ADC Performance Testing: Report on Project Development During 2015
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ADC Performance Testing Report on Project Development During 2015 Expert Consultant Report for the Audio-Visual Working Group, Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative Topics: • Refinement of the Comprehensive High Metrics Guideline and Associated Test Method • Initial Development of a Partial Minimum Metrics Guideline and a Low Cost Test Method [logo] Revised draft submitted by AVPreserve January 27, 2016 1 Table of Contents I. Introduction .............................................................................................................4 Background ...............................................................................................................4 Conceptual framework ..............................................................................................5! Arrangement of this Report .......................................................................................8! II. Setup for the Comprehensive High Metrics System ...........................................9! Purpose for the setup ................................................................................................9! Basic System Setup ..................................................................................................9! Challenges ..............................................................................................................11! Advanced System Setup .........................................................................................15! Test Result Documentation .....................................................................................15! Test Results with the Stand-in ADC ........................................................................16! Operator Skill Level Requirement ...........................................................................18! III. Setup for the Partial Minimum Metrics System.................................................19! Purpose for the setup ..............................................................................................19! Component Functionality and Quality Testing.........................................................19! Basic System Setup ................................................................................................27! Challenges and Takeaways ....................................................................................28! IV. Proposed Test Method for the Partial Minimum Metrics, Low Cost System .31! Analysis ...................................................................................................................33! NTI MR-Pro Analysis...............................................................................................43! Operator Skill Level Requirement ...........................................................................43! V. Testing ADCs in Federal Agencies .....................................................................44! Purpose for the activity............................................................................................44! High performance test procedure............................................................................44! Low cost test procedure ..........................................................................................48! Site Visit Notes ........................................................................................................51! Site Visit Results .....................................................................................................55! Challenges ..............................................................................................................66! VI. Guideline Proposals and Related Topics for Two Levels of ADC Performance! ....................................................................................................................................70! Normative References (apply to all performance levels).........................................70 Informative References (apply to all performance levels) .......................................70! Guideline for High Quality ADC Performance: Proposed Adjustments to the 2012 ! Version ....................................................................................................................71! Frequency Response...........................................................................................71 Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N) .......................................................71! Dynamic Range (Signal to Noise)........................................................................72! Cross-Talk ...........................................................................................................72! Common-Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) ............................................................73! 2015 Explanatory note re: CMRR........................................................................74! Low Frequency Intermodulation Distortion (LF IMD) ...........................................75! High Frequency Intermodulation Distortion (HF IMD)..........................................75! Amplitude Linearity ..............................................................................................75! ! ! 2 Spurious Inharmonic Signals (Inharmonic changed from Aharmonic to align with AES-17) ...............................................................................................................76 Alias Rejection .....................................................................................................76 2015 Explanatory comment re: Alias Rejection ...................................................77! Figure: Explanatory diagram demonstrating measurement of Alias Rejection ....77! Sync Input Jitter Susceptibility .............................................................................77! Jitter Transfer Gain ..............................................................................................78! 2015 Definitions and Specifications, High-Quality-Level Testing of ADCs..............80! 1. Analyzer Specifications....................................................................................80! 2. Signal Generator Specifications ......................................................................80! 3. Equipment-Under-Test (EUT) Settings............................................................81! Guideline for Minimum Quality ADC Performance (Partial Metrics): Proposed ! Performance Guideline............................................................................................83! Frequency Response...........................................................................................83 Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N) .......................................................83! Dynamic Range (Signal to Noise)........................................................................83! Cross-Talk ...........................................................................................................84! Low Frequency Intermodulation Distortion (LF IMD) ...........................................84! High Frequency Intermodulation Distortion (HF IMD)..........................................84! Spurious Aharmonic Signals................................................................................84! Definitions and Requirements, Minimum-Quality-Level Testing of ADCs ...............85! 1. Analyzer Specifications....................................................................................85! 2. Equipment-Under-Test (EUT) Settings............................................................85! V!I. Conclusion and Recommendations for Future Actions .................................87! General Findings .....................................................................................................87! 1. Result: progress made in 2015........................................................................87! 2. Finding: comprehensive testing of ADCs at high quality levels requires ! expensive support equipment and engineering expertise ...................................88! 3. Finding: the lowest cost systems cannot test for the highest level performance, even if only some of the metrics are tested .........................................................88! 4. Finding: the 2015 outcomes with a low cost system indicate the value of making a second try with a more elaborate, moderate cost system....................88! Recommendations for system improvements .........................................................89 1. Use analog attenuation in concert with digital to analog converter to produce a ! higher quality test signal source. .........................................................................89! 2. Use calibration files to correct for any minor non-linearity in test source.........89 3. Confer with manufacturers to modify their techniques to align with the FADGI ! Guideline..............................................................................................................90! 4. Make CMRR measurement tools for standard signal sources more readily available...............................................................................................................90! 5. Encourage the development of tools and methodology to augment the low cost system that would allow amplitude linearity test signals to be generated............91! 6. Establish tools and procedures to permit Alias Rejection testing of the ADC low pass filters. ....................................................................................................91!