[sdiy] Filter cut off DAC

[paula at synth.net]

So, in all probability, the DAC used on the prophet 5 that was 16 bit 
could well have been 16 bit to get 12 bit of "good" data from it.

On 2018-05-22 12:12, Neil Johnson wrote:
> Paula wrote:
>> I somehow suspect that these days a 12bit DAC, even a reasonably 
>> priced one,
>> would have a better INL and DNL than the DAC from 1981.
> 
> DAC technology hasn't really changed much over the decades.  What has
> changed is the price and silicon performance (i.e., same performance
> on a smaller geometry, so price goes down/profit up).
> 
> Here's a "16-bit" DAC:
> https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/products/analog/data-converters/digital-to-analog-converters/MAX5541.html
> 
> The INL is 16, meaning the bottom four bits are noise.  So really it's
> a 12-bit DAC (actually quite a good one, INL < 1 bit) sold as a 16-bit
> DAC.  Marketing.  Yay.
> 
> Some DAC families are actually the same die, they just test them on
> the ATE and sell them as 12/13/14/15/16-bit converters based on how
> well they perform.  And remember, the datasheet specs are worst-case,
> so you might well get a 14-bit DAC sold as a 12-bit DAC if the 12-bit
> bin is looking a bit empty.
> 
> Neil