True RMS Value
Average Rectified Value
Absolute Value
PROVIDES
200 mV Full-Scale Input Range
(Larger Inputs with Input Attenuator)
Direct Interfacing with 3 1/2 Digit
CMOS A/D Converters
High Input Impedance of 10
12
⍀
Low Input Bias Current: 25 pA max
High Accuracy: ⴞ0.2 mV ⴞ0.3% of Reading
RMS Conversion with Signal Crest Factors Up to 5
Wide Power Supply Range: +2.8 V, –3.2 V to ⴞ16.5 V
Low Power: 160 A max Supply Current
No External Trims Needed for Specified Accuracy
AD736—A General Purpose, Buffered Voltage
Output Version Also Available
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The AD737 is a low power, precision, monolithic true rms-to-dc
converter. It is laser trimmed to provide a maximum error of
±0.2 mV ±0.3% of reading with sine-wave inputs. Furthermore,
it maintains high accuracy while measuring a wide range of
input waveforms, including variable duty cycle pulses and triac
(phase) controlled sine waves. The low cost and small physical
size of this converter make it suitable for upgrading the performance of non-rms “precision rectifiers” in many applications.
Compared to these circuits, the AD737 offers higher accuracy at
equal or lower cost.
The AD737 can compute the rms value of both ac and dc input
voltages. It can also be operated ac coupled by adding one external capacitor. In this mode, the AD737 can resolve input sig-
nal levels of 100 µV rms or less, despite variations in temperature
or supply voltage. High accuracy is also maintained for input
waveforms with crest factors of 1 to 3. In addition, crest factors
The AD737 allows the choice of two signal input terminals: a
high impedance (10
with high Z input attenuators and a low impedance (8 kΩ) input
which allows the measurement of 300 mV input levels, while
operating from the minimum power supply voltage of +2.8 V,
–3.2 V. The two inputs may be used either singly or differentially.
The AD737 achieves a 1% of reading error bandwidth exceeding 10 kHz for input amplitudes from 20 mV rms to 200 mV
rms while consuming only 0.72 mW.
The AD737 is available in four performance grades. The
AD737J and AD737K grades are rated over the commercial
temperature range of 0°C to +70°C. The AD737A and AD737B
grades are rated over the industrial temperature range of –40°C
to +85°C.
The AD737 is available in three low-cost, 8-lead packages: plastic DIP, plastic SO and hermetic cerdip.
as high as 5 can be measured (while introducing only 2.5%
additional error) at the 200 mV full-scale input level.
The AD737 has no output buffer amplifier, thereby significantly
reducing dc offset errors occuring at the output. This allows the
device to be highly compatible with high input impedance A/D
converters.
Requiring only 160 µA of power supply current, the AD737 is
optimized for use in portable multimeters and other battery
powered applications. This converter also provides a “power
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
1. The AD737 is capable of computing the average rectified
value, absolute value or true rms value of various input
signals.
2. Only one external component, an averaging capacitor, is
required for the AD737 to perform true rms measurement.
3. The low power consumption of 0.72 mW makes the AD737
suitable for many battery powered applications.
down” feature which reduces the power supply standby current
to less than 30 µA.
*Protected under U.S. Patent Number 5,495,245.
REV. C
Information furnished by Analog Devices is believed to be accurate and
reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed by Analog Devices for its
use, nor for any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties
which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or
otherwise under any patent or patent rights of Analog Devices.
Operating Voltage Range+2.8, –3.2 ±5±16.5+2.8, –3.2 ±5±16.5V
Quiescent CurrentZero Signal120160120160µA
V
= 200 mV rms, No LoadSine-Wave Input170210170210µA
IN
Power Down Mode CurrentPin 3 Tied to +V
S
25402540µA
TEMPERATURE RANGE
Operating, Rated Performance
Commercial (0°C to +70°C)AD737JAD737K
Industrial (–40°C to +85°C)AD737AAD737B
NOTES
l
Accuracy is specified with the AD737 connected as shown in Figure 16 with capacitor CC.
2
Nonlinearity is defined as the maximum deviation (in percent error) from a straight line connecting the readings at 0 and 200 mV rms.
3
Error vs. Crest Factor is specified as additional error for a 200 mV rms signal. C.F. = V
4
DC offset does not limit ac resolution.
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Specifications shown in boldface are tested on all production units at final electrical test. Results from those tests are used to calculate outgoing quality levels.
Stresses above those listed under Absolute Maximum Ratings may cause perma-
ModelRangeDescriptionOption
AD737AQ–40°C to +85°C CerdipQ-8
AD737BQ–40°C to +85°C CerdipQ-8
AD737JN0°C to +70°CPlastic DIPN-8
AD737JR0°C to +70°CSOICSO-8
AD737JR-REEL0°C to +70°C13" Tape and Reel SO-8
AD737JR-REEL7 0°C to +70°C7" Tape and ReelSO-8
AD737KN0°C to +70°CPlastic DIPN-8
AD737KR0°C to +70°CSOICSO-8
AD737KR-REEL 0°C to +70°C13" Tape and Reel SO-8
AD737KR-REEL7 0°C to +70°C7" Tape and ReelSO-8
ORDERING GUIDE
TemperaturePackagePackage
nent damage to the device. This is a stress rating only; functional operation of the
device at these or any other conditions above those indicated in the operational
section of this specification is not implied. Exposure to absolute maximum rating
conditions for extended periods may affect device reliability.
Figure 9. 23 dB Frequency vs.
RMS Input Level (Pin 2)
REV. C–4–
Applying the
AD737
Figure 10. Error vs. RMS Input
Voltage (Pin 2) Using Circuit
of Figure 21
Figure 13. Pin 2 Input Bias
Current vs. Supply Voltage
CALCULATING SETTLING TIME USING FIGURE 14
The graph of Figure 14 may be used to closely approximate the
time required for the AD737 to settle when its input level is re-
duced in amplitude. The net time required for the rms converter
to settle will be the difference between two times extracted from
the graph – the initial time minus the final settling time. As an
example, consider the following conditions: a 33 µF averaging
capacitor, an initial rms input level of 100 mV and a final (re-
duced) input level of 1 mV. From Figure 14, the initial settling
time (where the 100 mV line intersects the 33 µF line) is around
80 ms. The settling time corresponding to the new or final input
level of 1 mV is approximately 8 seconds. Therefore, the net
time for the circuit to settle to its new value will be 8 seconds
minus 80 ms which is 7.92 seconds. Note that, because of the
smooth decay characteristic inherent with a capacitor/diode
combination, this is the total settling time to the final value (i.e.,
not the settling time to 1%, 0.1%, etc., of final value). Also, this
graph provides the worst case settling time, since the AD737
will settle very quickly with increasing input levels.
Figure 11. CAV vs. Frequency for
Specified Averaging Error
Figure 14. Settling Time vs. RMS
Input Level for Various Values of C
Figure 12. RMS Input Level vs.
Frequency for Specified Averaging
Error
Figure 15. Pin 2 Input Bias Current
vs. Temperature
AV
TYPES OF AC MEASUREMENT
The AD737 is capable of measuring ac signals by operating as
either an average responding or a true rms-to-de converter. As
its name implies, an average responding converter computes the
average absolute value of an ac (or ac and dc) voltage or current
by full wave rectifying and low-pass filtering the input signal;
this will approximate the average. The resulting output, a dc
“average” level, is then scaled by adding (or reducing) gain; this
scale factor converts the dc average reading to an rms equivalent
value for the waveform being measured. For example, the average absolute value of a sine-wave voltage is 0.636 that of V
the corresponding rms value is 0.707 times V
for sine-wave voltages, the required scale factor is 1.11 (0.707
divided by 0.636).
In contrast to measuring the “average” value, true rms measurement is a “universal language” among waveforms, allowing the
magnitudes of all types of voltage (or current) waveforms to be
compared to one another and to dc. RMS is a direct measure of
the power or heating value of an ac voltage compared to that of
dc: an ac signal of 1 volt rms will produce the same amount of
heat in a resistor as a 1 volt dc signal.
. Therefore,
PEAK
PEAK
;
REV. C–5–
AD737
Table I. Error Introduced by an Average Responding Circuit When Measuring Common Waveforms
Waveform TypeCrest FactorTrue rms ValueAverage Responding% of Reading Error*
1 Volt Peak(V
/V rms)Circuit Calibrated to Using Average
PEAK
AmplitudeRead rms Value ofResponding Circuit
Sine Waves Will Read
Undistorted1.4140.707 V0.707 V0%
Sine Wave
Symmetrical
Square Wave1.001.00 V1.11 V+11.0%
Undistorted
Triangle Wave1.730.577 V0.555 V–3.8%
Gaussian
Noise (98% of
Peaks <1 V)30.333 V0.295 V–11.4%
Mathematically, the rms value of a voltage is defined (using a
simplified equation) as:
V rms = Avg .(V
2
)
This involves squaring the signal, taking the average, and then
obtaining the square root. True rms converters are “smart rectifiers”: they provide an accurate rms reading regardless of the
type of waveform being measured. However, average responding
converters can exhibit very high errors when their input signals
deviate from their precalibrated waveform; the magnitude of the
error will depend upon the type of waveform being measured.
As an example, if an average responding converter is calibrated
to measure the rms value of sine-wave voltages, and then is used
to measure either symmetrical square waves or de voltages, the
converter will have a computational error 11% (of reading)
higher than the true rms value (see Table I).
AD737 THEORY OF OPERATION
As shown by Figure 16, the AD737 has four functional subsections: input amplifier, full-wave rectifier, rms core and bias sections. The FET input amplifier allows both a high impedance,
buffered input (Pin 2) or a low impedance, wide-dynamic-range
C
C
10mF
(OPTIONAL
1
C
C
2
V
IN
POWER
3
DOWN
4
–V
S
POSITIVE SUPPLY
NEGATIVE SUPPLY
8kV
INPUT
AMPLIFIER
BIAS
SECTION
COMMON
AD737
FULL
WAVE
RECTIFIER
RMS
CORE
C
AV
33mF
0.1mF
0.1mF
8kV
COM
8
7
+V
OUTPUT
6
5
C
F
10mF
S
(OPTIONAL)
V
OUT
C
AV
+V
S
–V
S
Figure 16. AD737 True RMS Circuit
input (Pin 1). The high impedance input, with its low input
bias current, is well suited for use with high impedance input
attenuators. The input signal may be either dc or ac coupled
to the input amplifier. Unlike other rms converters, the AD737
permits both direct and indirect ac coupling of the inputs. AC
coupling is provided by placing a series capacitor between the
input signal and Pin 2 (or Pin 1) for direct coupling and
between Pin 1 and ground (while driving Pin 2) for indirect
coupling.
The output of the input amplifier drives a full-wave precision
rectifier, which in turn, drives the rms core. It is in the core that
the essential rms operations of squaring, averaging and square
rooting are performed, using an external averaging capacitor,
. Without CAV, the rectified input signal travels through the
C
AV
core unprocessed, as is done with the average responding connection (Figure 17).
A final subsection, the bias section, permits a “power down”
function. This reduces the idle current of the AD737 from 160
µA down to a mere 30 µA. This feature is selected by tying Pin
3 to the +V
terminal. In the average responding connection, all
S
of the averaging is carried out by an RC post filter consisting of
an 8 kΩ internal scale-factor resistor connected between Pins 6
and 8 and an external averaging capacitor, C
. In the rms cir-
F
cuit, this additional filtering stage helps reduce any output
ripple which was not removed by the averaging capacitor, C
AV
.
RMS MEASUREMENT – CHOOSING THE OPTIMUM
VALUE FOR C
AV
Since the external averaging capacitor, CAV, “holds” the rectified input signal during rms computation, its value directly affects the accuracy of the rms measurement, especially at low
frequencies. Furthermore, because the averaging capacitor appears across a diode in the rms core, the averaging time constant will increase exponentially as the input signal is reduced.
This means that as the input level decreases, errors due to
nonideal averaging will reduce while the time it takes for the circuit to settle to the new rms level will increase. Therefore, lower
input levels allow the circuit to perform better (due to increased
averaging) but increase the waiting time between measurements. Obviously, when selecting C
, a trade-off between
AV
computational accuracy and settling time is required.
REV. C–6–
AD737
RAPID SETTLING TIMES VIA THE AVERAGE
RESPONDING CONNECTION (FIGURE 17)
Because the average responding connection does not use an av-
eraging capacitor, its settling time does not vary with input sig-
nal level; it is determined solely by the RC time constant of C
F
and the internal 8 kΩ output scaling resistor.
Figure 17. AD737 Average Responding Circuit
DC ERROR, OUTPUT RIPPLE, AND AVERAGING
ERROR
Figure 18 shows the typical output waveform of the AD737 with
a sine-wave input voltage applied. As with all real-world devices,
the ideal output of V
= VIN is never exactly achieved; in-
OUT
stead, the output contains both a dc and an ac error component.
AC MEASUREMENT ACCURACY AND CREST FACTOR
The crest factor of the input waveform is often overlooked when
determining the accuracy of an ac measurement. Crest factor is
defined as the ratio of the peak signal amplitude to the rms amplitude (C.F. = V
/V rms). Many common waveforms, such
PEAK
as sine and triangle waves, have relatively low crest factors (≥2).
Other waveforms, such as low duty cycle pulse trains and SCR
waveforms, have high crest factors. These types of waveforms
require a long averaging time constant (to average out the long
time periods between pulses). Figure 6 shows the additional error vs. crest factor of the AD737 for various values of C
AV
.
SELECTING PRACTICAL VALUES FOR INPUT
COUPLING (C
(C
) CAPACITORS
F
), AVERAGING (CAV) AND FILTERING
C
Table II provides practical values of CAV and CF for several
common applications.
Table II. AD737 Capacitor Selection Chart
ApplicationrmsLowMaxC
InputFrequency CrestTime*
LevelCutoffFactorto 1%
(–3 dB)
General Purpose 0–1 V20 Hz5150 µF 10 µF 360 ms
rms Computation200 Hz515 µF1 µF36 ms
0–200 mV 20 Hz533 µF 10 µF 360 ms
200 Hz53.3 µF1 µF36 ms
General Purpose 0–1 V20 HzNone 33 µF 1.2 sec
Average200 HzNone 3.3 µF 120 ms