SBASB61 August 2026 ADS124S18
PRODUCTION DATA
Figure 9-9 shows the implementation of a thermocouple measurement using a 2-wire RTD for cold-junction temperature measurement. Other ways to measure the cold-junction temperature can be used with the ADS1x4S1x as well, such as a thermistor (for example TMP61), an analog output temperature sensor (for example LMT70A), or using the integrated temperature sensor.
Equation 32 provides the relationship between ADC codes and the thermocouple voltage (VTC) measured between AIN4 and AIN5.
Where n follows the guidelines of Equation 24.
An important aspect of the circuit implementation is the biasing of the thermocouple so that the voltages at the thermocouple terminals meet the input voltage requirements of the ADS1x4S1x. In this example pullup and pulldown resistors (typically in the range of 1MΩ to 10MΩ) in front of the RC filter are used to bias the thermocouple output voltage to AVDD / 2. At the same time, the pullup and pulldown resistors serve as a means to detect an open sensor connection. In case of an open sensor connection, the positive analog input (AIN4) is pulled to AVDD, and the negative analog input (AIN5) to GND. This condition leads to a measurement result which is outside the normal measurement range for the thermocouple.
Many other ways to bias the thermocouple can be used as well. For example the reference output voltage can be used by connecting REFOUT to the negative thermocouple terminal instead of the pulldown resistor. For more information about thermocouple measurement circuits and the implementation using TI ADCs see the A Basic Guide to Thermocouple Measurements application note. A software library using C code showing how to implement the thermocouple linearization and cold-junction compensation algorithms in the host controller is available here.