newbie -- DAC 4-20ma output

[Grenik]

Hi all

I am new to electronics and I am looking for a DAC that has 4-20ma
output.

I googled and one option I got was the AD421 but the problem is that
it uses a mosfet that I cannot find anywhere the DN25D FET transistor
from Supertex1.

What solutions can you suggest to my problem? Are there any
alternatives both to the AD421 or the fet?

Thank you

Gren

 

[SP]

Hi all

I am new to electronics and I am looking for a DAC that has 4-20ma
output.

I googled and one option I got was the AD421 but the problem is that
it uses a mosfet that I cannot find anywhere the DN25D FET transistor
from Supertex1.

Supertex depletion mode FETS are stocked by Mouser.

What solutions can you suggest to my problem? Are there any
alternatives both to the AD421 or the fet?

Thank you

Gren

Just add a voltage-to-current converter to any old DAC you like, or
use PWM of a reference and a filter for your DAC.

 

[gravpoet]

Hi all

I am new to electronics and I am looking for a DAC that has 4-20ma
output.

I googled and one option I got was the AD421 but the problem is that
it uses a mosfet that I cannot find anywhere the DN25D FET transistor
from Supertex1.

What solutions can you suggest to my problem? Are there any
alternatives both to the AD421 or the fet?

Thank you

Gren

What resolution do you need, what is the compliance voltage of your
supply, what type of interface do you need for the D/A...?

I don't recall there being any all in one solution when I researched
this about a year ago. Most folks are building there own, myself
included, with off the shelf D/A's, an op amp and MOSFET/transitor.

If you are not comfortable building one, Google "voltage controlled
current source" or you can try to Google "USB-3102" for a complete USB
solution.

 

[MooseFET]

Hi all

I am new to electronics and I am looking for a DAC that has 4-20ma
output.

I googled and one option I got was the AD421 but the problem is that
it uses a mosfet that I cannot find anywhere the DN25D FET transistor
from Supertex1.

You don't need a FET.

What solutions can you suggest to my problem? Are there any
alternatives both to the AD421 or the fet?

Are you trying to make a "two wire" system where the power to run it
comes from the 4mA?




The basic current sink looks like:


U1
Vcontrol ---------!+\ !!------- Sink
! >----!!- N MOSFET
--!-/ !!-
! !
-------------+-/\/\/---GND

U1 is an op-amp that can swing to ground if needed and has an input
range including ground. The MOSFET is just about any small power
MOSFET.

Parts are commonly added for scaling and stability.

In self powered 4-20mA systems the resistor can't be as shown. It has
to be in the power wiring of the whole system. The concept of the
circuit is the same but there isn't the thing called "GND"


U1
Vcontrol ---------!+\ !!--------------- +Line
! >----!!- N MOSFET
--!-/ !!-
! B !
-------------+-/\/\/-
!
Local power -------------+
!
/---/
^
!
Local GND --------------+-------------- -Line

There is a problem with this in that VControl and U1 must all be above
the local power. The second part is easy to solve by running U1 on
+Line and the point labeled "B".

Solving the first is easiest if U1 is a dual op-amp. The other
section can be used as part of the circuit that translates the control
signal up to the local levels. This can be just a current source
feeding an inverting amplifier.

 

[[email protected]]

Hi all

I am new to electronics and I am looking for a DAC that has 4-20ma
output.

I googled and one option I got was the AD421 but the problem is that
it uses a mosfet that I cannot find anywhere the DN25D FET transistor
from Supertex1.

What solutions can you suggest to my problem? Are there any
alternatives both to the AD421 or the fet?

The FET sounds as if it is a Supertex deplection mode MOSFET

http://www.supertex.com/

Their current product range doesn't include any DN25D part, but it
could have done in the past - e-mail them to ask for a data sheet.

As other people have mentioned, any DAC can be used to set up a
voltage which can be translated into a current by a voltage to current
converter such as the Howland current source - to generate a unipolar
4mA to 20mA current, the Howland current source is something of an
expensive overkill and the sort of solutions shown in National
Semiconductors application note AN-20 at figures 17 and 18 actually
work better.

http://www.national.com/an/AN/AN-20.pdf

AN-29 covers the Howland circuit at figure 27.

hope this helps.

 

[Grenik]

Hi all

I am new to electronics and I am looking for a DAC that has 4-20ma
output.

I googled and one option I got was the AD421 but the problem is that
it uses a mosfet that I cannot find anywhere the DN25D FET transistor
from Supertex1.

What solutions can you suggest to my problem? Are there any
alternatives both to the AD421 or the fet?

Thank you

Gren

Hi again

thank you for your answers

I am new to hardware issues so I did not know all these details...I am
working on a simple project with parallax basic stamp...I have to
control a vfd that accepts 4-20ma...
I searched on the net and I found that the ad421 was suitable but then
I found out tha I cannot find the FET....

Basically I was thinking to use a DAC chip controlled by the basic
stamp....

the resolution at the moment is not a problem....8 bit will suffice I
believe