Analog Design in a Digital World Using Mixed Signal Controllers

The purpose of this Application Note is to familiarize engineers with PIC16C78X design considerations, specifically: * Potential noise problems in mixed signal design * Features and performance of the new analog/digital peripherals * Some common applications for the PIC16C78X The PIC16C781 and PIC16C782 are the first devices in a new line of mixed analog/digital microcontrollers from Microchip. These microcontrollers are a marriage of our traditional microcontroller architecture with new mixed signal peripherals that change many of the old conventions of embedded microcontroller design. Not only do the new peripherals open up new applications for the microcontroller, they bring new design concerns that might be unfamiliar to traditional microcontroller designers. This Application Note will highlight some of the common problems associated with mixed signal design and offer techniques for overcoming these problems. It will also cover the features and performance of the new peripherals. Finally, this Application Note covers some of the common applications that take advantage of the PIC16C78X's unique peripherals.