The capabilities of analog-to-digital converters have been discussed for a long time. Even before their invention, the discussion of their capabilities did not reach except for science fiction novels. Their appearance promised great prospects in electronics, up to the invention of artificial intelligence. And indeed, the analog signal is "incomprehensible" to such a device as, for example, a processor. At the same time, as a digitized analog signal, it is "understandable" by all devices. The connecting link in this case is an analog-to-digital converter. This is a universal device that allows you to convert an analog signal into a discrete code.
The need for the appearance of such devices was dictated by time itself. With the development of electronic circuits, the first digital devices appeared. They had good controllability, great accuracy and good performance. They could perform many tasks that could not be solved with a conventional analog circuit. As an example, compare the firsta vacuum tube computer that was the size of a two-story house and a modern laptop model.
But nevertheless, the developers of electronic circuits have not abandoned the analog signal so far. The fact is that most existing sensors work with it. In addition, it continues to be used in design and does an excellent job with the functions assigned to it. It is more "informative" than its digital counterpart, and devices on it
basis have excellent performance. This is important when operating control circuits, such as an electric drive.
The A/D converter is designed to make the two devices work together.
It can be used to convert, for example, a signal from an analog temperature or speed sensor into a binary code and use the microcontroller to control the state of the control object.
In addition to protection and control circuits, the analog-to-digital converter is successfully used in the control of electric drives of various capacities. The only limitation in this case is the speed of the assembled based on it
device. Well-known companies produce self-tuning control units that are used to ensure reliable operation of engines. For example, a frequency converter incorporates an analog-to-digital converter, which is able to "transform" signals from sensors and send the received information toprocessor.
A simpler example of their use is an ordinary voltmeter, which includes a digital converter. In many cases, such devices work much more efficiently than their analog counterparts.
Devices such as analog-to-digital converters are firmly integrated into existing electronic circuits. The development of their manufacturing technology and the emergence of new signal conversion principles are moving towards increasing the speed of these devices.
