Chapter 5

Digital Signal
Conditioning

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 Computer Interface

• The data lines carry data to and from the

processor.
• The address lines allow the computer to select
external locations for input and output.
• The control lines carry information to and from
the computer related to operations, such as
reading, writing, interrupts. 2
 Converters
• Translates digital information to
analog and vice versa.
• To interface analog signal with a
computer or digital logic circuit, it is
necessary first to perform an analog
to digital conversion.
• The reverse situation occurs, where a
digital signal is required to drive an
analog device. In this case, a digital
to analog converter is required.
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 Comparators

• Simply compares two analog voltages on

its terminals. Depending on which voltage
is larger, the output will be a high or a low
signal.
• One of the input Va or Vb will be the
variable input and the other a fixed value
called a trip, trigger or reference voltage.
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Open Collector Comparators
• The output terminal of the
comparator is connected internally
to the collector of a transistor in the
comparator.
• An external resistor called collector
pull-up resistor is connected from
the output to an appropriate power
supply.
• The output terminal will show 0 if
internal transistor is ON or 1 if the
internal transistor is OFF
• Advantages:
(1) It is possible to use a different
power source for the output.
(2) It is possible to OR together
several comparator’s outputs
by connecting all open
collector outputs together and
then using a common pull up
resistor. If any one of the
comparator’s transistors is
turned on, the common output 5
will go low.
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 Hysteresis Comparator

• When using comparators, there is often a problem if the

signal voltage has noise or approaches the reference value
too slowly. The comparator output may “jiggle” back and
for the between high and low as the reference level is
reached. Such fluctuation of output may cause problems
with the equipment designed to interpret the comparator
output signal.
• This problem can often be solved by providing a deadband
or hysteresis window to the reference level around which
output changes occur. Once the comparator has been
triggered high, the reference level is automatically reduced
so that the signal must fall to some value below the old
reference before the comparator goes to the low state. 8
 Hysteresis Comparator

• Feedback resistor Rf is provided between the

output and one of the inputs of the comparator,
and that input is separated from the signal by
another resistor, R.
• The condition for which the output will go high
when Vin ≥ Vref
• Once having been driven high, the condition for
the output to drop back to the low state is given
by the relation R
Vin ≤ Vref − Vout
Rf 9
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Digital-To-Analog Converters
• Accepts digital information and transforms it
into an analog voltage.
• The digital information is in the form of a
binary number, this binary number is called a
binary word.
• A unipolar DAC converts a digital word into
an analog voltage by scaling the analog
output to zero when all bits are zero and
some maximum value when all bits are one.
• The output of the DAC can be represented as
a fraction number with scaling of some
reference voltage:
Where Vout = analog voltage output, VR = reference
voltage and b1, b2, …, bn = n-bit binary word.
Vout = V R [b 2
1
−1
+ b2 2 −2
+ b3 2 −3
+ ... + bn 2 −n
]
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• The minimum Vout is zero, and the maximum
is determined by the size of the binary word
because, with all bits set to one, the decimal
equivalent approaches VR as the number of
bits increases.
• An alternative equation is based on the
expression in brackets is really just the
fraction of total counting states possible with
the n bits being used.
Where N = base 10 whole number equivalent of DAC
input
N
Vout = n VR
2
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 Bipolar DAC
• Some DACs are designed to output a voltage
that ranges from plus to minus some
maximum when the input binary ranges over
the counting states.
• The bipolar DAC relationship is given by:
N 1
Vout = n
V R − VR
2 2
• When N = 0 [min];
1
Vout = − VR
2
• When N = (2n – 1) [max];
(2 n − 1) 1 1 1
Vout (max) = n
VR − VR = VR − n VR 17
2 2 2 2
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 Conversion Resolution
• The conversion resolution is a function of the
reference voltage and the number of bits in
the word.
• The more bits, the smaller the change in
analog output for a 1 bit change in binary
word, and hence the better the resolution.
∆Vout is the smallest output change, VR is the reference
voltage and n is the number of bits in the word.

VR
∆Vout = n
2
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 Analog to Digital
Converters
• With the growing use of digital logic and
computers in process control, it is necessary
to employ an ADC to provide a digitally
encoded signal for the computer.
• The ADC will find a fractional binary number
that gives the closest approximation to the
fraction formed by the input voltage and
reference.
• Where b1, b2, … bn = n bit digital output, Vin = analog
input voltage, VR = analog reference voltage

b1 b2 bn Vin
+ 2 + ... + n ≤
2 2 2 VR 23
• This equation is unequally because the fraction
on the right can change continuously over all
values, but the binary number on left can
change only in fixed increments of ∆N = VR2-n.
• There is an inherent uncertainty in the input
voltage producing a given ADC output is, ∆V =
VR2-n.
• All binary number equal to 0 when the input
voltage is less than ∆V.
• The LSB of the binary number change from 0
to 1 when the input voltage is equal or more
than ∆V.
• All binary number equal to 1 when the input
voltage is greater than VR(1- 2-n).
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• The expression can be written in this
simple form:
 Vin n
N = INT  × 2 
 VR 
• INT() means to take the integer part of
the equality in the bracket.
• The value of N is then converted to binary
output.

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Parallel Feedback ADC
• A comparator is used to
compare the input voltage
Vx to feedback voltage VF.
• The comparator output
signal drives a logic
network to produce the
digital signal.
• The output of comparator
become low when the two
signal become same value
within the resolution of the
converter.
• Each bit of the logic circuit
be tested, from MSB.
• Compare Vx and VF, where
VF = VR2-n, n = 1, 2, ….
• If Vx > VF, the correspond
bit set to 1, otherwise set
to 0.
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