This application note features 8-, 10-, and 12-bit dataacquisition components in various circuit configurations.The circuits include battery monitoring, temperature sensing,isolated serial interfaces, and microprocessor andmicrocontroller serial and parallel interfaces. Also includedare voltage reference circuits (Application Note 42contains more voltage reference circuits).
Low power operation of electronic apparatus has becomeincreasingly desirable. Medical, remote data acquisition,power monitoring and other applications are good candidatesfor battery driven, low power operation. Micropoweranalog circuits for transducer-based signal conditioningpresent a special class of problems. Although micropowerICs are available, the interconnection of these devices toform a functioning micropower circuit requires care. (SeeBox Sections, “Some Guidelines for Micropower Designand an Example” and “Parasitic Effects of Test Equipmenton Micropower Circuits.”) In particular, trade-offs betweensignal levels and power dissipation become painful whenperformance in the 10-bit to 12-bit area is desirable.
Portable, battery-powered operation of electronic apparatushas become increasingly desirable. Medical, remotedata acquisition, power monitoring and other applicationsare good candidates for battery operation. In some circumstances,due to space, power or reliability considerations,it is preferable to operate the circuitry from a single 1.5Vcell. Unfortunately, a 1.5V supply eliminates almost alllinear ICs as design candidates. In fact, the LM10 opamp-reference and the LT®1017/LT1018 comparators arethe only IC gain blocks fully specifi ed for 1.5V operation.Further complications are presented by the 600mV dropof silicon transistors and diodes. This limitation consumesa substantial portion of available supply range, makingcircuit design diffi cult. Additionally, any circuit designedfor 1.5V operation must function at end-of-life batteryvoltage, typically 1.3V. (See Box Section, “Componentsfor 1.5V Operation.”)
Linear Technology’s high performance battery management ICsenable long battery life and run time, while providing precision charging control, constantstatus monitoring and stringent battery protection. Our proprietary design techniques seamlesslymanage multiple input sources while providing small solution footprints, faster charging and100% standalone operation. Battery and circuit protection features enable improved thermalperformance and high reliability operation.
Abstract: Impedance mismatches in a radio-frequency (RF) electrical transmission line cause power loss andreflected energy. Voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) is a way to measure transmission line imperfections. Thistutorial defines VSWR and explains how it is calculated. Finally, an antenna VSWR monitoring system is shown.
Abstract: It is critically important that lithium-ion battery stacks have a good battery-management system for monitoring many cellvoltages and cell temperatures. Without that monitoring, thermal runaway can lead to a battery explosion. This design idea presentsa low-power circuit that measures the temperature of up to 12 thermistors. It powers and configures the multiplexers, and also putsthe muxes into shutdown to save power when not measuring temperatures.
Industrial remote monitoring systems and keep-alivecircuits spend most of their time in standby mode. Manyof these systems also depend on battery power, so powersupply effi ciency in standby state is very important tomaximize battery life. The LT®8410/-1 high effi ciencyboost converter is ideal for these systems, requiringonly 8.5μA of quiescent current in standby mode. Thedevice integrates high value (12.4M/0.4M) output feedbackresistors, signifi cantly reducing input current whenthe output is in regulation with no load. Other featuresinclude an integrated 40V switch and Schottky diode,output disconnect with current limit, built in soft-start,overvoltage protection and a wide input range, all in atiny 8-pin 2mm × 2mm DFN package.
