Use this electronics calculation for a first-pass component, converter, signal, motor, or sensor estimate when the stated operating conditions and units match the device data.

Full-scale input span (V)

Required number input.

Resolution (bits)

Required integer input.

Calculate the ideal rounding quantizer's maximum absolute error as half an ADC LSB. Assumes a uniform quantizer and input within the conversion range; offset, gain, and noise errors are excluded. The tool evaluates the supplied inputs together and returns the named outputs below; it does not infer omitted operating conditions or change the units shown.^[1]

Maximum Error V

The resulting maximum error v returned as a number.

• Compact electronics formulas omit some combination of tolerances, temperature drift, bandwidth, loading, parasitics, noise spectrum, nonlinearity, clipping, calibration, layout, and device-specific limits. Typical datasheet values are not guaranteed limits.
• Use finite inputs in the displayed units and preserve more precision than the final presentation requires. Independently verify safety-critical, financial, compliance, or production decisions.

Check the result against the current datasheet and worst-case operating corners, then verify the circuit or measurement with simulation and bench testing where failure matters.

• ADC LSB Voltage

  Calculate one ideal ADC code width as full-scale input span divided by 2^N. Full-scale span is the high-to-low range, not necessarily the reference voltage for every ADC topology.

• Ideal ADC SNR

  Estimate ideal full-scale sine-wave signal-to-quantization-noise ratio as 6.02N+1.76 dB. Oversampling, thermal noise, distortion, and reduced input amplitude are not included.

• Finite-Gain Closed-Loop Error

  Calculate feedback closed-loop gain A/(1+Aβ) and percent error relative to ideal 1/β. Assumes negative feedback with positive real open-loop gain and feedback factor; frequency dependence is excluded.