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2.0 Applications Information
(Continued)
2.2 REFERENCE CONSIDERATIONS
The voltage difference between the V
REF+
and V
inputs
defines the analog input voltage span (the difference be-
tween V
(Max) and V
(Min)) over which the 2
n
(where n is
the programmed resolution) possible output codes apply. In
the pseudo-differential and differential modes the actual volt-
age applied to V
REF+
and V
REF
can lie anywhere between
the AV
+
and V
. Only the difference voltage is of importance.
When using the single-ended multiplexer mode the voltage
at V
REF
has a dual function. It simultaneously determines
the “zero” reference voltage and, with V
REF+
, the analog volt-
age span.
The value of the voltage on the V
REF+
or V
REF
inputs can be
anywhere between AV
+
+ 50 mV and V
50 mV, so long as
V
REF+
is greater than V
REF
. TheADC10154 andADC10158
can be used in either ratiometric applications or in systems
requiring absolute accuracy. The reference pins must be
connected to a voltage source capable of driving the mini-
mum reference input resistance of 4.5 k
.
The internal 2.5V bandgap reference in the ADC10154 and
ADC10158 is available as an output on the VREFOut pin. To
ensure optimum performance this output needs to be by-
passed to ground with 330 μF aluminum electrolytic or tanta-
lum capacitor. The reference output is unstable with capaci-
tive loads greater than 100 pF and less than 100 μF. Any
capacitive loads
≤
100 pF or
≥
100 μF will not cause the refer-
ence to oscillate. Lower output noise can be obtained by in-
creasing the output capacitance. The 330 μF capacitor will
yield a typical noise floor of 200 nVrms/
.
The 2.5V reference output is referred to the negative supply
pin (V
). Therefore,
the voltage at VREFOut will always be
2.5V greater than the voltage applied to V
.
Applying this
voltage to V
REF+
with V
REF
tied to V
will yield an analog
voltage span of 2.5V. In bipolar operation the voltage at
VREFOut will be at 2.5V when V
is tied to 5V. For the
single-ended multiplexer mode the analog input voltage
range will be from 5V to 2.5V. The pseudo-differential and
differential multiplexer modes allow for more flexibility in the
analog input voltage range since the “zero” reference volt-
age is set by the actual voltage applied to the assigned
negative input pin. The drawback of using the internal refer-
ence in the bipolar mode is that any noise on the 5V tied to
the V
pin will affect the conversion result. The bandgap ref-
erence is specified and tested in unipolar operation with V
tied to the system ground.
In a ratiometric system (Figure 5
(a)
), the analog input volt-
age is proportional to the voltage used for the A/D reference.
This voltage may also be the system power supply, so V
REF+
can also be tied to AV
+
. This technique relaxes the stablity
requirements of the system reference as the analog input
and A/D reference move together maintaining the same out-
put code for a given input condition.
For absolute accuracy (Figure 5
(b)
), where the analog input
varies between very specific voltage limits, the reference pin
can be biased with a time- and temperature-stable voltage
source that has excellent initial accuracy. The LM4040 and
LM185 references are suitable for use with the ADC10154
and ADC10158.
4 Single-Ended
DS011225-40
2 Differential
DS011225-41
3 Pseudo-Differential
DS011225-42
2 Single Ended and 1 Differential
DS011225-43
FIGURE 4. Analog Input Multiplexer Options
A
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