A New Approach to the Design of Amplitude to Code Converters

A pulse amplitude to code converter (ACC) for use in multichannel analysis with a computer based data aquisition systems is developed. A new design concept was choosen based on pulse sampling and storage. The approach has minimum differential and integral non-linearity, maximum stability and modular structure. The pulse storage is done on a switched condenser and the amplitude to code conversion carried out using the up-down integration method. Encapsulated and integrated modules, as well as field effect switches are used in the realization. The resulting ACC is simple, accurate, stable and requires a little development effort. An experimental unit with 1024 channel resolution was built and interfaced to a mini-computer. Tests showed very promising results.