DAC Calculator Digital to Analog

Convert digital values to analog voltage output | R-2R · PWM · Binary-Weighted

📊 DAC Resolution (bits)

🔢 Custom Bits

⚡ Reference Voltage (Vref) V

🔌 DAC Type

🔢 Digital Input Value

📊 Output Format

⏱️ PWM Frequency (Hz) PWM only

📈 Filter Order PWM only

📖 DAC Calculator

A Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) converts digital values to analog voltage. This calculator helps you determine the output voltage for different DAC architectures including R-2R ladders, binary-weighted, and PWM DACs.

📐 DAC Output Formulas

Voltage Output: Vout = (D / 2^N) × Vref
Step Size (LSB): Vref / 2^N
PWM Duty Cycle: D / 2^N × 100%
PWM Output: Vout = Duty × Vref

📊 DAC Resolution Comparison

Bits	Steps	Resolution (5V Ref)	Applications
8	256	19.53 mV	Basic control
10	1,024	4.88 mV	Arduino, Basic DACs
12	4,096	1.22 mV	Audio, Control
16	65,536	76.29 µV	Precision, Audio
24	16.7M	0.298 µV	High-end audio

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What is DAC resolution? ▼

DAC resolution is the number of bits used to represent the digital input. Higher resolution = more output steps = finer voltage control. A 10-bit DAC has 1024 output levels.

How do I calculate DAC output voltage? ▼

Vout = (Digital Value / 2^N) × Vref. For example, digital value 512 with 10-bit DAC (1024 steps) and 5V reference gives Vout = (512/1024) × 5 = 2.5V.

What is an R-2R ladder DAC? ▼

An R-2R ladder uses only two resistor values (R and 2R) in a network to create a binary-weighted voltage divider. It's simple to implement and doesn't require precision resistors for each bit.

How does a PWM DAC work? ▼

A PWM DAC uses a pulse-width modulated signal filtered by a low-pass filter. The duty cycle determines the average voltage. Vout = (Duty Cycle) × Vref.