July 28, 2015 – Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications, today introduced two analog front ends (AFEs) featuring an integrated 24-bit Σ-Δ converter core. The AD7124-4 and AD7124-8 AFEs deliver industry-leading low-power, low-noise signal chain integration, consuming 40 percent less power than competing devices, while allowing direct connection to all industry-standard signal sources and sensor inputs.

Their best-in-class power performance makes them ideal for a variety of industrial and instrumentation applications, including low-power portable devices. The highly integrated AD7124-4 (4 differential inputs, 7 pseudo-differential inputs) and AD7124-8 AFE (8 differential inputs, 15 pseudo-differential inputs) provide the flexibility to easily support multiple sensor input types, such as resistance temperature sensors, thermocouples, voltage/current inputs, and current bridges. This simplifies design architecture and shortens design cycles. Boasting the highest system channel density compared to competing products, the new AFE allows designers to reduce PCB footprint or preserve area while adding monitoring and connectivity capabilities.

The newly released AD7124-4 and AD7124-8 integrate a fully integrated signal chain on a single chip, including a 24-bit Σ-Δ A/D converter, a programmable gain amplifier (PGA), a precision reference, a reference buffer, a current source, a temperature sensor, and a vibration source. The integrated diagnostic capabilities of the new products enable SIL compatibility and save PCB area by eliminating the need for discrete diagnostic components.

The newly released AD7124-4 and AD7124-8 offer three user-selectable power modes, allowing system designers to optimize performance between throughput rate and required noise performance. In low-power mode (255 µA), the converters deliver 21.7 bits of noise-free data at a low sampling frequency. Because users can select power modes, designers can precisely tune power/performance requirements and integrate them into a single platform when designing programmable logic controllers, process controllers, transmission systems, and other industrial and instrumentation devices.

Features of AD7124-4/AD7124-8

• RMS noise (gain = 128)

-255µA typ (24nV rms at 1.17Hz) in low power mode

-355µA typ at mid-power mode (20nV rms at 2.34Hz)

-930µA typ (23nV rms at 9.4Hz) in full output mode

-9.38~19,200 sps (full output mode)

-2.34~4,800 sps (medium output mode)

-1.17~2,400 sps (low power mode)