AD9501

REV. A

–6–

Offset between the two levels is necessary for three reasons.

First, offset allows the ramp to reset and settle without re-

entering the voltage range of the DAC. Second, the DAC may

could lead to false output pulses if there were no offset between

the ramp reset voltage and the upper reference. Overshoot on

the ramp could also lead to false outputs without the offset.

Finally, the ramp is slightly nonlinear for a short interval when it

is first started; the offset shifts the most positive DAC level

below this nonlinear region and maintains ramp linearity for

short programmed delay settings.

Pin 8 of the AD9501 is called OFFSET ADJUST (see block

diagram) and allows the user to control the amount of offset

separating the initial ramp voltage and the most positive DAC

reference. This, in turn, causes the Ramp Generator delay to

vary.

Figure 2 shows differences in timing which occur if OFFSET

ADJUST Pin 8 is grounded or open. The variable Ramp

Generator delay is the major component of the three

therefore, is affected by the connection to Pin 8.

It is preferable to ground Pin 8 because the smaller offset that

results from leaving it open increases the possibility of false out-

put pulses. When grounding the pin, it should be grounded

directly or connected to ground through a resistor or potentiom-

eter with a value of 10 k

Ω or less.

Caution is urged when using resistance in series with Pin 8. The

possibility of false output pulses, as discussed above, is in-

creased under these circumstances. Using resistance in series

with Pin 8 is recommended only when matching minimum de-

lays between two or more AD9501 devices; it is not recom-

mended if using a single AD9501. Changing the resistance

between Pin 8 and ground from zero to 10 k

Ω varies the Ramp

Generator Delay by approximately 35%.

equation:

increase the Linear Ramp Settling Time, which reduces the

maximum trigger rate. When delays longer than 326 ns are

1 shows typical Full-Scale Delay Ranges for various values of