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8-channel 12-bit SPI ADC

MCP3208 Internal Circuitry

Explore the internal circuitry and functional stages of MCP3208.

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Inside MCP3208

Eight inputs share a sample-and-hold and twelve-bit SAR core.

Inside a black MCP3208, eight channels feed a multiplexer and sample capacitor; comparator, DAC and SAR form the conversion loop. SPI command logic selects the input and shifts out twelve bits.
Simplified functional architecture, not a transistor-level die layout.

Explore the circuit

Select a stage to see its role and connections

Multiplex the channels

The command selects a single input or adjacent pseudo-differential pair.

Hold the analog sample

A sample capacitor stores the voltage while the SAR tests successive DAC levels.

Transfer the word

The result is shifted out MSB first; CS HIGH releases DOUT and ends the conversion.

Component view