[sdiy] dsPICs with DACs: external 16bit?

[Michael Zacherl]

So, more generally spoken: _If I wanted_ more accuracy, would it be  
reasonable to fit a set of 16bit ADC/DAC on a µC board (Arduino,  
PIC, ...)?
I just wondered when these little things hit their limits in respect  
data handling speed and I/O capabilities.
Just thinking of smaller apps like delays etc.

    Michael.

On Jul 7, 2008, at 2:53 PM, Tom Wiltshire wrote:

>
> On 7 Jul 2008, at 11:26, cheater cheater wrote:
>
>>> It is probably overly ambitious to expect usable audio from a 12 bit
>>> ADC,
>>
>> Some studio reverbs use 12 bit DACs
>>> From the 80s...
>> still used nowadays, in many self-respecting studios.
>>
>>> but it one day I will try it out, since it would be so cute to
>>> have ADC, DAC and DSP on a single 28 pin *DIP* package which only
>>> costs a few dollars.
>>
>> Definitely.
>> The question is:
>> will the output stage be so shit that you won't be able to use it  
>> at all?
>> At least some buffering is needed.
>
> I might be misunderstanding you, but...
>
> The output DAC is 16-bit, accurate to 14. This should give  
> reasonable audio quality, since that's what it's designed for. It  
> can provide output sample rates up to 100KHz.
> The ADC *inputs* are where the question is, I thought. That's a  
> general purpose 12-bit ADC, designed for sensor measurements and so  
> forth. It can provide conversions fast enough for audio, but the  
> accuracy is questionable.
>
> As to whether the audio from such a ADC is "usable", that's purely a  
> question of perspective. There were plenty of 8-bit sampling systems  
> back in the day, and we all thought they were dead futuristic!  
> Nowadays, we'd dismiss such a thing as lo-fi retrotech.
>
> Apologies if I did get the stick by the sticky end.



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