A Brief History of Data Conversion: A Tale of Nozzles, Relays, Tubes, Transistors, and CMOS

The need for better communication has been one of the driving forces behind technology advancements, including those in the field of data converters. To extend communication beyond the limits of speech, various methods were developed to allow communication over longer distances, such as drum beating and smoke signaling. The fundamentals of coding and decoding are apparent in these early techniques.