A High-Speed Analog to Digital Converter

An electronic voltage encoder has been developed which converts analog voltages to their corresponding parallel seven binary-digit representations at a 50-kc encoding rate. The encoder is capable of being time-shared by any number of 0-50-volt range inputs. Performance tests indicate that the present design may be capable of eight binary-digit conversions at encoding rates as high as 80 kc. Either more precise conversions or higher encoding rates may be obtained at the expense of the other by cascading more or less of the identical one-digit encoder stages which constitute the analog to digital converter.