ADC

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Overview

ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) blocks provide high-performance data acquisition for motor control, power conversion, and sensor applications. The MPLAB Blockset offers ADC blocks optimized for different device families, from 10-bit converters to 12-bit SAR ADCs with multiple dedicated cores, hardware sequencing, and PWM synchronization.

Available ADC Blocks

Block Selection Guide

By Device Family

Device Family	Recommended ADC Block	Key Advantage
dsPIC30F / dsPIC33F	ADC	dsPIC30F/33F support, proven reliability
dsPIC33E (non-GS)	ADC	10/12-bit, simultaneous sampling
dsPIC33C (CH/CK/CDV)	ADC_HighSpeed_SAR_dsPIC	Dedicated cores, 3.25 Msps
dsPIC33A (33AK)	ADC_HS_12b	Software sequencing, 12-bit precision
PIC24	ADC	Compatible with PIC24 peripherals
PIC32MK / PIC32MZ	ADC_HighSpeed_SAR	High-speed, special inputs (VBat, Temp)
SAM E5x / D5x / C2x	ADC_SAME5x	Dual ADC, oversampling
SAM E7x / S7x / V7x	AFEC_SAM7x	Programmable gain, offset compensation
SAM RH707x	ADC_SAMRH707x	Radiation hardened, aerospace-grade

By Application Requirements

Application	Block Choice	Why?
3-Phase FOC (dsPIC33A)	ADC_HS_12b	12-bit precision, flexible sequencing
3-Phase FOC (dsPIC33C)	ADC_HighSpeed_SAR_dsPIC	Dedicated cores for simultaneous sampling
3-Phase FOC (dsPIC33E/F)	ADC	Simultaneous sampling mode
Dual Motor Control	ADC_HighSpeed_SAR_dsPIC	6 dedicated cores
Precision Measurement	AFEC_SAM7x	Programmable gain, offset compensation
High-Speed Multi-Channel	ADC_HighSpeed_SAR	3.25 Msps per core
Battery Monitoring	ADC_HighSpeed_SAR	VBat special input
Temperature Sensing	ADC_HighSpeed_SAR	Internal temperature sensor
Aerospace Applications	ADC_SAMRH707x	Radiation hardening, fault detection

By Resolution Requirements

🟢 10-bit (Good for fast sampling, noise-tolerant applications)

ADC - dsPIC30F/33F/33E/PIC24
ADC_HighSpeed_SAR - PIC32/dsPIC33C (10-bit mode)

🟡 12-bit (Standard for motor control, precision sensing)

ADC - dsPIC33E/33C (12-bit mode)
ADC_HighSpeed_SAR_dsPIC - dsPIC33C
ADC_HS_12b - dsPIC33A (12-bit fixed)
ADC_SAME5x - SAM E5x/D5x/C2x
AFEC_SAM7x - SAM E7x/S7x/V7x

🔴 Enhanced Resolution (Oversampling for ultra-precision)

AFEC_SAM7x - 16-bit with oversampling
ADC_SAME5x - 16-bit with oversampling

ADC-PWM Synchronization

Critical for motor control and power conversion - ADC sampling must be synchronized with PWM to avoid sampling during switching transients.

Synchronization Methods:

Method	Description	Use Case
PWM Special Event (SEVTCMP)	Trigger at specific point in PWM period	Center-aligned PWM (valley sampling)
PWM Trigger Outputs	Up to 8 independent triggers (dsPIC33A)	Multi-phase, multi-motor
Timer Compare	Periodic trigger from timer	Edge-aligned PWM, general DAQ
External Trigger	Hardware trigger input	Synchronization with external events

Best Practices:

Valley sampling: Set SEVTCMP = 0 for center of low-side conduction (minimum noise)
Edge-aligned: Trigger at start or middle of PWM period
Verify timing: Use oscilloscope to confirm trigger point relative to PWM edges
Sample time: Adjust SAMC parameter based on source impedance and switching noise settling time

Device Family Support Summary

ADC Block	dsPIC30F	dsPIC33F	dsPIC33E	dsPIC33C	dsPIC33A	PIC24	PIC32MK	PIC32MZ	SAM E5x	SAM E7x	SAM RH707x
ADC	✅	✅	✅ (non-GS)	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
ADC_HighSpeed_SAR_dsPIC	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
ADC_HS_12b	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
ADC_HighSpeed_SAR	❌	❌	❌	⚠️	❌	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
ADC_SAME5x	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌
AFEC_SAM7x	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌
ADC_SAMRH707x	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅

Legend: ✅ Full Support | ⚠️ Shared with PIC32 | ❌ Not Available

Overview

Available ADC Blocks

ADC - Standard ADC for dsPIC/PIC24

ADC HighSpeed SAR dsPIC - High-Speed SAR ADC for dsPIC33C

ADC HS 12b - High-Speed 12-bit ADC for dsPIC33A

ADC HighSpeed SAR - High-Speed SAR ADC for PIC32

ADC SAM E5x - ADC for SAM E5x/D5x/C2x

AFEC SAM7x - Analog Front-End Controller for SAM E7x/S7x/V7x

ADC SAMRH707x - Radiation-Hardened ADC for SAM RH707x

Block Selection Guide

By Device Family

By Application Requirements

By Resolution Requirements

ADC-PWM Synchronization

Device Family Support Summary

See Also

ADC - Standard ADC Block

ADC HighSpeed SAR - High-Speed SAR ADC Block

ADC HighSpeed SAR dsPIC - High-Speed SAR ADC for dsPIC33C

ADC HS 12b - 12-bit High-Speed ADC for dsPIC33A

ADC SAME5x - ADC for SAM E5x/D5x/C2x Families

ADC SAMRH707x - ADC for SAM RH707x Radiation-Hardened MCU

AFEC SAM7x - Analog Front-End Controller for SAM 7x