PlainDAQ is a simple, useful tool to add basic precision analog functionality to your Raspberry Pi Pico board. It has a precision, low-noise, low-drift 12-bit 500k sps/s ADC. To accompany the ADC and to preserve its noise and precision, all analog inputs are buffered and ADC is driven with high-speed/low-noise fully differential amplifier. It also has 10-bit DAC which helps create analog outputs and waveforms.

PlainDAQ generates ±5 V voltages to offer bipolar power supply, which is typically difficult to generate. To support all of these features PlainDAQ includes a stable voltage reference with 20 ppm/°C drift. Each plainDAQ is calibrated with DMM7510 before shipment and can be calibrated with proper equipment with the help of in-board EEPROM for storing calibration data.

A DAQ device wouldn’t be complete without some kind of wireless communication, and for that reason we also offer BLE options for plainDAQ devices.

Use Cases

PlainDAQ is useful in many ways, including analog signal capture with analog inputs, analog waveform generation with the analog output, and data visualization with Python software. With PlainDAQ you can automate waveform generation and capturing with Python scripting and do analog circuit experimentation. It will characterize frequency response, step response and pulse response of analog circuits. It can also do wireless data logging and powering analog circuits that require negative voltages.

Features & Specifications

Analog Inputs:

• 4 Channels (multiplexed)
• 12-bit resolution, 72 dB SNR (11.6 ENOB, 4000:1 dynamic range)*
• 500 kS/s sampling rate
• ±0.5 V, ±1 V, ±2 V, ±4 V bipolar ranges
• Auto-off calibration

Analog Output:

• 10-bit resolution
• 50 kS/s sampling rate
• ±4 V bipolar range

Voltage Reference:

• 2.5 V, 20 ppm/°C (Typical) Drift
• Calibrate to 0.05 %, Stored in as ROM as calibration data

Bipolar Voltage Supply:

• ±5 V power output.
• ±100 mA current rating.

ESP32-MINI-1 AT-Command Module:

• Simple UART interface to Raspberry Pico
• 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth BLE 4.2
• Shipped with ESP AT firmware

Open Source

PlainDAQ is open source and documented in the PlainDAQ public GitHub Repository.

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PlainDAQ is part of the Microchip Get Launched design competition!