1.2.2.1 Analog Front-End (AFE)

SmartFusion cSoCs offer an enhanced analog front-end compared to Fusion devices. The Successive Approximation Register Analog-to-Digital Converters (SAR ADC) are similar to those found on Fusion devices. SmartFusion cSoC also adds first order Sigma-Delta Digital-to-Analog Converters (SDD DAC).

SmartFusion cSoCs can handle multiple analog signals simultaneously with its Signal Conditioning Blocks (SCBs). SCBs are made of a combination of Active Bipolar Prescalers (ABPS), comparators, current monitors and temperature monitors. ABPS modules allow larger bipolar voltages to be fed to the ADC. Current monitors take the voltage across an external sense resistor and convert it to a voltage suitable for the ADC input range. Similarly, the temperature monitor reads the current through an external PN-junction (diode or transistor) and converts it internally for the ADC. The SCB also includes comparators to monitor fast signal thresholds without using the ADC. The output of the comparators can be fed to the analog compute engine or the ADC.