Now engineers can mix and match 20 ADCs, 20 DACs or 20 High voltage digital I/O pins in any order using the MAX11300, the new mixed-signal PIXI™ technology from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
Designers often work with application-specific devices that are neither flexible nor easy to program. The MAX11300 PIXI is the industry’s first configurable 20-channel, -10V to +10V high-voltage mixed-signal data converter. It is ideally suited for complex applications requiring multiple mixed-signal operations like base stations and industrial control and automation. Graphical user interface software that comes with the MAX11300 PIXI allows rapid drag and drop configuration of the device. Any function can be assigned to any pin. Select an ADC and connect it to any of 20 pins, select a DAC and connect it to any pin or assign a digital I/O to any pin. Unlike traditional multichannel data converters, the MAX11300 data converter lets engineers configure the 20 mixed signal input/outputs (I/Os) to optimize a design. It gives engineers the flexibility to be creative.
High integration provides a smaller size, lower cost, and simplified bill of materials (BOM). The flexibility of the MAX11300PIXI significantly shortens design time and time to market. The MAX11300 PIXI data converter integrates a 12-bit, multichannel, analog-to-digital converter (ADC); a 12-bit, multichannel, buffered digital-to-analog converter (DAC); and high-voltage analog switches and digital I/Os. With its wide -10V to +10V, high-voltage range, the MAX11300 PIXI enables high-voltage bipolar signals. It provides more design flexibility than any competing data converter. Each of the 20 mixed-signal I/Os can be uniquely configured for the application, so designers can optimize PCB layout. Configuration software enables simple “drag and drop” setup of the 20 ports. Files can be exported for coding and easily reconfigured as requirements change.
Commentary
“Maxim is addressing the analog design engineer’s need for a multipurpose, highly integrated, configurable solution so they can optimize designs, decrease BOM cost, shorten time to market,” said Martin Mason, Executive Director at Maxim Integrated. “The MAX11300’s deterministic mixed-signal PIXI technology demonstrates how Maxim uses analog integration to create an easy-to-program flexible solution for complex industrial, medical and base station applications.”
“Configurability is often a misnomer when it comes to digital and analog design, especially as it relates to highly integrated devices,” said Colin Barnden, Lead Analyst at Semicast Research Ltd. “Designers want deterministic performance with the flexibility of configuration. They require products that can easily be adapted to specific applications and be reconfigured to suit their design needs.”
