SBAS492 – JULY 2015
8.3.6 ADC Driver
In order to meet the performance of a 12-bit, SAR ADC at the maximum sampling rate (500 kSPS), the sample-
and-hold capacitors at the input of the ADC must be successfully charged and discharged during the acquisition
time window. This drive requirement at the inputs of the ADC necessitates the use of a high-bandwidth, low-
noise, and stable amplifier buffer. Such an input driver is integrated in the front-end signal path of each analog
input channel of the device. During transition from one channel of the multiplexer to another channel, the fast
integrated driver ensures that the multiplexer output settles to a 12-bit accuracy within the acquisition time of the
ADC, irrespective of the input levels on the respective channels.
8.3.7 Multiplexer (MUX)
The ADS8664 and ADS8668 feature an integrated 4- and 8-channel analog multiplexer, respectively. For each
analog input channel, the voltage difference between the positive analog input AIN_
n
P and the negative ground
input AIN_
n
GND is conditioned by the analog front-end circuitry before being fed into the multiplexer. The output
of the multiplexer is directly sampled by the ADC. The multiplexer in the device can scan these analog inputs in
either manual or auto-scan mode, as explained in the
section. In manual mode
(MAN_Ch_n), the channel is selected for every sample via a register write; in auto-scan mode (AUTO_RST), the
channel number is incremented automatically on every CS falling edge after the present channel is sampled. The
analog inputs can be selected for an auto scan with register settings (see the
section). The devices automatically scan only the selected analog inputs in ascending order.
The maximum overall throughput for the ADS8664 and ADS8668 is specified at 500 kSPS across all channels.
The per channel throughput is dependent on the number of channels selected in the multiplexer scanning
sequence. For example, the throughput per channel is equal to 250 kSPS if only two channels are selected, but
is equal to 125 kSPS per channel if four channels are selected (as in the ADS8664), and so forth.
See
for command register settings to switch between the auto-scan mode and manual mode for
individual analog channels.
8.3.8 Reference
The ADS8664 and ADS8668 can operate with either an internal voltage reference or an external voltage
reference using the internal buffer. The internal or external reference selection is determined by an external
REFSEL pin. The devices have a built-in buffer amplifier to drive the actual reference input of the internal ADC
core for maximizing performance.
Copyright © 2015, Texas Instruments Incorporated
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