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TimWescott
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Disclaimer: I've only built one "true" sigma-delta DAC, and it was first-order because I was running it on a 25MHz FPGA and I only needed telephone-quality audio out of it. So rather than spending my clients money to have fun, I stuck with the basics.

There doesn't need to be much difference between the analog/digital sigma-delta modulator you might build for an ADC vs. the all-digital one you'd make for a DAC.

Both have a modulating element that takes a continuous (in the case of the ADC) or many-valued (in the case of the DAC) signal from a loop filter and, at each sample instant of the loop*, turns it into a 0 or a 1. Both translate that 0 or 1 to match the full scale of expected input values (with a carefully buffered digital output in the case of an ADC, and just a multiply or change of attitude in the case of the DAC). Both have a loop filter that conditions the output of the summing junction to perform the noise shaping that makes a sigma-delta modulator worthwhile.

Here's a chart that sums up the differences between the elements -- all of which are present in either type of sigma-delta device:

function ADC DAC
modulating element analog comparator compare operation
modulator output digital output multiply operation
summing junction analog circuit subtraction operation
loop filter analog filter digital filter

* Note that the sampling rate of that binary sampler needs to be significantly higher than the "normal" sample rate of the desired signal.

Disclaimer: I've only built one "true" sigma-delta DAC, and it was first-order because I was running it on a 25MHz FPGA and I only needed telephone-quality audio out of it. So rather than spending my clients money to have fun, I stuck with the basics.

There doesn't need to be much difference between the analog/digital sigma-delta modulator you might build for an ADC vs. the all-digital one you'd make for a DAC.

Both have a modulating element that takes a continuous (in the case of the ADC) or many-valued (in the case of the DAC) signal from a loop filter and, at each sample instant, turns it into a 0 or a 1. Both translate that 0 or 1 to match the full scale of expected input values (with a carefully buffered digital output in the case of an ADC, and just a multiply or change of attitude in the case of the DAC). Both have a loop filter that conditions the output of the summing junction to perform the noise shaping that makes a sigma-delta modulator worthwhile.

Here's a chart that sums up the differences between the elements -- all of which are present in either type of sigma-delta device:

function ADC DAC
modulating element analog comparator compare operation
modulator output digital output multiply operation
summing junction analog circuit subtraction operation
loop filter analog filter digital filter

Disclaimer: I've only built one "true" sigma-delta DAC, and it was first-order because I was running it on a 25MHz FPGA and I only needed telephone-quality audio out of it. So rather than spending my clients money to have fun, I stuck with the basics.

There doesn't need to be much difference between the analog/digital sigma-delta modulator you might build for an ADC vs. the all-digital one you'd make for a DAC.

Both have a modulating element that takes a continuous (in the case of the ADC) or many-valued (in the case of the DAC) signal from a loop filter and, at each sample instant of the loop*, turns it into a 0 or a 1. Both translate that 0 or 1 to match the full scale of expected input values (with a carefully buffered digital output in the case of an ADC, and just a multiply or change of attitude in the case of the DAC). Both have a loop filter that conditions the output of the summing junction to perform the noise shaping that makes a sigma-delta modulator worthwhile.

Here's a chart that sums up the differences between the elements -- all of which are present in either type of sigma-delta device:

function ADC DAC
modulating element analog comparator compare operation
modulator output digital output multiply operation
summing junction analog circuit subtraction operation
loop filter analog filter digital filter

* Note that the sampling rate of that binary sampler needs to be significantly higher than the "normal" sample rate of the desired signal.

Source Link
TimWescott
  • 13.3k
  • 1
  • 12
  • 25

Disclaimer: I've only built one "true" sigma-delta DAC, and it was first-order because I was running it on a 25MHz FPGA and I only needed telephone-quality audio out of it. So rather than spending my clients money to have fun, I stuck with the basics.

There doesn't need to be much difference between the analog/digital sigma-delta modulator you might build for an ADC vs. the all-digital one you'd make for a DAC.

Both have a modulating element that takes a continuous (in the case of the ADC) or many-valued (in the case of the DAC) signal from a loop filter and, at each sample instant, turns it into a 0 or a 1. Both translate that 0 or 1 to match the full scale of expected input values (with a carefully buffered digital output in the case of an ADC, and just a multiply or change of attitude in the case of the DAC). Both have a loop filter that conditions the output of the summing junction to perform the noise shaping that makes a sigma-delta modulator worthwhile.

Here's a chart that sums up the differences between the elements -- all of which are present in either type of sigma-delta device:

function ADC DAC
modulating element analog comparator compare operation
modulator output digital output multiply operation
summing junction analog circuit subtraction operation
loop filter analog filter digital filter