SoCs are full data-acquisition systems

Analog Devices has added two new devices and an associated QuickStart evaluation kit to its extensive MicroConverter family of data acquisition SoCs.

Analog Devices has added two new devices and an associated QuickStart evaluation kit to its extensive MicroConverter family of data acquisition SoCs.

Both the 24bit ADuC834 and the 12bit ADuC814 preserve the MicroConverter family's signature analogue-to-digital convertor (ADC) precision.

A major benefit of the ADuC834 is that it has eight times more on-chip memory than its pin-to-pin compatible predecessor, the ADuC824.

Small size is the hallmark of the new ADuC814.

At just one quarter the size of the standard 52 PQFP-packaged MicroConverters, it is well suited to applications that require the smallest form-factor integration.

In addition, to make device evaluation easy and promote full system development, ADI now offers two versions of tools for the MicroConverter family.

QuickStart is an entry-level version with evaluation board and software.

The enhanced QuickStart development kit is the advanced version that adds C-source debug capabilities.

High precision characterises the ADuC834, which is designed to meet the most demanding specifications in industrial market applications such as intelligent sensor calibration and conditioning, weigh scales, portable instrumentation, pressure measurements and 4-20mA transmitters.

The ADuC834 also takes advantage of advanced surface-mount chip-scale packaging (CSP), allowing the same amount of functionality in a smaller form-factor.

The 12bit, fully integrated ADuC814 provides users with analogue-to-digital precision at low cost, and is targeted at applications having major space constraints, such as transceiver modules that monitor laser power in the optical networking market, smart sensors, battery-powered systems such as portable PCs, instruments and monitors, and small footprint sensors and acquisition systems.

A fully integrated 24bit data acquisition system, the ADuC834 incorporates two high-performance, self-calibrating, multichannel 24/16bit sigma delta ADCs, a digital-to-analogue convertor (DAC), phase locked loop (PLL), and a programmable 8bit Flash microcontroller unit (MCU), compatible with the 8051 assembler instruction set.

The ADuC834 is ADI's first large-memory MicroConverter with 62Kbyte in-circuit reprogrammable Flash/EE on-chip memory, 4Kbyte nonvolatile read/write Flash data memory with security enhancements, and 256byte data RAM, extendible to 2304byte.

This amount of memory lets users expand their programming, and is particularly suitable for designers who want to use the C programming language.

The ADuC834 also features an on-chip temperature sensor, a watchdog timer, a time interval counter, power supply monitor and POR circuits.

It is equipped with idle and power-down modes, and UART and SPI serial interface ports, and can be programmed for other interfaces.

The ADuC814 is a fully integrated 247Ksample/s 12bit data acquisition system incorporating a high-performance multichannel ADC, an 8bit MCU and program/data flash/EE memory on a single chip.

This device, which is specified for 3 and 5V operation, runs from a 32kHz crystal with an on-chip PLL generating a high-frequency clock of 16.78MHz.

The clock, in turn, is routed through a programmable clock divider from which the MCU core clock operating frequency is generated.

It has 8Kbyte of nonvolatile Flash/EE program memory on-chip, as well as 640byte of nonvolatile Flash/EE data memory that's security-enhanced, and 256byte of RAM.

The ADuC814 also incorporates additional analogue functionality with dual 12bit DACs, a power supply monitor, POR and bandgap reference.

On-chip digital peripherals include a watchdog timer, time interval counter, three timer/counters and two serial I/O ports - SPI and UART - and can be programmed for other interfaces.

ADI plans to introduce future MicroConverter products, including one that will be sampling soon, featuring large amounts of on-chip memory and pin-compatibility with the popular ADuC812.

ADI has enhanced its QuickStart development kit, which contains an evaluation board, supporting hardware, two sample MicroConverter devices, software development tools, an example code library and technical documentation.

Developers can choose between an entry-level QuickStart development system takeout, or the enhanced QuickStart kit, a more feature-rich, advanced development package - both of which are planned for release in the summer of 2002.

The basic QuickStart version allows designers to rapidly evaluate MicroConverter performance and functionality, and then begin prototype development.

It fully supports assembly level developments, and provides designers with access to a code-restricted version of the C-level development environment via a serial port debug path.

This integrated development environment (IDE) is accessible through one - not multiple - sessions.

The enhanced QuickStart kit provides all the tools necessary to develop, debug and test MicroConverter-based applications.

This comprehensive IDE interfaces to the target device from the PC-serial port via an in-circuit nonintrusive single-pin emulation path.

The required RS232-to-single-pin emulation convertor is also part of the package.

The ADuC834 and ADuC814 are sampling today, and are priced at $12.50 and $4.50, respectively, in 1000-piece quantities.

The ADuC834 is available in either 52 PQFP or CSP packaging, and the ADuC814 comes in a 28 TSSOP.

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