TDC7200 Time-to-Digital Converter

Texas Instruments' TDC7200 is a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) for ultrasonic sensing measurements such as water flow, gas flow, and heat flow meters. When paired with the TDC1000 (ultrasonic analog front-end), the TDC7200 can be a part of a complete TI ultrasonic sensing solution that includes the MSP430, power, wireless, and source code.

The TDC performs the function of a stopwatch and measures the elapsed time (time-of-flight or TOF) between a START pulse and up to five STOP pulses. The ability to measure from START to multiple STOPs gives users the flexibility to select which STOP pulse yields the best echo performance.

The device has an internal self-calibrated time base which compensates for drift over time and temperature. Self-calibration enables TDC accuracy in the order of picoseconds. This accuracy makes the TDC7200 ideal for flow meter applications, where zero- and low-flow measurements require high accuracy.