ADXL50
Capacitors C3 and C4 are chosen to provide the desired 3 dB
bandwidth. Component values are specified for bandwidths of
10 Hz, 30 Hz, 100 Hz, and 300 Hz. For other 3 dB bandwidths
simply scale the capacitor values; i.e., for a 3 dB bandwidth of
20 Hz, divide the 10 Hz bandwidth numbers by 2.0. The nomi-
nal buffer amplifier output will be +1.8 V ± 19 mV/g. Note that
the ADXL50’s self-test will be fully functional since the buffer
amplifier is operated at unity gain and resistor R1 is large. The
external op amp offsets and scales the output to provide a +2.5 V
± 2 V output over a wide range of full-scale g levels. The exter-
nal op amp may be omitted in high g, low gain applications.
NOISE CONSIDERATIONS
The output noise of the ADXL50 scales with the square root of
its bandwidth. The noise floor may be reduced by lowering the
bandwidth of the ADXL50 either by increasing the value of the
demodulator capacitor or by adding an external filter.
The typical rms noise of the ADXL50J with a bandwidth of
100 Hz and a noise density of 125 µV/√Hz is estimated as
follows:
Noise (rms) = (125 µV/√Hz) √100 = 1.25 mV rms
Peak-to-peak noise may be estimated with the following
equation:
Noise p-p = (6.6) Noise rms
Peak-to-peak noise is thus estimated at 8.25 mV or approxi-
mately 0.4 g p-p. The ADXL50 noise is characteristic of white
noise. Typical rms and p-p noise for various 3 dB bandwidths is
estimated in Figure 25.
1.7
0.26
Nominal Peak-to-
Peak Value
2.0 × rms
3.0 × rms
4.0 × rms
5.0 × rms
6.0 × rms
6.6 × rms
7.0 × rms
8.0 × rms
Table III.
% of Time that Noise will Exceed
Nominal Peak-to-Peak Value
32%
13%
4.6%
1.2%
0.27%
0.1%
0.046%
0.006%
AC COUPLING VPR TO BUFFER INPUT
If a dc response is not required, as in applications such as mo-
tion detection or vibration measurement, then ac coupling
should be considered. In low g applications, the output voltage
change due to acceleration is small compared to the 0 g offset
voltage drift. Because ac coupling removes the dc component of
the output, the preamp output signal may be amplified consid-
erably without increasing the 0 g level drift. The most effective
way to ac couple the ADXL50 is between the preamp output at
VPR and the buffer input, VIN–, as shown in Figure 26.
PRE-AMP
ADXL50
VPR
1.8V
BUFFER
AMP
VOUT
9
1.4
8
10
0.21
VPR
C4
R1
VIN–
R3
1.0
0.16
R2
0.73
0.11
0.33
0.05
0
0
10
100
1k
3dB BANDWIDTH – Hz
Figure 25. ADXL50 Noise Level and Resolution vs. –3 dB
Bandwidth
Because the ADXL50’s noise is for all practical purposes Gaus-
sian in amplitude distribution, the highest noise amplitudes have
the smallest (yet nonzero) probability. Peak-to-peak noise is,
therefore, difficult to measure and can only be estimated due to
its statistical nature. Table III is useful for estimating the prob-
abilities of exceeding various peak values, given the rms value.
Figure 26. AC Coupling the VPR Output to the Buffer Input
Using this configuration, the system’s ac response is now rolled
off—at the low frequency end at FL, and at the high frequency
end at FH. The normalized frequency response of the system
can be seen in Figure 27.
The low frequency roll-off, FL, due to the ac coupling network
is:
FL = 1/(2 π R1 C4)
The high frequency roll-off FH is determined by the dominant
pole of the system which is controlled by either the demodulator
capacitor and its associated time-constant or by a dominant post
filter.
As a consequence of ac coupling, any constant acceleration
component gravity will not be detected (because this too is a dc
voltage present at the VPR output). The self-test feature, if used,
must be monitored at VPR, rather than at the buffer output.
–14–
REV. B