Analogue drivers are accurate boosters for DACs

Output drivers achieve a three-fold improvement in accuracy over competing solutions, with an accuracy level of 0.1% total unadjusted error under all operating conditions.

Two new analogue output drivers from Analog Devices can significantly improve the efficiency and reliability of process control applications, including those operating with high compliance voltages and temperatures.

Using technological advancements enabled by the company's iCMOS industrial process technology, the AD5750 and AD5751 output drivers achieve a three-fold improvement in accuracy over competing solutions, providing an accuracy level of 0.1% TUE (total unadjusted error) under all operating conditions.

The devices condition the output of a low-voltage, single-supply DAC (digital-to-analogue convertor) to provide high performance voltage- and current-output-drive capability, enabling system design engineers to deliver more reliable, cost-efficient industrial equipment while using less board space.

Designed to meet the growing demand for highly configurable industrial automation controllers, the new output drivers offer extensive diagnostic functionality such as fault detection and enhanced sensing capabilities that make system startup and troubleshooting easier.

Integrating user-programmable current- and voltage-output capabilities, the AD5750 and AD5751 output drivers are ideally suited for programmable logic controllers, distributed control and high-voltage analogue I/O systems.

According to Mike Britchfield, the company's Product Line Director, Precision Signal Processing: "Analog Devices' output drivers provide a complete solution for single- and multichannel analogue I/O systems, meeting the growing demand for feature-rich, highly reliable process control equipment".

"These devices offer industrial designers a high-performance system that provides best-in-class drift and stability specifications, helping to increase plant efficiency and lower maintenance costs".

"Plus, the advanced diagnostics make troubleshooting quick and easy".

The single-channel AD5750 and AD5751 are complete analogue output drivers for industrial and process control applications and eliminate the need for additional external components such as shunt resistors, range selection, and fault detection circuitry.

The devices handle virtually all standard analogue output signalling requirements with selectable hardware or software programmability.

The high performance and accuracy of the devices satisfy high-end system requirements of 0.1% TUE, 5ppm/C output drift, and 0.01% linearity, eliminating the need for designers to calibrate their systems at multiple temperatures and supplies to satisfy end system accuracy and stability specifications.

analogue outputs can drive resistive loads up to 1.5kohm, capacitive loads up to 1uF and inductive loads up to 100mH.

The AD5750, which operates from dual +/-12 to +/-24V supplies, offers four output voltage ranges (0-5, 0-10, +/-5 and +/-10V) and five output current ranges (4-20, 0-20, 0-24, +/-20 and +/-24mA), with 20% overrange capability.

The AD5751 operates from a single 10.8 to 60V supply, facilitating reliable factory communications over long cables.

It offers three output voltage ranges (0-5, 0-10 and 0-40V) and three output current ranges (4- 20, 0-20 and 0-24mA), with 20% overrange capability.

The AD5750 and AD5751 incorporate a 30MHz serial peripheral interface (SPI) and power-on reset circuitry and are fully specified over a -40 to +105C temperature range.

Each device integrates packet-error checking (PEC) features that verify the interface data has been correctly received in the presence of noise, which is useful in industrial environments where datacommunications corruption can occur.

The AD5750 and AD5751 are sampling now, and full production quantities will be available in November 2008.

The devices are housed in 5 x 5mm LFCSPs (lead-frame chip-scale packages), and priced from US $2.45 in 1000- unit quantities.

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