A common question that comes up for Signal Chain Designer is whether there is a way to compare two different designs. Currently the best way to do this is to have each unique design on a separate tab in the web browser. If the same view, such as Power or DC Error is selected in each tab, then toggling between tabs is a quick way to check performance differences.
To give an example, I will compare two recommended signal chains from the AD4080 product page. When selecting “Hardware Ecosystem” at the top of the page, it will bring you to a set of recommended signal chains. I’ll be comparing the Power Optimized and Low Noise Wideband Data Acquisition Designs. If you are interested in the Flow Cytometry Signal Chain, there is an excellent tech note available.
Recommended AD4080 Signal Chains
Start by clicking “Modify Design” for each, and the examples will open new tabs in the Signal Chain Design Tool. Starting with the “Gain” view, the signal chain bandwidth is shown in the lower left corner of the plot. The power optimized design has a bandwidth of 588kHz, while the wideband design is set to 1.23MHz.
Bandwidth Comparison for Signal Chain Examples
Next, checking the “Power” view for each design, you’ll see the total power in the upper left corner and a breakdown of power consumption for each of the components in the signal chain. The wideband design is burning 497mW, while the power optimized design is only at 274mW. You can see that the choice of ADC Driver (second amplifier) is a big reason for the difference.
Power Comparison for Signal Chain Examples
Finally, let’s finish by checking the “Noise – Totals” view. Make sure both designs are referred to the same point and integration range (see in upper right). In this case, I set them referred to input. The low noise wideband design shows 2.98uVrms vs. 4.19uVrms for the power optimized design. This view also shows the breakdown of noise contributions. If you have questions about the signal chain vs. stage view for noise analysis, you may be interested in this previous tech note.
Noise Comparison for Signal Chain Examples
The two data acquisition signal chain designs were quickly compared in separate browser tabs for noise, power, and bandwidth and results aligned with the signal chain descriptions. Let us know if this method of comparison works for you or any other questions you may have in our Engineer Zone forum.