A New and Unique Analog-to-Digital Conversion Technique

The analog-to-digital conversion technique which is used in the more accurate digital voltmeters available today is either potentiometric or integrating in nature. Both of these techniques are described in some detail, and their advantages and limitations are pointed out. A new technique is described which combines these two techniques so that the benefits of both are retained while the limitations of each are reduced or eliminated. The new technique, called potentiometric integrating, lends itself to high reading rates (7/sec) with 10 ppm resolution. A resolution of 1 ppm can be achieved with a reading rate of 1/second. Both cases retain the basic accuracy of 0.005 percent of reading and immunity to superimposed noise. This new technique has many applications in both systems and laboratory environments.