Convert analog to digital

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Electrical values ​​are usually analog signals. For processing in a digital device such as a computer, these signals must first be converted from analog to digital. This is done with appropriate circuits.

AD converters are found in many circuits.
AD converters are found in many circuits.

The conversion from analog to digital

For processing in computers or microcontrollers, measured values ​​that are analog must first be converted into digital form.

  • This conversion is carried out by a so-called analog-digital converter or also called AD converter for short.
  • The AD converter first records the analog signal or the measured value and converts it into a digital value, which can be further processed by microcontrollers or computers.
  • The analog measured values ​​can be converted in various ways.

There are different types of AD converters

  • One of these processes is called a parallel process. With this method, different reference voltages are generated in the measuring range of the AD converter, which are compared with the measured value. If the measured value agrees with one of these reference voltages, this voltage is output as a determined value in digital form. However, this type of AD converter is only suitable for circuits that have to determine a few different measured values.
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  • In the approximation method, a reference voltage is also provided, which is first halved. This is compared with the measured input voltage. If the input voltage is higher than the reference voltage, then the reference voltage will be half of the upper one Range (between the original reference voltage and its half) and then again with the measured value compared. This process is continued until the applied measured value matches the determined value as precisely as possible.
  • The third method that should be mentioned at this point is the so-called counting method. Here the available reference voltage is reduced to the smallest part (depending on the resolution of the converter). This is followed by a comparison with the input voltage. If this is higher than the fraction of the reference voltage, the test voltage is increased step by step until it agrees with the measured value.
  • The last-mentioned method usually takes the longest time to determine the measured value. Depending on the resolution of the AD converter (the maximum number of available reference voltages or their fractions), however, analog measured values ​​can be determined relatively precisely with this.

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