company blog about Recycle ADI Data Converter Evaluation Board:ADC/DAC Combo Converter,ADC,DAC

Recycle ADI Data Converter Evaluation Board:ADC/DAC Combo Converter,ADC,DAC

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I. ADC/DAC Combinational Converter Evaluation Board: Integrated Signal Chain Verification Solution

The ADC/DAC combinational converter evaluation board integrates core analogue-to-digital conversion (ADC) and digital-to-analogue conversion (DAC) components. Some variants additionally incorporate microcontrollers (MCUs), clock management, and interface circuits, forming a complete closed-loop data acquisition and signal generation system. This makes it suitable for system-level verification scenarios requiring bidirectional signal processing. The core value of such evaluation boards lies in replicating real-world signal chain flows, enabling engineers to rapidly validate the cooperative performance of combined devices while minimising interference and errors associated with discrete component setups.

Taking the EVAL-ADUCM300QSPZ evaluation board corresponding to ADI's ADuCM300 as an example, this board serves as an integrated data acquisition system evaluation platform specifically designed for automotive and industrial applications. It incorporates dual 20-bit Σ-Δ ADCs alongside a complete MCU subsystem. While not featuring an integrated standalone DAC, its extensive on-chip peripherals and expandable interfaces enable collaborative evaluation with external DACs. This fundamentally constitutes a combination evaluation solution centred on ADCs with DAC support. The board features a 32-pin LFCSP socket for rapid component insertion and replacement, complemented by switches and LED indicators to aid debugging. Sample code projects are provided, covering core functionalities such as peripheral configuration, signal acquisition, and data transmission.

The evaluation board's core strengths lie in its high integration and scenario adaptability. It supports a wide supply voltage range from 3.6V to 18V and operates within a temperature range of -40°C to +125°C, fully compliant with the AEC-Q100 automotive standard. This enables direct use in signal chain validation for automotive applications such as powertrain and body diagnostics. Post-processing of sensor signals is performed via the on-board Arm Cortex-M3 processor, with data transmitted through a LIN interface. This significantly reduces external component requirements, providing practical validation for compact, high-reliability combined signal chain designs.

II. ADC Evaluation Board: The Benchmark for High-Precision Signal Acquisition

Specifically engineered for analogue-to-digital converter performance validation, the ADC evaluation board employs optimised power supply circuits, low-noise clock systems, precise input interfaces, and standardised data transmission modules. This design maximises the elimination of external interference, faithfully reproducing core ADC metrics such as resolution, sampling rate, dynamic range (SFDR), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). ADI offers evaluation boards for ADCs across various rates and accuracy grades, covering ultra-high-speed, high-precision, and low-power applications to meet diverse requirements from industrial inspection to radar communications.

The AD9625-2.0EBZ evaluation board exemplifies ADI's high-dynamic-range ADC assessment capabilities. Specifically engineered for the 12-bit, 2.0 GSPS ultra-high-speed ADC AD9625, it serves as a core validation tool for radar and high-end instrumentation applications. Featuring a fully differential architecture, the board incorporates optimised input bandwidth and SMA connectors for seamless high-frequency signal integration. An on-board ultra-low-jitter clock source supports bidirectional switching between internal reference and external clock inputs, ensuring pristine sampling clock purity and guaranteeing ADC performance at high sampling rates. Data transmission employs the JESD204B high-speed serial interface, seamlessly interfacing with FPGA processing platforms via standard FMC connectors. When used with accompanying software, it enables intuitive analysis of spectral characteristics across varying input frequencies, precisely quantifying key dynamic metrics such as SFDR (typically >70 dBc) and SNR.

In practical applications, the AD9625-2.0EBZ rapidly validates the ADC's capability to capture weak signals in environments with strong noise and interference. It finds extensive use in advanced radar and electronic countermeasure systems, vector signal analysers, satellite communication ground stations, and similar scenarios. For university research and laboratory settings, this evaluation board also provides an industrial-grade, real-world testing platform for high-speed data conversion technology courses, facilitating the integration of theory with engineering practice.

III. DAC Evaluation Board: A Verification Platform for High-Fidelity Signal Generation

The DAC evaluation board focuses on verifying the performance of digital-to-analogue converters. Through an optimised digital input interface, clock management circuitry, and output driver modules, it enables precise control and measurement of DAC output signals. Core verification parameters include output bandwidth, spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR), intermodulation distortion (IMD), and power consumption. ADI's DAC evaluation boards span the entire product range from radio frequency (RF) to intermediate frequency (IF), and from single-channel to multi-channel configurations, catering to high-end applications such as wireless communication infrastructure, radar systems, and instrumentation.

The evaluation board for the AD9176 serves as the benchmark solution for high-performance RF DAC evaluation. Specifically designed for the dual-channel, 16-bit, 12.6 GSPS RF DAC AD9176, it supports signal generation verification for multi-band wireless applications. The board features an 8-wire 15.4 Gbps JESD204B interface supporting single-band and multi-band operation modes. Each RF DAC incorporates three bypassable multiplexed data input channels with a maximum multiplexed data rate of 3.08 GSPS. It also integrates a high-performance on-chip PLL clock multiplier and configurable interpolation filter, enabling frequency synthesis up to 6 GHz. Through dedicated low-spurious design, it achieves −83 dBc dual-signal IMD3 and <−80 dBc SFDR at 1.84 GHz, meeting high-precision RF signal generation requirements.

The EVAL-AD9142 evaluation board, corresponding to the classic AD9142 product, targets dual-channel 16-bit, 1600 MSPS TxDAC+ designs. It integrates the AD9516 clock distribution chip and ADL5372 quadrature modulator, enabling rapid collaborative evaluation of DACs and IQ modulators. The board supports configurable 2×, 4×, and 8× interpolation filters with minimal inherent delay skew (<2 DAC clock cycles). Achieving SFDR >85 dBc at 300 MHz bandwidth, it is suitable for signal transmission chain verification in 3G/4G base stations, broadband repeaters, and instrumentation applications.

IV. Selection Criteria and Application Scenarios for Category III Evaluation Boards

ADI's Category III data converter evaluation boards are engineered for diverse signal processing requirements. Their core distinctions and applicable scenarios are summarised as follows:

The ADC/DAC combo evaluation board centres on an integrated signal chain, ideal for system-level development requiring simultaneous data acquisition and signal generation. This includes industrial closed-loop control systems and sensor-actuator link verification in automotive electronics, effectively reducing system integration complexity. ADC evaluation boards prioritise signal acquisition performance verification, serving as critical tools for developing receiver-end equipment like radars, oscilloscopes, and data loggers. Key selection criteria include clock purity, input bandwidth, and dynamic range. DAC evaluation boards focus on signal generation quality, catering to transmitter-end devices such as base stations, signal generators, and radar transmitters. Core selection factors are output bandwidth, spurious distortion, and data rate.

Furthermore, all ADI evaluation boards provide comprehensive technical documentation support, including user manuals, data sheets, example code, and drivers. Certain high-end evaluation boards (such as the ADS7-V2EBZ) are also compatible with FPGA development platforms, supporting high-speed interface protocol verification and custom algorithm development, thereby further enhancing flexibility in evaluation scenarios.