Mixed-Signal Test System for Education in Instrumentation and Measurement Technology

This paper discusses the development of a low-cost desk-top system for the teaching of mixed-signal circuit automated electronic testing. The device-under-test is a typical 8-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which is one of the most common mixed-signal integrated circuits. The system is based on the general-purpose National Instrument development tools (LabView software environment and ELVIS hardware providing the relevant sensor and signal-conditioning resources) combined with a custom-made test load board and application-specific software. The goal is to assist students in understanding how basic static characteristics of ADC are tested in the real-world industry. The measured static parameters include the offset and gain errors, as well as differential and integral non-linearities.