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Strain Gauge Simulator

Thomas Gatliff
Prodigy 40 points
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: DAC9881, DAC80501

So I need to build a strain gauge simulator for 0v to 10mv, and I cant decide the best way to do it.  I need to have at least 16 bit resolution on the voltage scale, so it is fairly high accuracy.  Most of the DAC chips (DAC9881 for example) appear to be designed for higher voltage ranges, which obviously I could adapt to work for my application, but Im wondering if using a simple resistor network might be an easier option.  Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. 

  • 0
    TI__Guru 52663 points

    Hi Thomas,

    You could just use a pair of precision, trimmed resistors to do this.  For example, consider the DAC80501 with its 1.25V output range.  If you could find a precision 100:1 resistor pair you could get the precision you need.  You just need to make sure the resistor value is not too low.  You may also need to buffer the output if the simulator must drive any current.

    You could also consider an MDAC, which is a current output DAC. You could then implement a trans-impedance output stage that converts the current to the desired voltage output. 

    Thanks,

    Paul

  • 0 in reply to Paul_Frost
    Prodigy 40 points

    Thank you Paul!  I think your right in that the DAC80501 in 1.25V output with resistor is probably the easiest option.