Analog Devices unveils in-amp AD8231

BANGALORE: Analog Devices Inc. announced the launch of zero-drift, digitally-programmable instrumentation amplifier (in-amp) AD8231.



AD8231 is suited for a variety of sensors, including resistance temperature detectors, thermocouples and automotive pressure sensors, in harsh environments where minute signal variations must be accurately detected in the presence of large common-mode voltages, an Analog Devices statement said.

It features 80 per cent lower input noise than competing devices while delivering rail-to-rail inputs and outputs at up to 1-MHz bandwidth -five times the throughput of the nearest competing zero-drift in-amp.

“Zero-drift instrumentation amplifiers can have high noise at high gains for a variety of reasons, including the presence of chopping noise,” said Steve Sockolov, product line director, Precision Signal Processing, Analog Devices.

“However, the trade-off between offset drift and noise becomes untenable as the gain increases to the level demanded by today’s industrial equipment manufacturers. Analog Devices addressed this challenge using a proprietary auto-zero technique that dramatically lowers the in-amp’s noise profile while eliminating the need for external components, such as switched capacitors,” he added.

The AD8231 features software programmable gains of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128, which are programmed through an easy-to-use three-pin interface. The gain can be set using digital logic, which allows users to repeatedly adjust gain once the in-amp has been designed into the system.

Ideally suited for industrial controls and sensors requiring a single 3.3-V to 5-V power supply, ADI’s new single-supply in-amp easily interfaces to ADCs and microcontrollers by using the same power supply as digital components. Using a three-operational amplifier (op-amp) instrumentation architecture, the AD8231 enhances reliability by integrating auto-zero amplifiers to maintain a voltage offset of only 50 nV/°C across temperature and over years of operation.

© CyberMedia News