
The output voltage is a representation of the switch value. Each additional
table entry adds VR/8 to the total voltage. Or, put another way, the output voltage
is equal to the binary, numeric value of S0–S2, times VR/8. This 3-switch DAC has
8 possible states and each voltage step is VR/8.
We could add another R/2R pair and another switch to the circuit, making a 4-
switch circuit with 16 steps of VR/16 volts each. An 8-switch circuit would have
256 steps of VR/256 volts each. Finally, we can replace the mechanical switches in
the schematic with electronic switches to make a true DAC.
ADCs
The usual method of bringing analog inputs into a microprocessor ...