Analog Devices defines an ADC as a device that translates real-world analog signals — temperature, pressure, voltage, current, distance, or light intensity — into a digital representation of that signalCITE:E1. This translation is the foundational step that lets electronic systems process physical-world measurements using digital logic.
An ADC's resolution sets a hard ceiling on how many distinct digital values it can output. Analog Devices states that an ADC with N output bits produces 2^N digital values, where N is the number of binary output bitsCITE:E2. NI illustrates this formula with a concrete case: a 16-bit converter divides its measurement range into 2^16, or 65,536, discrete levelsCITE:E6. The relationship is exponential — each added bit doubles the number of levels available to represent the same analog range.
Quantization error is the inherent uncertainty created when an analog input signal falls between two quantization levels. Analog Devices explains that because a converter has finite resolution, the analog input will land between quantization levels, producing this inherent uncertaintyCITE:E4. In other words, quantization error is not a flaw in a specific converter — it is a structural consequence of representing a continuous analog value with a finite set of discrete digital levels.
Both Analog Devices and NI describe the same sampling constraint from different angles. Analog Devices' Nyquist theorem states that signal frequency must be less than or equal to one half the sampling frequency to prevent aliasingCITE:E3. NI's Nyquist criterion frames the same requirement from the sampling side: the sample rate fs must be greater than twice the highest frequency component of interest in the measured signalCITE:E7. Together, these two statements define the boundary condition that any sampling system must satisfy to avoid misrepresenting a signal's frequency content.
Texas Instruments' ADS1115 is a 16-bit, 860-SPS, 4-channel delta-sigma ADC with a programmable gain amplifier, oscillator, voltage reference, comparator, and I2C interfaceCITE:E5. At 16 bits of resolution, the ADS1115 resolves its input range into 2^16, or 65,536, discrete quantization levels — the same figure NI cites for a generic 16-bit instrumentCITE:E6. The ADS1115 datasheet thus serves as a concrete, commercially available example of the resolution formula and quantization-level count described above.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ADC resolution formula | 2^N digital values for N output bits | CITE:E2 |
| 16-bit quantization levels | 65,536 (2^16) discrete levels | CITE:E6 |
| ADS1115 sample rate | 860 SPS | CITE:E5 |
| ADS1115 channel count | 4 channels | CITE:E5 |
| Nyquist theorem (signal side) | Signal frequency ≤ 1/2 sampling frequency | CITE:E3 |
| Nyquist criterion (sampling side) | Sample rate fs > 2× highest frequency component | CITE:E7 |
What this means: the evidence shows two independent axes governing any ADC's fidelity — the number of discrete levels set by bit depth (2^N, concretely 65,536 at 16 bits) and the timing constraint set by the Nyquist relationship. Texas Instruments' ADS1115 anchors both axes to a single real product, pairing 16-bit resolution with an 860-SPS sample rate across 4 channels. Notably, Analog Devices and NI state the same underlying sampling constraint from opposite directions — one bounds signal frequency from above (≤ half the sampling rate), the other bounds sample rate from below (> twice the signal frequency) — a phrasing difference around the same boundary condition rather than a contradiction in substance.
Analog Devices defines an ADC as a device that translates real-world analog signals — temperature, pressure, voltage, current, distance, or light intensity — in…
An ADC's resolution sets a hard ceiling on how many distinct digital values it can output.
Quantization error is the inherent uncertainty created when an analog input signal falls between two quantization levels.
Both Analog Devices and NI describe the same sampling constraint from different angles.
The datasheet numbers cited here point to a practical engineering discipline rather than a single spec to optimize: resolution and sampling rate are independent knobs, and both must be checked against the target signal. The ADS1115 pairs 16-bit resolution (65,536 levels) with an 860-SPS ceiling across 4 channels — but that sample rate only delivers a faithful signal if it clears the Nyquist bound, where the input's highest frequency component must sit at or below half the sampling rate. A design that reads only the 16-bit figure and ignores the 860-SPS-to-bandwidth ratio can still land in the quantization-error or aliasing failure modes described above, regardless of how many bits the converter offers. The metric worth checking first on any ADC datasheet is therefore the sample-rate margin against Nyquist, not resolution in isolation.
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