 Design Conference 2013 Virtual Event Schedule
Advanced Techniques of Higher
Performance Signal Processing
Reference Designs
and Systems Applications
11:30 a.m. to
12:00 p.m.
Log In
12:00 p.m. to
1:00 p.m.
“Analog Design in an Increasingly Digital World” by Barrie Gilbert
1:00 p.m. to
2:00 p.m.
Technical
Sessions
2:00 p.m. to
3:00 p.m.
Technical
Sessions
3:00 p.m. to
4:00 p.m.
Technical
Sessions
4:00 p.m. to
5:00 p.m.
Technical
Sessions
1
System Partitioning
and Design
Architecture choices need to
be made at every step, from
sensor to digital processor.
There are pros and cons to
digital vs. analog processing
at each step.
Data Conversion: Hard
Problems Made Easy
Data converters keep
pushing the boundaries
of speed and accuracy;
the newest design ideas
will help push the limits.
Frequency Synthesis
and Clock Generation
for High Speed Systems
Signal Chain Designer™: High Speed Data
A New Way to Design
Connectivity: More Than
Online
Hardware
Design verification and
validation without leaving
your desk.
Integrated high speed
connectivity between
converter and FPGA
using JESD204B.
Amplify, Level Shift, and High Performance
Drive Precision Systems DSP with Xilinx All
Programmable Devices
Amplifiers do much more
Process Control
Systems
Review of system architectures and trends; solving
low power challenges in
loop-powered devices.
Instrumentation: Liquid
and Gas Sensing
Complete design kits
for liquid and gas measuring using photodiode,
spectroscopy, and CO
sensing techniques.
than gain up signals; they
clean up signals for ADCs
and pull them out of noise.
Programming FPGAs using
integrated tool sets.
Sensors for Low Level
Signal Acquisition
MATLAB® and Simulink® Instrumentation: Test
for Communications
and Measurement
System Design
Methods and Solutions
Good clock design will help
system performance; small
timing issues can hurt performance —here are ways
to get it right.
Modern sensors can dig
out very small signals,
but they must be handled
properly and interfaced
to the correct signal
conditioning.
High Speed and RF
Design Considerations
Powering Noise
Sensitive Systems
Good layout will make
designs work better. Good EMI/RFI practices
are needed for both
performance and
certification.
Noise sensitive circuits
demand low noise power
supplies that require
specialized design
techniques.
Learn how MATLAB and
Simulink can be used
to model, simulate, and
implement communications
systems.
Measurement techniques and
prototype kits for impedance
and tilt sensors and precision
weigh scales.
Integrated SoftwareDefined Radio (SDR)
Motor Control
Complete AFE and
FPGA + MathWorks®
Communications using
toolbox ecosystem for
flexible software-defined
radio and FPGA prototype kits. motor control.
 Keynote
12:00 p.m. to
1:00 p.m.
Analog Design in an Increasingly Digital World
Barrie Gilbert is one of the best-known designers of analog ICs in the industry. He will share
his thoughts on the power of analog processing in modern products, advances in process
technology, and the unique potential of analog solutions. A great deal of effort is going into
development techniques to capture “human intent” through gestures and other means.
Increasingly sophisticated adaptive analog sensors are needed to enable these efforts. At the
same time, the precision and versatility of process technology for analog circuit design allows
us to meet these challenges. Clever analog circuit design has often brought out signals that
were invisible in the noise in ways that no amount of digital processing could manage—new
combinations of components will allow this to continue to an even greater extent.
Barrie Gilbert, the first-appointed ADI Fellow, has “spent a lifetime in pursuit of analog
excellence.” Barrie was born in Bournemouth, England, in 1937. Before joining ADI, he worked
with first generation transistors at SRDE in 1954. At Mullard, Ltd., in the late 1950s, he pioneered
transistorized sampling oscilloscopes, and in 1964 became a leading oscilloscope designer
at Tektronix. He spent two years as a group leader at Plessey Research Labs before joining
Analog Devices in 1972, where he is now director of the Northwest Labs in Beaverton, Oregon.
Barrie is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and has received numerous service awards. He has about 70
issued patents, has authored some 50 papers, is a reviewer for several professional journals,
and is a coauthor or coeditor of five books. In 1997, he was awarded an honorary doctorate
of engineering from Oregon State University.
XX Presented by: Barrie Gilbert, ADI Fellow
2
 Technical Sessions
1:00 p.m. to
2:00 p.m.
Advanced Techniques of Higher Performance Signal Processing
System Partitioning and Design
Acquired analog signals can be manipulated and processed by either the analog or digital portions of a system,
for example, through filtering, multiplexing, and gain control. The analog portions of a system can typically provide
reasonably simple processing at fairly low cost, power, and overhead. Digital processing can provide far greater
analysis power and can alter the nature of the analysis without changing hardware. Sampling theory, however, must
be taken into account. This session covers the signal chain basics from signal to sensor to amplifier to converter to
digital processor and back out again.
XX Presented by: Dave Kress, Director of Technical Marketing
Signal Chain Designer: A New Way to Design Online
Finding the right combination of parts to create a signal chain can be a complex and daunting task, due to time
demands, unfamiliarity with various technology areas, and the enormous amount of unproven solutions scattered
across the Web. Signal Chain Designer is an intelligent selection and design tool that accesses verified product
combinations and applications circuits, which can be customized or newly created according to user specifications.
The Signal Chain Designer experience is supported by direct access to online EE design tools, evaluation hardware,
software, documentation, and ADI Circuits from the Lab® reference circuits.
XX Presented by: George Clernon, Engineering Tools Manager
Reference Designs and Systems Applications
High Speed Data Connectivity: More Than Hardware
In wireless communications and data acquisition systems, there is more to consider when designing and
implementing a complete solution beyond simply physically connecting a high speed analog module to an FPGA
platform. Available hardware description language (HDL) components and software are critical to establishing an interface,
which is necessary for practical system integration. This session starts with a top-level overview of various
physical interfaces that are typically used and provides an in-depth focus on high speed serial JESD204B.
Prototype HDL used for these types of boards is covered, along with the specific board components and how they are
used to interface to high speed ADCs and DACs. Linux device drivers for the HDL components, as well as for the ADI
components, are presented. This includes a short introduction into the Industrial I/O (IIO) framework, the benefits it
offers, and how it can be used in end designs.
XX Presented by: Michael Hennerich, Systems Engineering Manager
Process Control Systems
The industrial control market involves the monitoring and control aspects of both complex and simple processes.
Common trends within the industry, notably the drive for increased efficiencies, better robustness, higher channel
densities, and faster monitoring and control speeds, subsequently drive new technology advancements for
semiconductor manufacturers. This session aims to give a broad overview of the system requirements for both
field instruments (sensors/actuators) and control room (analog input/output) modules, and demonstrates a typical
I/O module configuration with HART® (highway addressable remote transducer) connectivity.
XX Presented by: Derrick Hartmann, Systems Applications Engineer
3
2:00 p.m. to
3:00 p.m.
Advanced Techniques of Higher Performance Signal Processing
Data Conversion: Hard Problems Made Easy
Data conversion for data acquisition is a two-part process that involves sampling and then converting signals into
digital venues. These processes inherently remove part of the complete analog signal in exchange for the power and
robustness of digital signal handling. This becomes especially difficult when trying to capture signals at the limits of
the resolution and speed of our systems. In this session, learn how to design a data conversion system that minimizes
the signal loss to match the signal handling requirements … even on the hard ones.
XX Presented by: Hank Zumbahlen, Senior Staff Applications Engineer
Amplify, Level Shift, and Drive Precision Systems
Amplifiers are the workhorses of data acquisition and transmission systems. They capture and amplify the low level
signals from sensors and transmitters, and can pull these signals from high noise and high common-mode voltage
levels. Amplifiers can also change the signal range and switch from single-ended to differential (or the reverse) to match
exactly the input range of an ADC. This session covers the versatility and power of amplifiers in precision systems.
XX Presented by: Gustavo Castro, Applications Engineer for Instrumentation Amplifiers
Reference Designs and Systems Applications
High Performance DSP with Xilinx All Programmable Devices
This session includes a discussion on rapid prototyping concepts using Xilinx All Programmable FPGAs and SoCs
with Analog Devices high speed and precision products. Covered in this session will be common use cases for Xilinx
devices in DSP applications that interface to high speed analog. An overview will be provided of how Xilinx accelerates
development with DSP platforms that can be used to quickly evaluate and prototype systems that include high speed
analog, programmable logic, and embedded processing. Also covered will be an introduction to Xilinx’s new Vivado™
Design Suite development environment that shortens design cycles by providing an IP centric design flow, easy to use
design analysis and debug, and high level design flows supporting C/C++ and MATLAB/Simulink.
XX Presented by: Tom Hill, Senior Manager DSP Solutions
Instrumentation: Liquid and Gas Sensing
This session focuses on liquid and gas sensing in instrumentation applications.
Liquid Sensing: Visible light absorption spectroscopy and colorimetry are two fundamental tools used in chemical
analysis. Most of these light-based systems use photodiodes as the light sensor, and require similar high input
impedance signal chains. This session examines the different components of a photodiode amplifier signal chain,
including a programmable gain transimpedance amplifier, a hardware lock-in amplifier, and a ∑-∆ ADC that can
measure a sample and reference channel to greatly reduce any measurement error due to variations in intensity of the
light source.
Gas Sensing: Many industrial processes involve toxic compounds, and it is important to know when dangerous
concentrations exist. Electrochemical sensors offer several advantages for instruments that detect or measure the
concentration of toxic gases. This session will describe a portable toxic gas detector using an electrochemical sensor.
The system presented here includes a potentiostat circuit to drive the sensor, as well as a transimpedance amplifier
to take the very small output current from the sensor and translate it to a voltage that can take advantage of the fullscale input of an ADC.
XX Presented by: Walt Kester, Staff Applications Engineer
4
3:00 p.m. to
4:00 p.m.
Advanced Techniques of Higher Performance Signal Processing
Frequency Synthesis and Clock Generation for High Speed Systems
Frequency synthesis and clock generation are now key elements in all aspects of high speed data acquisition and
RF design. In this session, the primary types of frequency synthesizers—phase-locked loops (PLL) and direct digital
synthesizers (DDS)—are discussed, along with the applications for when each is appropriate. Also covered are detailed
aspects of synthesizer design. Other applications, such as clock distribution and translation are addressed, and problems
associated with poor clocking are identified. Examples of poor clocking are shown, along with the results of doing it
properly.
XX Presented by: Mike Curtin, Applications Engineering Manager
Sensors for Low Level Signal Acquisition
Sensors are the eyes, ears, and hands of electronic systems and allow them to capture the state of the environment.
The capture and processing of sensor inputs is a delicate process that requires understanding of the signal details.
Integration of sensor functions onto silicon has brought about improved performance, better signal handling, and lower
total system cost. MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) sensors have opened up entire new areas and applications.
In this session, the fundamental MEMS sensor concept of moving fingers that form a variable capacitor is covered,
along with how it is turned into a usable motion signal. Adaptations for multiaccess sensing, rotational sensing, and
even sound sensing, along with concepts of how these devices are tested and calibrated, are covered.
XX Presented by: Dave Kress, Director of Technical Marketing, and Nitzan Gadish, Product Applications Engineer
Reference Designs and Systems Applications
MATLAB and Simulink for Communications System Design
This session will show how Model-Based Design with MATLAB and Simulink can be used to model, simulate, and
implement communications systems. Attendees will learn how multidomain modeling with continuous verification and
automatic code generation can dramatically reduce system design time. A QPSK receiver model will be used as an
example to highlight the design flow.
XX Presented by: Noam Levine, Partner Manager
Instrumentation: Test and Measurement Methods and Solutions
Tilt Measurement: Tilt measurement is fast becoming a fundamental analysis tool in many fields including automotive,
industrial, and healthcare. Navigation, vehicle dynamic control, building sway indication, and motion detection systems
all rely on this simple, cheap, and precise way of angle monitoring. MEMS accelerometers are better suited to inclination
measurement than other methodologies. This session will address the challenges encountered when designing a dualaxis tilt sensor using a MEMS accelerometer including measurement resolution, signal conditioning, single- vs. dual-axis,
angle computation, and calibration.
Impedance Measurement: The measurement of complex impedance is widely used across industrial, commercial,
automotive, healthcare, and consumer markets, and can include applications such as proximity sensing, inductive
transducers, metallurgy and corrosion detection, loudspeaker impedance, biomedical, virus detection, blood coagulation
factor, and network impedance analysis. This session will cover the concepts, approaches, and challenges of performing
complex impedance measurements and will present a system-level solution for impedance conversion.
Weigh Scale Measurement: Most common industrial weigh scale applications use a bridge-type load-cell sensor,
with a voltage output that is directly proportional to the load weight placed on it. This session examines the basic
parameters of a bridge-type load-cell sensor, such as the number of varying elements, impedance, excitation,
sensitivity (mV/V), errors, and drift. It will also discuss the various components of the signal conditioning chain and
present solutions with high dynamic range.
XX Presented by: Walt Kester, Staff Applications Engineer
5
4:00 p.m. to
5:00 p.m.
Advanced Techniques of Higher Performance Signal Processing
High Speed and RF Design Considerations
At very high frequencies, every trace and pin is an RF emitter and receiver. If careful design practices are not
followed, the unwanted signals can easily mask those a designer is trying to handle. The design choices begin at
the architecture level and extend down to submillimeter placement of traces. There are tried and proven techniques
for managing this process. The practical issues of real system design are covered in this session, along with ways to
minimize signal degradation in the RF environment.
XX Presented by: Zoltan Frasch, Senior Applications Engineer
Powering Noise Sensitive Systems
When it comes to high performance signal chains, you need high performance power solutions. Noise sensitive
circuits such as analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), digital-to-analog converters (DACs), amplifiers, and phase
lock loops (PLLs)—as well as FPGAs—demand low noise power supplies that require specialized design
techniques. Engineers spend hours trying to figure out how to power these circuits without adding noise.
This presentation will focus on understanding various methods for not only approaching but meeting system
requirements. The session will introduce tested solutions and layout considerations that must be taken into
account when designing with switching regulators and low drop out (LDO) regulators.
XX Presented by: Luca Vassalli, Power Management Applications Manager
Reference Designs and Systems Applications
Integrated Software-Defined Radio (SDR)
This session combines the high speed analog signal chain from RF to baseband with FPGA-based digital signal
processing for wireless communications. Topics include the high speed analog signal chain, direct conversion radio
architecture, the high speed data converter interface, and FPGA-based digital signal processing for software-defined
radio. The demo board uses the latest generation of Analog Devices’ high speed data converters, RF, and clocking
devices, along with the Xilinx Zynq-7000 SoC. Other topics of discussion include the imperfections introduced by
the modulator/demodulator with particular focus on the effect of temperature and frequency changes. In-factory
and in-field algorithms that reduce the effect of these imperfections, with particular emphasis on the efficacy of
in-factory set-and-forget algorithms, are examined.
XX Presented by: Robin Getz, Engineering Manager for ADI Global Alliances
Motor Control
This session provides insight into the operation of electric motor drive systems. Topics include electric motor
operation and construction, motor control strategies, feedback sensors and circuits, power and isolation, and
challenges of designing highly efficient motor control systems. A new high performance servo control FMC board
will be introduced in the presentation, which provides an efficient motor control solution for different types of
electric motors, addresses power and isolation challenges, and provides accurate measurement of motor feedback
signals and increased control flexibility due to FPGA interfacing capabilities. The motor control hardware platform
will be used to demonstrate rapid prototyping of motor control algorithms using Xilinx base platforms and the
MathWorks development and simulation tools.
XX Presented by: Andrei Cozma, Design Manager
6