MATLAB toolboxes for A/D converters characterization

The considerable progress achieved both in the fields of the electronic technologies and digital signal processing methods is modifying the idea of measuring and measurement devices and the concepts of autodiagnosis, self-testing and auto-calibration, bringing to a new concept of measuring instrumentation. This evolution leaves the classical viewpoint of the device devoted to the measure of a single quantity towards the idea of a computerized data-processing system which acquires a large amount of data by which it is possible to find information necessary to determine the desired quantities. With these aims, the employment of the computer and the optimization of signal-processing techniques represent the correct approach to obtain a drastic reduction of costs and an increasing flexibility in dedicated applications. With a view to obtain higher performance in terms of accuracy, flexibility and speed in estimating the variables of interest it is fundamental to qualify the uncertainty of the analog-to-digital (A/D) converters, data acquisition plug-in boards and, in general, instruments and systems based on digital recording of waveforms must be characterized. A lot of works and documents deal with this matter, but many limitations must still be overcome; even the most authoritative technical document about this field ([1]-[2]) give a wealth of useful definitions, test methods and mathematical analyses, but do not produce a complete qualification of the A/D converter. Besides the scientific literature abounds of test methods that analyze particular effects or error phenomena in digital recorders and it is not uncommon to run into puzzling questions and even contradictions when trying to arrange them together. Finally, we can assert that a complete behavioral model which takes into account all error phenomena of A/D converters simply cannot be found. With these aims, it is necessary the use of a common and univocal standard framework to analog-todigital converters test; this solution, as stressed by some researchers ([3]-[4]), would be very profitable and desirable. The purpose described above requires the choice of a suitable programming language which must be very usual, computationally powerful and user-friendly; even if many other software package are available, the MATLAB program seems a very favourable choice ([3]).