Date: 14/03/2011

ADCs with independently controlled voltage references

Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced two-channel, simultaneous-sampling successive approximation (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with two independently controlled internal references for simplified system-level design. TI says the 16-bit ADS8363, 14-bit ADS7263 and 12-bit ADS7223 are pin-for-pin compatible and provide twice the per-channel throughput of similar ADCs, supporting speeds up to 1 MSPS for industrial and energy applications such as motor control, power quality measurement, protection relays, power automation, solar inverters and wind generators.

Other key features of these chips are:

Integrates two 2.5-V, independently controlled references enabling separate ADC gain calibration and the implementation of a programmable gain amplifier.

FIFO (First In, First Out) reduces processor accesses by 75 percent.

Supports up to eight pseudo-differential or four fully-differential input channels grouped into two pairs, doubling the number of supported inputs compared to the closest 16- and 14-bit competitors.

Characterized for harsh industrial environments up to 125 degrees Celsius, making the ADS8363 the highest temperature-rated device in its class.