DSP-based testing system for A/D converters applying quantization theory

Classical testing procedures for A/D converters are based on mathematical methods that do not need large and expensive hardware resources. A number of works devoted to introducing new methodologies to test the ADC performance led, on the other hand, to powerful hardware systems in order to implement these tests in a reasonable time. However, these innovative methods, introducing the full dynamic testing condition and considering both the sampling and signal frequencies as evaluation parameters, and the newer testing methodologies, based on completely different mathematical techniques are more efficient and reliable from the accuracy point of view. This article opens the way to the definition of hardware characteristics necessary to allow the dedicated testing for ADCs when Fourier transform analysis based on deterministic quantization is adopted.