Mixed and Interface Circuits :
Most of the sensor interface and instrument
inputs
are analog; even if it event based like a limit switch, analog circuit
protection and signal conditioning is required before it reaches the
level sensitive digital circuit blocks.
Starting with Schmitt triggers and to the VCO and A-D Converters, are
grades of Mixed Circuits. I feel Comparators like LM339,
Timers like the 555 and Phase Locked Loop PLL are fundamental mixed
circuits as
they have a analog voltage detection.
DSP and uC with built in A-D or
D-A or even SOC are Public ASICs and Fall in the Embedded Systems
Block. Public ASICs are not user specific, they can be branded,
numbered and
provided with Application notes for the use of the Design Departments
of any firm. User
Specific ASICs are
custom built and have only an application with that manufacturer for a
Specific Product type. This also protects the IP of Code and Device
Design.
Custom ASICs are limited to the Platform and
Technologies for which they
were designed. Then we have programmable and configurable chips
other than uC for logic like PLD, CPLD, FPGA and SOC, there is even
some talk of mixed or analog configurable chips.
It would be nice if they made a breadboard chip with 12 opamps, 24
comparators, Some PLD and a couple of uC. Then we certainly need
software trimmable or tweakable Resistors and Trimpots. This is
the Magnum Opus of EDA. A EDA Chip Printer may be coming soon !
(Affordable by small firms).
Source files -
Anantha Narayan
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