They are used in many applications, especially where a sensor’s output is an analog signal and to process it using a microcontroller or a computer it is necessary to convert it into a digital signal. Determine what you do with the result. Analog-to-Digital Converters Terminology analog-to-digital converter ADC A/D AtoD FunctFunct onion transform an analog signal into a digital signal for use (calculation, storage, decision making) in an digital system e.g., a microcontroller Motivation the real world is analog A/D needed to interface real world. Analog to Digital Converters are integrated circuits that take an analog signal and transforms it into a digital signal.Most of them, in a way or another, require to compage a known voltage to the held signal voltage in order to find out the bits representing the signal. We've mentionned 3 so far, there are a few others. Decide which sampling technique you need.That's why you have to sample the signal at the beginning of every sampling period and hold it still while the conversion takes place.
Because the sampling period has a finite length, the signal must remain constant during the conversion. For Diploma, B.E./B.Tech, M.E./M.Tech, Ph.D and various competitive exams the best website for electrical and electronics engineering learning and discussing.
I put more than you probably need but that gives you a big picture :
As for the steps one would normall follow, here they are ( key words are italic).As opposed to the 'flash' method suggested above, which can be accomplished without a MCU, this method I'm proposing would required one. You would then have your digitized value. Have you covered that topic ? If you did use a DAC, you would just need to generate a voltage from the minimum to the maximum, linearly, and use a comparator that would tell you when the DAC voltage reaches the signal voltage. Another simple way would be with the use of a DAC (digital to analog) circuit.