AD8231
INCORRECT
CORRECT
INPUT BIAS CURRENT RETURN PATH
The input bias current of the AD8231 must have a return path
to common. When the source, such as a thermocouple, cannot
provide a return current path, one should be created, as shown
in Figure 32.
AD8231
AD8231
IN-AMP
IN-AMP
V
REF
V
REF
INCORRECT
CORRECT
+
+V
+V
S
S
AD8231
OP AMP
–
Figure 31. Driving the Reference Pin
AD8231
AD8231
REF
REF
REF
REF
LAYOUT
The AD8231 is a high precision device. To ensure optimum
performance at the PC board level, care must be taken in the
design of the board layout. The AD8231 pinout is arranged in
a logical manner to aid in this task.
–V
S
–V
S
TRANSFORMER
TRANSFORMER
+V
+V
S
S
Power Supplies
The AD8231 should be decoupled with a 0.1 μF bypass capacitor
between the two supplies. This capacitor should be placed as close
as possible to Pin 11 and Pin 12, either directly next to the pins or
beneath the pins on the backside of the board. The AD8231’s auto-
zero architecture requires a low ac impedance between the supplies.
Long trace lengths to the bypass capacitor increase this impedance,
which results in a larger input offset voltage.
AD8231
AD8231
REF
10MΩ
–V
–V
S
S
THERMOCOUPLE
THERMOCOUPLE
A stable dc voltage should be used to power the instrumentation
amplifier. Noise on the supply pins can adversely affect
performance.
+V
+V
S
S
C
C
C
R
R
Package Considerations
1
fHIGH-PASS
=
AD8231
2πRC
AD8231
C
The AD8231 comes in a 4 mm × 4 mm LFCSP. Beware of
blindly copying the footprint from another 4 mm × 4 mm
LFCSP part; it may not have the same thermal pad size and
leads. Refer to the Outline Dimensions section to verify that the
PCB symbol has the correct dimensions. Space between the
leads and thermal pad should be kept as wide as possible for the
best bias current performance.
REF
–V
–V
S
S
CAPACITIVELY COUPLED
CAPACITIVELY COUPLED
Figure 32. Creating an IBIAS Path
RF INTERFERENCE
Thermal Pad
RF rectification is often a problem when amplifiers are used in
applications where there are strong RF signals. The disturbance
can appear as a small dc offset voltage. High frequency signals
can be filtered with a low-pass, RC network placed at the input
of the instrumentation amplifier, as shown in Figure 33. The
filter limits the input signal bandwidth according to the
following relationship:
The AD8231 4 mm × 4 mm LFCSP comes with a thermal pad.
This pad is connected internally to −VS. The pad can either be
left unconnected or connected to the negative supply rail. For
high vibration applications, a landing is recommended.
Because the AD8231 dissipates little power, heat dissipation is
rarely an issue. If improved heat dissipation is desired (for
example, when ambient temperatures are near 125°C or when
driving heavy loads), connect the thermal pad to the negative
supply rail. For the best heat dissipation performance, the
negative supply rail should be a plane in the board. See the
Thermal Resistance section for thermal coefficients with and
without the pad soldered.
1
FilterFreqDiff =
2π R(2CD + CC )
1
FilterFreqCM =
2π RCC
where CD ≥ 10CC.
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