AD/DA conversion

Which AD converter splits conversion into several stages processed like an assembly line, combining high speed with medium to high resolution?

  1. ADual-slope
  2. BDelta-sigma
  3. CPipeline
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Answer: C. Pipeline

A pipeline ADC converts a few bits in each stage, amplifies the remaining error (residue) and passes it to the next stage. Because each stage processes a different sample in parallel, it combines conversion rates of tens to hundreds of MS/s with resolutions of about 10 to 14 bits, and is used in communications and video.

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More AD/DA conversion questions

  1. With simple oversampling and no noise shaping, how much does quantization noise improve when the sampling frequency is quadrupled?
  2. Why does timing fluctuation (jitter) of the sampling clock become a problem when converting high-frequency signals?
  3. When a microcontroller produces an analog voltage by passing a PWM signal through a low-pass filter, what determines the output voltage?
  4. What does 'MS/s (MSPS)', used to express the conversion speed of an AD converter, mean?
  5. In the transfer characteristic of an AD converter, what is the error called when the output deviates from 0 at zero input?