Special-purpose hardware for digital filtering

A tutorial summary of the basic considerations necessary for designing custom digital filter hardware is presented. Emphasis is placed on fundamental principles and not on promotion of a specific design approach. The paper begins with a review of quantization (finite-accuracy arithmetic) effects. This is followed by a discussion of the elements of digital filters and how they are constructed, a review of the important technologies available, and a discussion of how the elements are put together to make a system. As examples of recent vintage hardware, the final section discusses three multipliers suitable for use in digital filters.