TechBlog

In industrial applications, a digital-to-analog (D-to-A) interface may be rather straightforward but the analog-to-digital (A-to-D) converter (ADC) can be a challenge. The capacitive input stage of both delta-sigma and successive approximation register (SAR) interfaces used for the ADC requires signal capture within a limited time frame. An improper signal chain can cause ringing and oscillation and result in inaccurate readings. However, this is just one of many factors to consider when selecting an ADC.

Signal Chain

High-performance ADCs convert the output of an analog sensor to a digital format for a microcontroller or digital signal processor. The selection of the ADC must be part of a systems approach. “When somebody starts a design, you start with the sensor, you see what kind of output impedance it has and you choose an amplifier and resistors around the amplifier and you choose that configuration based on your sensor,” says Chuck Sins, applications engineer, National Semiconductor. “Based on the accuracy of your sensor and what you are ultimately trying to achieve, then I choose the resolution of the ADC.”

Continue reading ‘Signal Conditioning Issues’ »

In the world of high tech, on the top everyone’s wish list are the words smaller, cheaper, and lighter. That bell rings loud and clear from the end-user down to the design and engineering teams assigned to create next generation products.

What if inexpensive, lightweight plastic were capable of conducting electricity? Thomas Aisenbrey, Inventor and General Manager for Bellingham-based Integral Technologies, may have discovered an epochal building block that has the potential to revolutionize the design world.

Moldable Conductive Plastics, or Electriplast, is a polymer blend that can be used to conduct electricity or as an antenna. In other words, this plastic advance could end up being a stand-alone replacement for metals in virtually every electronics device.

“ElectriPlast is a proprietary recipe capable of creating a vast family of highly conductive polymers,” explains CEO William Robinson. “These can be molded into virtually any shape or dimension that any other plastic, rubber, or other polymer can be molded into.”

Continue reading ‘Redefined Plastic Breaks the Manufacturing Mold’ »