Enter your Number of Bits (n), Analog Input Voltage (Vin), and Reference Voltage (Vref) into this ADC Calculator to find your Digital Output Value along with the Binary Output, ADC Resolution, Step Size (LSB), and Maximum Digital Value — everything you need to understand how your analog-to-digital conversion breaks down.
Digital Output Value
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Binary Output
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ADC Resolution
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Step Size (LSB)
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Maximum Digital Value
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Input Percentage of Full Scale
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ADC resolution is the number of bits used to represent the digital output. Higher resolution provides more precise conversion - a 10-bit ADC has 1024 levels while a 12-bit ADC has 4096 levels, offering finer granularity.
Step size (Least Significant Bit) is calculated as Reference Voltage ÷ (2^n), where n is the number of bits. For example, a 10-bit ADC with 5V reference has a step size of 5V ÷ 1024 = 4.88mV.
If the input voltage exceeds the reference voltage, the ADC will output its maximum digital value (2^n - 1). This is called saturation or clipping, and the actual input voltage cannot be determined.
Microcontrollers can only process digital signals (0s and 1s). ADCs convert continuous analog signals from sensors and real-world inputs into discrete digital values that microcontrollers can understand and process.
The main difference is resolution: 8-bit ADCs have 256 levels, 10-bit have 1024 levels, and 12-bit have 4096 levels. Higher bit ADCs provide more precise measurements but may be slower and consume more power.
This calculator uses the standard ADC conversion formula: Digital Value = floor((Vin/Vref) × (2^n - 1)). It provides theoretical values - actual ADC performance may vary due to noise, non-linearity, and other real-world factors.