What Is Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC)?

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What comes to mind when considering a digital-to-analog converter (DAC)? A device could convert binary or digital code into an analog signal. Perhaps a single chip converts an abstract finite precise number, typically a fixed-point binary number, into a definite physical variable such as voltage or pressure or maybe it's just a fancy way of saying "gadget." A DAC is often used to generate an analog output from a digital input for signal conversion in communication, instrumentation, and control systems. Digital-to-analog conversion converts a discrete quantity, such as a numerical value, into a continuous one, such as an audio signal or a voltage. DACs are commonly used in audio equipment, analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), digital recording, and video equipment. How do DACs work? To understand how a DAC operates, let's use an example of a bar graph. The bar graph shows the values of a particular quantity, say electrical current. The height of each bar offers the current value. We want to convert this bar graph into a continuous electrical current. Can do it by connecting each bar to an electric component and adjusting the potentiometer to desired values. You can do this manually or with a computer. A potentiometer is a device that allows you to adjust electrical current continuously. Similarly, DACs are devices that will enable you to convert discrete digital data into an analog signal. DACs are like the digital version of your brain. They take all those 0s and 1s, translate them into something more meaningful, and then send them to do real work. For example, let's say there's a guy named Bob who's really into football. He loves watching it on TV but doesn't understand how it works. So he gets a DAC to convert his favorite team's numbers into an understandable form: "The 49ers are gonna win this game!" That way, when they win, he can say, "I knew it! I'm so smart!"

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