Hi everyone! I'm designing a product that incorporates multiple analog sensors, all operating in the 3.3V range. Initially, I planned to connect all the signals directly to a microcontroller. However, I'm now concerned about potential interference affecting the signals. Would it be advisable to convert each analog signal to digital right near the sensors and then transfer the data to the microcontroller? All of this will be implemented on a PCB. I would appreciate any suggestions or insights!
4o mini

 

Would it be advisable to convert each analog signal to digital right near the sensors

Yes that's preferred, since it minimizes the pickup of noise/interference.
Some analog sensors have the A/D converters built-in.

 

It depends on how robust the signals are, and how much resolution you need. If the signals are not prone to interference, and have a low bandwidth from which interference can easily be filtered, then it may be possible to use the A/D converters in the microcontroller. Note that the A/D converters in a microcontroller tend not to be as good as standalone ones.

 

Certainly it is important to correctly connect analog sensors to analog inputs correctly. So the very first question is about the required resolution and accuracy that the application requires. Then there is a question about the input voltage span of the analog inputs on the processor itself. Without knowing the capability of the processor analog section it is not possible to provide any better than a guess as to what will be the best choice. Some guesses may be better than others but without actual information they are still all guesses.
So we need to know the voltage input range of the processor analog inputs, and how many bits of resolution those inputs can provide. AND we will need to know the output voltage ranges of the analog sensors. Then we need to know the analog input connection scheme of the processor module.