Do DAC chips need programming?

Harbapapa · Jun 11, 2023

So, my question is as title says (maybe a newbie question - sorry).

Do dac chips need programming or can they set up just using control pins? For example AK5558VN or Midas8000 or similar

I was thinking to connect dac/adc to Minidsp Mchstreamer in i2s or tdm mode. Do I need to program dac chip to get this work. I managed to connect Pcm1808 to it successfully, but how about more complex dac?

Also if I don't need programming would there be some benefits to use it anyway?

Newmarket · Jun 11, 2023

You have data sheets for these devices ?

Harbapapa · Jun 11, 2023

Newmarket said:
You have data sheets for these devices ?

Yes. Is there any specific info to determine my question?

Like this table in datasheet?
I'm asking this because programming is probably too much for me. I could build 10 in/out dac pretty easily but if I want more channels I would have to go tdm.

ccaudle · Jun 11, 2023

Harbapapa said:
Is there any specific info to determine my question?

Check to see if the mode you want to use is set with pins or register settings.

Newmarket · Jun 11, 2023

Harbapapa said:
Yes. Is there any specific info to determine my question?

Like this table in datasheet?
I'm asking this because programming is probably too much for me. I could build 10 in/out dac pretty easily but if I want more channels I would have to go tdm.

You need to refer to the whole datasheet and any associated application notes. tbh I'm not going to go through it myself for fun. But eg many years ago when I was implementing a design using whatever AKM converters the modes etc could be controlled either via register programming or pin logic levels.

capacitorless · Jun 11, 2023

Here's the datasheet for the AK5888 ADC: https://datasheet.lcsc.com/lcsc/2106080736_Asahi-Kasei-Microdevices-AK5558VN_C2655448.pdf

In the Features section, you'll find:

Serial Interface:3-wire Serial and I2C μP I/F(Pin setting is also available)

I would look for similar info in whatever converter chip datasheets you are checking out. The (few) AK datasheets I've looked at have all mentioned that pin setting is available, FWIW.