What is a smart DAC?
TI's smart DACs and smart AFE products have built-in non-volatile memory, which are factory programmable. They have programmable state machines, ADCs, DACs, PWM generators, and custom waveform generators - All in one device! You can replace microcontrollers and discrete components in applications that involve precision resistors, 555 Timers, PWM generator, medical alarms in patient monitoring devices and solenoid valve controls.
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When you're just trying to add simple logic or programmability into your system, the burden of writing software into a microcontroller can get very tiring and also time-consuming, not to mention the additional burden of refreshing and qualifying the software.
Hi. I'm Abhi Muppiri, Marketing Manager of DAC products. And in this video, we're going to answer this challenge in the form of Smart DACs and Smart AFEs, wherein you can add simple intelligence into your analog circuits without the need for a microcontroller. TI's new Smart DACs and Smart AFE products have built-in non-volatile memory which are factory-programmable, and they have programmable state-machine logic, ADCs, DACs, and PWM generators, and custom waveform generators all built into one device.
In appliances such as lighting control, a simple sense, measure control feedback loop is usually needed. A good example of this can be lighting control in appliances. When you open your cooktop oven, the light turns on with increased brightness. And when the door is closed, the light intensity slowly starts to dim after a certain delay. Simple functions like these can be efficiently implemented with Smart DACs with minimal resources.
Smart DACs are now extensively used for LED biasing with MCU-free on/off, fade-in/fade-out controls in notebooks, thermostats, video door bells, and security cameras. Smart DACs and Smart AFEs have integrated nonvolatile memory, allowing register settings to be stored in the memory by the user during system production for their power-up state operations.
Most Smart DACs are AEC-Q100-qualified, and can support memory retention for over 20 years at 125 degrees' operating temperatures, thereby making them a great choice for automotive lighting appliances applications such as daytime running lights, tail-light animations, turn-indicator lighting. Additionally, you can use Smart DACs to generate pulse-width modulation output based on an analog input or general-purpose input.
Unlike MCUs, our timer-based solutions such as [? triple-fire ?] timers, Smart DACs do not require research and development time or additional discrete components prone to temperature drift. Smart DACs provide a one-cheap, low-cost, easy-to-use solution.
Smart DACs can be used to generate alarm signals for patient-monitoring equipment used in the ICUs. They can provide pre-configured audio alarm patterns based on the [? GPU-based ?] trigger. Equipments can depend on these alarms even if the software fails, thereby easing the regulatory approval for the software. Smart DACs are used in LED lighting applications, for thermostats, notebooks, wireless security cameras, and in automotive lighting such as daytime running lights, where they can act-- produce fade-in/fade-out signals.
We hope you enjoyed watching some of the examples and how to improve system performance while reducing cost and development time by replacing discrete analog circuits and MCUs with TI's new generation of devices called Smart DACs and Smart AFEs. For more information, visit the link below.