Maxim's MAXSANTAFEEVSYS kit allows users to quickly demonstrate and evaluate the functionality of the MAXREFDES5 4-channel 16-bit, isolated analog front-end (AFE) reference design without the need for a bench power supply, signal generator equipment, or Xilinx development kit. The reference design board connects to a PC through an included USB-to-SPI adapter that provides both power and data communication to the board. To test the AFE reference design, a USB-powered signal generator board utilizing one of Maxim’s digital-to-analog converters (DAC) is also included. A Windows^®-based graphical user interface (GUI) communicates with the boards for generating various analog signal test patterns and simplified access to AFE measurement data.

The MAXREFDES5 reference design is a 4-channel analog front-end (AFE) that accepts -10 V to +10 V, 0 V to 10 V, and 4–20 mA current-loop signals. The design integrates a 16-bit ADC with multi-range input programmability (MAX1301) plus low-noise, high-impedance analog buffers (MAX9632) on two of the input channels and an ultra-high-precision 4.096 V voltage reference (MAX6126) to achieve maximum performance from the 16-bit system. A 600 V_RMS digital isolator (MAX14850) and 3 W transformer driver (MAX256) provide the necessary isolated data and power connections to the host system. LDO regulators (MAX1659) provide regulated +12 V, -12 V, and 5 V power rails to the analog front-end.

MAXSANTAFEEVSYS User Manual is available.