A/D AND D/A

CONVERTER
 A/D CONVERTER (ADC)

What is ADC (Analog To Digital Converter)?

• From the name itself it is clear that it is a converter which converts the analog
(continuously variable) signal to digital signal.
• a device that converts analog signals (usually voltage) obtained from
environmental (physical) phenomena into digital format.
WHY ADC?

• In the real world, every real quantity such as voice, temperature, weight etc
exists in the analog state. And it cannot be processed by any digital device
such as a computer or a cell phone.
• These analog quantities are converted into digital form so that a digital
device can process it. This conversion is done using analog to digital
converter.
ANALOG TO DIGITAL CONVERSION STEPS
Sample
• The sample block function is to sample the input analog signal at a specific
time interval. The samples are taken in continuous amplitude & possess real
value.

Hold
• . It has no function. It only holds the sample amplitude until the next sample is
taken. The hold value remains unchanged till the next sample.
Quantize
This block is used for quantization. It converts the analog or continuous
amplitude into discrete amplitude.
Encoder
• converts the digital signal into binary form
TYPES OF ANALOG TO DIGITAL CONVERTERS

Some of the types of analog to digital converters include:

• Dual Slope A/D Converter
• Flash A/D Converter
• Successive Approximation A/D Converter
• Dual Slope A/D Converter
In this type of ADC converter comparison voltage is generated by using an
integrator circuit which is formed by a resistor, capacitor and operational
amplifier combination.
• Dual slope ADC is relatively medium cost and slow speed device.
• A dual-slope ADC (DS-ADC) integrates an unknown input voltage (VIN) for a
fixed amount of time (TINT), then "de-integrates" (TDEINT) using a known
reference voltage (VREF) for a variable amount of time.
DUAL SLOPE A/D CONVERTER PROS AND CONS

PROS CONS
• Conversion result is insensitive to • Slow
errors in the component values. • Accuracy is dependent on the use of
• Fewer adverse affects from “noise” precision external components
• High Accuracy • Cost
 FLASH A/D CONVERTER

• This ADC converter IC is also called as parallel ADC, which is a most widely
used efficient ADC in terms of its speed. This flash analog to digital converter
circuit consists of a series of comparators where each one compares the input
signal with a unique reference voltage.
• This flash type is a high-cost and high-speed device.
This output is further given to priority encoder for
generating binary code based on higher order input
activity by ignoring other active inputs.
FLASH A/D CONVERTER PROS AND CONS

PROS CONS
• Simplest in terms of operational • Lower resolution
theory • Expensive
• Most efficient in terms of speed, • For each additional output bit, the
very fast number of comparators is doubled
• limited only in terms of • i.e. for 8 bits, 256 comparators
comparator and gate propagation needed
delays
SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATION A/D CONVERTER
• The SAR ADC a most modern ADC IC and much faster than dual slope and
flash ADCs since it uses a digital logic that converges the analog input voltage
to the closest value. This circuit consists of a comparator, output
latches, successive approximation register (SAR) and D/A converter.
 Advantages Disadvantages
• Capable of high speed and reliable • Higher resolution successive
• Medium accuracy compared to other approximation ADC’s will be slower
ADC types • Speed limited to ~5Mspsg
• Good tradeoff between speed and
cost
• Capable of outputting the binary
number in serial (one bit at a time)
format.
OUTPUT
SAMPLE OF ADC :
 DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERTER (DAC)
D/A CONVERTER
• Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) is a device that
transforms digital data into an analog signal.
• DAC can reconstruct sampled data into an analog
signal with precision. The digital data may be
produced from a microprocessor, Application Specific
Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or Field Programmable
Gate Array (FPGA), but ultimately the data requires
the conversion to an analog signal in order to interact
with the real world.
 DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERTER (DAC)
D/A CONVERTER
• D/A converter takes a precise number (most commonly a fixed-point binary
number) and converts it into a physical quantity (example: voltage or
pressure). D/A converters are often used to convert finite-precision time series
data to a continually varying physical signal.
 DIGITAL TO ANALOG
＜D/A CONVERSION METHODS＞

Numerous implementation methods exist for Digital to Analog (D/A) converters. We cover 4
basic methods below.

• Using Resistors
• Resistance elements are the most easy-to-use analog elements in LSI(Large Scale Integration).
• The relative accuracy is also comparatively good, making it possible to achieve 10bit
precision without trimming.
• Selecting the appropriate resistance makes it possible to cover a wide range, from low to high
speeds.
2. Using Capacitors
• In general, because using capacitance results in better accuracy than resistance, it is
the preferred method for medium and high precision D/A converters.
• However, ensuring high accuracy requires a large capacitance, leading to longer
charge/discharge times. Plus, high-speed operation is problematic.
• In addition, to compensate for leakage current at low frequencies, refresh is
required, which complicates operation.
3. Using Current
• Adopted in conversion systems for high-speed (several MHz) applications.
Output current switching is performed by switching the current source based
on digital input.
• Resistors and an operational amplifier are utilized to convert the output
current to voltage.
4. Oversampling Method
• A conversion method used for high accuracy (16bit~) applications.
• This method filters a low-resolution, high sampling rate to obtain the desired
analog signal.
• Generally, a 1bit digital sigma system consists of a low pass filter and binary
output (0, 1).
 APPLICATIONS OF DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERTER

• Audio Amplifier-DACs are used to produce DC voltage gain with Microcontroller

commands. Often, the DAC will be incorporated into an entire audio codec which
includes signal processing features
• Video Encoder-The video encoder system will process a video signal and send
digital signals to a variety of DACs to produce analog video signals of various
formats, along with optimizing of output levels.
• Display Electronics-The graphic controller will typically use a lookup table to
generate data signals sent to a video DAC for analog outputs such as Red, Green,
Blue (RGB) signals to drive a display.
 APPLICATIONS OF DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERTER
• Data Acquisition Systems-Data to be measured is digitized by an Analog-to-
Digital Converter (ADC) and then sent to a processor. The data acquisition will
also include a process control end, in which the processor sends feedback
data to a DAC for converting to analog signals.
• Calibration-The DAC provides dynamic calibration for gain and voltage
offset for accuracy in test and measurement systems.
• Motor Control-Many motor controls require voltage control signals, and a
DAC is ideal for this application which may be driven by a processor or
controller.
 n
bits
ANALOG A-D
MUX SIGNAL CONVERTER
PROCESSOR

• Operational Amp • Multiplier/Divider MICRO

• Differential Amp • Log Amplifier REFERENCE PROCESSOR
• Instrumentation Amp • rms-dc Converter
• Isolation Amp • F-V/V-F Converter OR
DSP
PROCESSOR
ANALOG
D-A
MUX SIGNAL
CONVERTER
PROCESSOR
n
bits
 CONVERTERS IN SCADA SYSTEM

The HMI processes data from each tag and sends it to a human operator, where
he or she then can monitor or control the system. The supervisory system gathers
the data sent from each tag and sends commands or operations to the process.
The RTUs connect sensors and convert their signals to digital data and send it to
the supervisory system, where it can be stored in a distributed database.
CONVERTERS IN SCADA SYSTEM
SCADA FOR REMOTE INDUSTRIAL PLANT: