DN341 - 16-Bit ADC Simplifies Current Measurements

16-Bit ADC Simplifies Current Measurements
Design Note 341
Mark Thoren
Introduction
The LTC®2433-1 is a high performance 16-bit Delta-Sigma ADC for DC measurements. With an input noise floor
of 1.45μVRMS and a reference range of 100mV to VCC,
the input resolution and range can be optimized for a
wide variety of applications. The flexible SPI interface
can be configured to self-clock, simplifying isolation
or level shifting of digital signals in applications where
the ADC must be referenced to a different potential than
the data acquisition system.
asynchronous communication schemes such as RS232.
Unfortunately, the internal oscillator tolerance makes it
risky to receive all 19 bits asynchronously. One solution
is to apply a crystal-controlled clock signal to the FO
pin, but there is a simpler (and cheaper) way.
Data Transfer
Figure 1a shows a –48V telecom supply current monitor
with a 5.4A full scale. The LTC2433-1 serial interface is
configured for internal serial clock, continuous conversion mode. This mode is selected by tying chip select
low and pulling SCK high at power-up. In this mode,
the LTC2433-1 continuously converts at 6.8 samples
per second and clocks out its data at a serial data rate
of 17.5kHz ±2%, the tolerance of the internal oscillator.
While a conversion is taking place, both SCK and SDO
are high, so the XOR output is low. At the end of a conversion, both SDO and SCK fall, which may produce a
glitch of up to 10ns as these edges are separated only
by internal gate delays. The receiving device should
look for a high level for at least 20ns to ensure that it
is the start bit and not a glitch. (The optocoupler circuit
shown does not respond to a pulse narrower than 500ns,
so the glitch is not a problem.) The next rising edge is
the center of the DUMMY bit, which synchronizes the
sampling of the SIGN bit three quarters of one bit period
later. After sampling SIGN, the next transition starts
The LTC2433-1 serial data format lends itself to asynchronous reception. While a conversion is taking place,
SDO is high. At the end of a conversion, SDO goes low
for two clock cycles (EOC and DUMMY bits) and then
continues outputting the remaining data bits. Thus
the EOC bit can be used as a start bit as in standard
Exclusive ORing the SDO and SCK signals produces
a serial data signal with embedded clock information
similar to Manchester encoding that can easily be decoded by a microcontroller or FPGA. The data format
is shown in Figure 2.
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V+
12V TO 100V
5V
a
13k
5V
4.7μF
48V
0.010Ω
45.3k
1
VREF
108mV
1k
2
3
4
5
–48V
10k
LTC2433
10
VCC
FO
VCC
9
REF+
SCK
8
–
SDO
REF
7
GND
CS
IN+
6
GND
IN–
6N139
3
FULL SCALE = 5.4A
–48V
(1c)
BAT54S
2w
a
LT1790-5
590Ω
DATA
5V
(INVERTED) 100kHz
DRIVE
1μF
5
4.7μF
b
DN341 F01
–48V
Figure 1a. –48V Current Monitor
07/04/341_conv
1μF
8
7
6
V–
–7V TO –100V
(1b)
VCC
1.54k 2
a
4.7μF
b
MPSA42
1.05k
b
+
–
MPSA92
4.1mA
0.1μF LT1029
LOAD
1.05k
4.7μF
b
SELECT R FOR 3mA AT MINIMUM SUPPLY
VOLTAGE, 10mA MAX CURRENT AT MAXIMUM
SUPPLY VOLTAGE
a
MIDCOM
50480
(1d)
SCK
EOC
SDO
DMY
DMY
SCK ‡ SDO
DMY
POTENTIAL START
10ns-20ns BIT
GLITCH
SIGN
SIGN
SIGN
D4
D15
D15
SYNC ON MIDBIT
TRANSISTION
D15
D14
3/4 BIT
PERIOD
D1
D14
D2
READ NEXT
BIT
D1
D0
D1
D0
D0
NEXT CONVERSION
DN341 F02
Figure 2. Timing Diagram
another three-quarter bit period delay to synchronize
the sampling of D15. The procedure continues until all
data bits are received.
This data reception technique tolerates a total timing
error of –50% to 33% including errors due to differences between the optocoupler rise and fall times,
timing error of the receiving device and the 2% error
of the LTC2433-1 internal oscillator.
Data Reception Pseudocode
The following pseudocode can be ported to an appropriate microcontroller or used to design a state machine
in a programmable logic device.
1. Wait for data high state for more than 20ns.
2. Wait for low. This is the end of the start bit.
3. Wait for transition (middle of dummy bit).
4. Wait three-quarters of a clock period.
5. Sample SIGN, wait for transition.
6. Wait three-quarters of a clock period.
7. Sample D15, wait for transition.
8. Wait three-quarters of a clock period.
9. Sample D14, wait for transition.
10. Continue until all bits are read.
The circuit was tested using a PIC microcontroller
running at 20MHz. Code should be thoroughly tested
for adequate timing margins. Also, good programming
dictates that code should have timeouts in case an edge
is missed, as might occur if the data reading procedure
is pre-empted by an interrupt. This can be as simple as
aborting a read if it takes more than double the theoretical time for all 19 bits to be clocked out.
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Power and Analog Inputs
Power and reference in Figure 1a are derived from an
LT®1029 precision shunt reference. The series resistor
should be chosen such that the LT1029 current is at least
1mA at all times. While a conversion is taking place, the
LTC2433-1 draws 200μA. During the data output phase,
ADC current drops to 4μA and the 6N139 optocoupler
draws 2mA at 50% duty cycle. The 6N139 meets the
low input current and medium speed requirements of
this application. Data inversion is required to keep the
LED off while a conversion is taking place.
The 5V reference is divided down to 108mV for current measurements, giving a differential input range of
±54mV to match standard 50mV output current shunts
with 4mV of over range capacity. For voltage monitoring
applications, the 5V reference can be used directly and
the input can be divided to accommodate the resulting
±2.5V input range.
This circuit can be adapted to a wide variety of applications. Figure 1b is suitable for high side current
sensing up to 100V (limited by dissipation in the current
source transistor). Figure 1c is for low side sensing of
negative supplies. Figure 1d is a fully isolated supply
using a small telecom transformer and an LT1790-5
series reference for both power and reference voltage.
Conclusion
The LTC2433-1 is a simple and cost effective solution
to challenging DC monitoring problems. It is possible to
simplify applications that once required complex (and
inaccurate) analog level shifting by placing this highly
accurate ADC “at the source”—all that is needed is a
creative, but simple use of the differential input and
reference, along with the flexible SPI interface offered
by the LTC2433-1.
For applications help,
call (408) 432-1900
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