
TLV2556
SLAS355A – DECEMBER 2001 – REVISED SEPTEMBER 2002
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PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
data input—address/command bits
The four MSBs (D7–D4) of the input data register are the address or command. These bits can be used to
address one of the 11 input channels, select one of three reference-test voltages, activate the software
power-down mode, or access the second configuration register, CFGR2. All address/command bits affect the
current conversion, which is the conversion that immediately follows the current I/O cycle. They also allow
access to CFGR1 except for command 1111b, which allows access to CFGR2.
data output length
CFGR1 bits (D3 and D2) of the data register select the output data length. The data-length selection is valid
for the current I/O cycle (the cycle in which the data is read). The data-length selection, being valid for the current
I/O cycle, allows device start-up without losing I/O synchronization. A data length of 8, 12, or 16 bits can be
selected. Since the converter has 12-bit resolution, a data length of 12 bits is suggested.
With D3 and D2 set to 00 or 10, the device is in the 12-bit data-length mode and the result of the current
conversion is output as a 12-bit serial data stream during the next I/O cycle. The current I/O cycle must be exactly
12 bits long for proper synchronization, even when this means corrupting the output data from a previous
conversion. The current conversion is started immediately after the twelfth falling edge of the current I/O cycle.
With bits D3 and D2 set to 11, the 16-bit data-length mode is selected, which allows convenient communication
with 16-bit serial interfaces. In the 16-bit mode, the result of the current conversion is output as a 16-bit serial
data stream during the next I/O cycle with the four LSBs always reset to 0 (pad bits). The current I/O cycle must
be exactly 16 bits long to maintain synchronization even when this means corrupting the output data from the
previous conversion. The current conversion is started immediately after the sixteenth falling edge of the current
I/O cycle.
With bits D3 and D2 set to 01, the 8-bit data-length mode is selected, which allows fast communication with 8-bit
serial interfaces. In the 8-bit mode, the result of the current conversion is output as an 8-bit serial data stream
during the next I/O cycle. The current I/O cycle must be exactly eight bits long to maintain synchronization, even
when this means corrupting the output data from the previous conversion. The four LSBs of the conversion
result are truncated and discarded. The current conversion is started immediately after the eighth falling edge
of the current I/O cycle.
Since the D3 and D2 register settings take effect on the I/O cycle when the data length is programmed, there
can be a conflict with the previous cycle if the data-word length was changed. This may occur when the data
format is selected to be least significant bit first, since at the time the data length change becomes effective (six
rising edges of I/O CLOCK), the previous conversion result has already started shifting out. In actual operation,
when different data lengths are required within an application and the data length is changed between two
conversions, no more than one conversion result can be corrupted and only when it is shifted out in LSB-first
format.
LSB out first
D1 in the CFGR1 controls the direction of the output (binary) data transfer. When D1 is reset to 0, the conversion
result is shifted out MSB first. When set to 1, the data is shifted out LSB first. Selection of MSB first or LSB first
always affects the next I/O cycle and not the current I/O cycle. When changing from one data direction to
another, the current I/O cycle is never disrupted.