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Specification of ADC
ADC conversion Formula
MSP430 ADC
ADC Registers
Interfacing LDR to MSP430
Specifications of ADC
1) Resolution
It is the most important parameter to be considered when selecting an ADC. This specifies how
accurately the ADC measures the analog input signals. Common ADCs are 8 bit, 10 bit and 12
bit. A 10bit ADC (210 = 1024 discrete analog levels) with a reference voltage of 5volts can measure
(5/1024 = 4.88mV) accurately. This means that any input voltage of 4.88mV will be easily detected
by ADC while the voltage less than that will not be read.
2) Reference Voltage
The reference voltage specifies the minimum and maximum voltage range of analog input.
3) ADC Channels
An ADC has several input channels. A sensor output is connected to this channel. ADC circuitry
includes a multiplexer which selects the required input channel.
4) Acquisition Time
Acquisition Time is the time that it takes for the ADC to acquire and convert an analog signal to a
digital value. Once acquisition time is over the input channel is disconnected from the source and
the conversions begin. The acquisition times depends on several factors like the source
impedance, Vdd of the system and temperature.
210 512
5 X
MSP430G2553 ADC
MSP430G2553 has a 10bit,8-channel ADC. It is also called ADC10 core. Port 1 pins can also be used as
ADC pins.
ADC Registers
ADC10AE0
This register enables the specific GPIO pin/s as analog input.
ADC10CTL0
This control register configures the ADC10 core.
ADC10CTL1
This control register also configures the ADC10 core.
ADC10MEM
The ADC core converts an analog input to its 10-bit digital representation and stores the result in
the ADC10MEM register.
LDR
LDR stands for Light Dependent Resistor. It is also called cadmium sulfide (CdS) LDR. It is used in light
and darkness detectors circuits. The electrical resistance of an LDR varies with light. The resistance falls
with increasing light intensity.LUX is the unit of illuminance.
The sensitivity of a photodetector is the relationship between the light falling on the device and the
resulting output signal. The output signal in LDR is its resistance.
Connection
LDR is connected to a microcontroller using a voltage divider circuit.
The output voltage of the voltage divider circuit is given as
When light falls on the LDR, its resistance decreases. This increases the output voltage. This voltage can
be sensed by any of the ADC pins of MSP430G2553 controller.