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R-2R Ladder
R-2R Ladder The R-2R ladder is a discrete analog-to-digital converter (A/D converter) that converts a continuous analog signal into a discrete binary code re...
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R-2R Ladder The R-2R ladder is a discrete analog-to-digital converter (A/D converter) that converts a continuous analog signal into a discrete binary code re...
The R-2R ladder is a discrete analog-to-digital converter (A/D converter) that converts a continuous analog signal into a discrete binary code representing the signal's value. It's essentially a chain of resistors where each resistor corresponds to a specific binary digit.
How it works:
The A/D converter continuously reads the analog input signal.
Each sample is converted into its binary equivalent by comparing it to reference voltages.
The binary outputs are then fed into a binary adder, which adds them together in order.
The output of the binary adder represents the binary code of the original analog value.
Example:
Let's say we have an analog signal representing voltage from 0 to 5V. The R-2R ladder with 4 resistors would be connected as follows:
R1 R2 R3 R4
0 1 2 3
The output of the ladder will be a binary code representing the voltage level. If the voltage is 2.5V, for example, then the output would be 110 in binary, corresponding to the code "1 1 0".
Advantages:
Simple and cost-effective design.
Low power consumption.
Can be used to convert other analog signals as well.
Disadvantages:
Limited resolution (can only represent a limited range of analog values).
Sensitive to noise in the input signal.
The output code is binary, which can be difficult to read or process directly