Locale Icon
English
  • Forums

    Popular Forums

    • LTspice
    • Video
    • Power Management
    • RF & Microwave
    • Precision ADCs
    • FPGA Reference Designs

    Product Forums

    • Amplifiers
    • Clocks & Timers
    • Data Converters
    • Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS)
    • Energy
    • Interface and Isolation
    • MEMS Inertial Sensors
    • Power Management
    • Processors & DSP
    • Processors & Microcontrollers
    • Switches & Multiplexers
    • Sensors
    • Voltage References
    View All

    Application Forums

    • A2B Audio Bus
    • Audio
    • Automated Test Equipment (ATE)
    • Condition-Based Monitoring
    • Depth, Perception & Ranging Technologies
    • Embedded Vision Sensing Library
    • Motor Control Hardware Platforms
    • Precision Technology Signal Chains Library
    • Video
    • Wireless Sensor Networks Reference Library

    Design Center Forums

    • ACE Evaluation Software
    • ADEF System Platforms
    • Design Tools & Calculators
    • FPGA Reference Designs
    • Linux Software Drivers
    • Microcontroller no-OS Drivers
    • Power Studio Designer
    • Power Studio Planner
    • Reference Designs
    • Robot Operating System (ROS) SDK
    • Signal Chain Power (SCP)
    • Software Interface Tools
    • System Demonstration Platform (SDP) Support
  • Learn

    Highlighted Webinar

    Enabling New Space Missions: Commercial Space Screening Approach for Agile, High-Reliability Payloads

    As the Space market evolves and accelerates, mission designers need space-capable electronics that balance performance, reliability, and affordability...

    Places

    • ADI Academy
    • ADI Webinars
    • Video Annex
    • Virtual Classroom

    Libraries

    • 3D ToF Depth Sensing Library
    • Continuous-Wave CMOS Time of Flight (TOF) Library
    • Embedded Vision Sensing Library
    • Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link (GMSL) Library
    • Optical Sensing Library
    • Other Products Library
    • Precision Technology Signal Chains Library
    • Software Modules and SDKs Library
    • Supervisory Circuits Library
    • Wireless Sensor Networks Library

    Latest Webinars

    • Enabling New Space Missions: Commercial Space Screening Approach for Agile, High-Reliability Payloads
    • Understanding and Selecting RF Low Noise Amplifiers for Instrumentation, Phased Array and General Purpose Applications
    • Design Smarter with Compact, Low-Power Precision Current Source Signal Chains
    • Power Management Fundamentals II Session 6: Key Layout Considerations for Power
    • A 16T/16R X-Band Direct Sampling Phased Array Subsystem using Apollo MxFE
    View All Webinars
  • Community Hub

    Challenge Yourself!

      KCC's Quizzes AQQ297 about taking the right dose of medication

      1. First, the quote of the month: " All my life I though air is free until I bought a bag of chips " - unknown 2. New quiz AQQ297 about taking the right...

    View All

    What's Brewing

      Read a Blog, Take this Quiz for Another Chance to Win a Gift Card!

      Important: Read the blog first . The quiz questions are all based on the content from the blog: Mature, Not Old! The Longevity of 4 – 20 mA New...

    View All

    Places

    • Community Help
    • Analog Dialogue Quiz
    • Logic Lounge
    • Super User Program

    Resources

    • EZ Code of Conduct
    • EZ How To Help Articles
    • Getting Started Guide
    • ADI: Words Matter
    • Community Help Videos
    View All
  • Blogs

    Highlighted Blogs

    Charting Calm Seas: Tips for Robust RS-485 Data Transmission

    by Bryson Barney As our world becomes ever more dependent on flawless digital communication, engineers need to find new ways of charting calm seas when...

     

    Unpacking IEC 61508: Low Complexity versus Type A Made Simple

    IEC 61508 appears to include two very similar concepts. Type A and simple, which is referred to as “low complexity”. Anything that isn’t low complexity...

    Latest Blogs

    • Taming the AI Power Storm: Part 2 of 3
    • TIA Me Up, But Keep It Stable: Part 2 of 3
    • Celebrating Innovation: Top 3 EngineerZone Spotlight Blogs from 2025
    • Transforming Power: Transfer Techniques in SMPS: Part 3 of 4
    • Taming the Chaos: Correlated and Uncorrelated Sources in LTspice .NOISE Simulations: Part 3 of 3
    Read All Blogs

    ADI Blogs

    • EZ Spotlight
    • The Engineering Mind
  • ContentZone

    Visit ContentZone

    ContentZone

    Technical articles. Blogs. Videos. Your ADI content, all in one place.

    View ContentZone

    Featured Content

    Featured Content Title

    Blurb About Content

    View Content By Industry

    • Aerospace and Defense Systems
    • Automotive Solutions
    • Consumer Technology Solutions
    • Data Center Solutions
    • Energy Solutions
    • Healthcare Solutions
    • Industrial Automation Technology Solutions
    • Instrumentation and Measurement Solutions
    • Intelligent Building Solutions
    • Wireless Communication Solutions

    View Content By Technology

    • A2B Audio Bus
    • ADI OtoSense Predictive Maintenance Solutions
    • Dynamic Speaker Management
    • Gallium Nitride (GaN) Technology
    • Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link (GMSL)
    • Industrial Vision
    • Power Solutions
    • Precision Technology
    • RF
    • Sensor Interfaces
    • SmartMesh
EngineerZone
EngineerZone
Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS)
  • Log In
  • User
  • Site
  • Search
OR
Ask a Question
Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS)
  • Data Converters
Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS)
Documents AD9850: output frequency
  • Q&A
  • FAQs/Docs
  • Members
  • Tags
  • Cancel
  • Documents
  • +AD5930: FAQ
  • +AD5932: FAQ
  • +AD5933: FAQ
  • +AD5934: FAQ
  • +AD9152: FAQ
  • +AD9830: FAQ
  • +AD9832: FAQ
  • +AD9833: FAQ
  • +AD9834: FAQ
  • +AD9835: FAQ
  • +AD9837: FAQ
  • +AD9838: FAQ
  • +AD9840: FAQ
  • +AD9840A: FAQ
  • +AD9845A: FAQ
  • -AD9850: FAQ
    • AD9850 questions
    • AD9850 searching for the "Dxocx.dll" AD9850_About Dxocx.dll file of AD9850EVB software
    • AD9850: Noise coupling on analog output
    • AD9850: output frequency
    • general usage of the AD9850
  • +AD9851: FAQ
  • +AD9852: FAQ
  • +AD9854: FAQ
  • +AD9854ASQ: FAQ
  • +AD9856: FAQ
  • +AD9857: FAQ
  • +AD9858: FAQ
  • +AD9859: FAQ
  • +AD9910: FAQ
  • +AD9912: FAQ
  • +AD9913: FAQ
  • +AD9914: FAQ
  • +AD9915: FAQ
  • +AD9945: FAQ
  • +AD9951: FAQ
  • +AD9952: FAQ
  • +AD9953: FAQ
  • +AD9954: FAQ
  • +AD9956: FAQ
  • +AD9957: FAQ
  • +AD9958: FAQ
  • +AD9959: FAQ
  • +DDS: FAQ
  • +Digital Ground (DGND): FAQ
  • +Evaluation Software: FAQ
  • +Frequency Ramp: FAQ
  • +I/O_UPDATE: FAQ
  • +Maximum Clock Rate: FAQ
  • +PLL: FAQ
  • +Programmable Modulus: FAQ
  • +SFDR: FAQ
  • +Thermally Enhanced Packages: FAQ

AD9850: output frequency

Q 

We are using a couple of AD9850 DDS's on one of our boards.
I am using the serial interface to regulate the output frequency
relative to the input frequency to which the DDS is locked to.
1st question: Is it possible to increase AND decrease the
output frequency of the DDS relative to its input frequency?
We initially use word "0009BA3C00" and a 77.76MHz input reference.
If yes, how? Please provide and Incr and Decr example using
the word above.
2nd question: What is the response time of the DDS in order
to achieve the new initialised output frequency?
3th question: Is this response time a function of the
size of the increment and decrement step variation?

 

A 

In general, Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) uses a crystal oscillator, Sine or
Cosine lookup table, some digital logic and a high AC performance DAC to
directly generate sine and cosine signals with of arbitrary frequency and
phase. All of the signal generation and processing is performed in the digital
domain and the high performance DAC does the conversion to the analog domain.
Because the signal is generated digitally, the phase and frequency are very
accurate (frequency resolution of 0.001Hz) and can be changed very rapidly
without the inherent lock-time required by a PLL solution.

On the AD9850, you do not increment and decrement the output frequency as such,
instead you simply load in a new frequency tuning word and the DAC starts to
output the new frequency immediately after a delay of 18 clock cycles.
Programming the AD9850 is described on page 9 of the datasheet. The AD9850
requires 5 byte writes to update the frequency register, this takes 5 x 7ns =
35ns. The latency  between updating the frequency register and the output
frequency appearing at the output is 18 reference clock cycles. With a 50MHz
clock, the latency is 18 x 20ns = 360ns. In theory you can update the output
frequency in 360ns + 35ns = 395ns. In practice, you will be limited by the
speed of your digital interface.

Whether you are using serial or parallel programming, a complete 40bit word
must be written to the AD9850 each time the frequency register is modified.

In practice you can a DDS can be used to generate frequency up to approximately
one third of the input reference frequency. As you increase the output
frequency further, the filter requirements become prohibitive and the SNR and
THD start to degrade.

Not quite sure what type of example you are looking for. A master clock
frequency of 77.76MHz and tuning word of 0009BA3C00H ( 163200000 in decimal )
produces an output frequency of (163200000 x 77760000 ) / 2^32 = 2.95MHz.

To increment and decrement the output frequency simply use the formula
Frequency Tuning Word = ( Output Frequency x 2^32 ) / Input Clock Frequency

Tags: ad9850
  • Share
  • History
  • More
  • Cancel
 
Related Content
  • $core_v2_language.Truncate($item.HtmlName('Web'), 200, "...")
    $author.DisplayName
    $core_v2_language.Truncate($item.HtmlDescription('Web'), 200, "...")
  • $core_v2_language.Truncate($item.HtmlName('Web'), 200, "...")
    $author.DisplayName
    $core_v2_language.Truncate($item.HtmlDescription('Web'), 200, "...")
  • AD9835: FSK transmitter
    GenevaC
    Q AD9835: I want to realize a frequenzy agile FSK transmitter (5 to 21 MHz, frequency hub of +-50 or 67 kHz). It seems that the AD9835 can do this. Is that correct an can this FSK be simulated with the...
 
Related Content
  • $core_v2_language.Truncate($item.HtmlName('Web'), 200, "...")
    $author.DisplayName
    $core_v2_language.Truncate($item.HtmlDescription('Web'), 200, "...")
  • $core_v2_language.Truncate($item.HtmlName('Web'), 200, "...")
    $author.DisplayName
    $core_v2_language.Truncate($item.HtmlDescription('Web'), 200, "...")
  • AD9835: FSK transmitter
    GenevaC
    Q AD9835: I want to realize a frequenzy agile FSK transmitter (5 to 21 MHz, frequency hub of +-50 or 67 kHz). It seems that the AD9835 can do this. Is that correct an can this FSK be simulated with the...
analog-devices logo

About Analog Devices

  • Who We Are
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • What We Do (Signals+)
  • Investor RelationsExternalLink
  • Quality & Reliability
  • Sales and Distribution
  • What's New on Analog.com
  • Contact Us

Find Help

  • Support
  • Resources
  • WikiExternalLink
  • Analog Dialogue
  • ADI Developer PortalExternalLink

myAnalog

Interested in the latest news and articles about ADI products, design tools, training, and events?

Go to myAnalog
  • Instagram page
  • Twitter page
  • Linkedin page
  • Youtube page
  • Facebook
  • Legal and Risk
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Settings
  • Cookie Settings

©2026 Analog Devices, Inc. All Rights Reserved

analog-devices

About Analog Devices

Down Up
  • Who We Are
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • What We Do (Signals+)
  • Investor RelationsExternalLink
  • Quality & Reliability
  • Sales and Distribution
  • What's New on Analog.com
  • Contact Us

Find Help

Down Up
  • Support
  • Resources
  • WikiExternalLink
  • Analog Dialogue
  • ADI Developer PortalExternalLink

myAnalog

Interested in the latest news and articles about ADI products, design tools, training, and events?

Go to myAnalog
Instagram page Facebook Twitter page Linkedin page Youtube page
  • Legal and Risk
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Settings
  • Cookie Settings

©2026 Analog Devices, Inc. All Rights Reserved