TABLE OF CONTENTS In specifying a converter there are basically two sets of specifications used for data converters. They can simplistically be divided into DC and AC specifications. Which you are more concerned with is based primarily on the application. DC specifications are more common with lower frequency applications. Here we are measuring against a reference. In AC specifications we are less concerned with absolute accuracy and more concerned with relative accuracy. This is not to say the reference is unimportant. It is just that we are typically interested in a relative number rather than an absolute. Distortion is always relative to the fundamental, for instance. While there is no direct conversion between the two, it is possible to infer that you need good linearity to get good distortion. It is rare to have a converter specified both ways.
Another point that should be made here is the difference between resolution and accuracy. While the two terms sometimes tend to be used interchangeably, they are not the same thing.
Resolution can be defined as the number of bits in the data word of the converter. Accuracy is the number of those bits that meets the specifications. As an example, an audio converter may have a data bus width of 24 bits, but only a signal-to-noise range of 120dB that roughly corresponds to an accuracy of 20 bits. While 120dB is not poor performance, it is not 24-bit performance.
You should keep in mind the magnitude in volts as...
