0.999 or higher,
( )
i e e
2
o e o e o
e o e
1
0.999
1 2
V Z R
V Z R R R
f R R C
= =
+ +
(
+


For the current component values we have
( )
7
7
2
12
10 1
0.999
10 600
1 2 600 15 10 f

+
+

From here,
( )
2
9
18 10 0.00188 f


Solving for f yields f 767 kHz.

5.
max
n
1 kHz
4.7 kHz
0.21
2
1
f
f

> = =

. For a first-order low-pass filter, f

c
> 22.4 kHz.

6. R
1
= 362 k, R
2
= 312 k (in parallel with the card input terminals). Add C
1

in parallel with R
1
, so that R
1
C
1
= (R
2
,,R
in
)C
in
; C
1
= 28 pF.

7. We assume that the full scale range for the ADC is 20 mA 250 = 5 V.
Then, R
o
> 2.048 M.

8. R = 500 . Deviation = 5 mV, relative deviation = 0.05 %. R
in
> 8.2 M.

9. The frequency dependence of the CMRR is
( ) ( )
c
c
CMRR CMRR 0
f
f
f jf
=
+

where f
c
= 10 Hz and CMRR(0) = 10
100/20
= 10
5
. The differential output
voltage due to the input common mode voltage is
6th Summer School on data acquisition systems
University of Sannio . Benevento June 25 July 7, 2006

5
ic
DD
o iC DC iC
CMRR
v
G
V V G V = =
Because G
DD
has a zero phase shift, the phase angle of the output voltage
will be the opposite of arg (CMRR). Hence,
f 60 Hz 1 kHz 20 kHz
|CMRR| 16440 1000 50
arg CMRR 80.5 89.4 90
v
o
0.6 mV/80.5 10 mV/89.4 200 mV/90

10. The equivalent bridge output resistance and the input common-mode
resistance constitute two voltage dividers that, when imbalanced, reduce
the amplifiers CMRR. From eqn. (2.14) in Analog Signal Processing,
4 C
i
o
50 k
5 10
1
R
C
R

= = =


From eqn. (2.19),
5
4 90/ 20
e
1 1 1
5.16 10
5 10 10 C

= + =

and C
e
= 19371.
A 10 V bridge voltage supply yields a 5 V common mode voltage. When the
bridge is balanced, because of the amplifiers finite CMRR this common
mode voltage yields
( ) ( )
D
o C 90/20
a
5 V
5 V 5 V 158 V
10
G
V G
C
= = = =
When the bridge is imbalanced, C
e
replaces C
a
to yield
o
5 V
258 V
19371
V = =

11. The filter should attenuate input components whose frequency exceeds
(1024 Hz)/2 = 512 Hz below the noise level for a 14 b ADC. For a full-scale
input voltage this means a gain
14
1 1
20 lg 90.3 dB
2 2
| |
=
|
\ .

Because the input SNR is 50 dB, the filter must contribute an attenuation of
40.3 dB. For a Butterworth filter, from (7.10)
1 40.3 10
2.84
1024 2
2
lg
100
n > =
We need a third-order filter.

12. Example 7.6 provides the design to achieve the desired attenuation: a
second-order filter (Figure 7.8b) with f
n
= 2.67 Hz. The input impedance is
( ) ( )
2 2 2 2
i 1 1 2 2
1 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2
1 1
1
R C s R C s
Z R R
s C C s R CC sR C C s R R CC
(
+ +
= + = +
(
+ + + +
(


If, for simplicity, we select R
1
= R
2
= R, C
1
= C
2
= C, we have
( )
i 2
1
1
2
j RC
Z R
j RC RC

(
+
( = +
(


6th Summer School on data acquisition systems
University of Sannio . Benevento June 25 July 7, 2006

6
which decreases for increasing frequencies. Because
n
RC = 1, at f
n
the
expression for Z
i
simplifies to
( )
i n
1 3 6 3
1
2 1 2 1 5
j j j
Z R R R
j j

| | +
= + = =
|

\ .

If we select R to achieve 1 M at 2.67 Hz, the actual impedance at 1 Hz will
be higher, hence fulfilling the desired condition. Therefore, we need
45 3
1 M
5
5
R R = =
and R = 745356 . We select R = 750 k, 5 %, and appropriate power
rating. Then
( ) ( )
1
79.5 nF
2 2.67 Hz 750 k
C

= =

We select C = 82 nF, 10 %.

13. N = 7 bit. t
set
= 5.3 s.