Precision data converter helps shrink board space and design costs for industrial automation

Texas Instruments has introduced a DAC that combines industry-leading precision performance with simpler power-supply design. The 16-bit DAC8775 operates from a single, wide 12V to 36V power rail, leveraging an integrated buck/boost converter to generate all of the required internal power supplies to save designers time, cost and significant board space. The four-channel device addresses the trend in factory automation and process control equipment toward input/output (I/O) modules that must squeeze more channels into a smaller space. Engineers designing these systems face the challenge of managing power dissipation in a small form factor. By combining a 4mA-20mA current and voltage driver with a precision reference and a buck/boost converter, the device enables a total system footprint that is up to 25% smaller than the nearest competing device. Expanding their versatile portfolio of precision data converters, this highly integrated DAC can deliver smaller and more efficient designs with advanced diagnostic capabilities.