The 12bit DAC3162 and 10bit DAC3152 from Texas Instruments are DACs designed for wideband transmit systems such as wireless basestations, software defined radio, point-to-point microwave, e-band radio and portable test equipment. According to the company, the DACs feature low power consumption, and they are available in a 48pin, 7x7mm QFN package. At 500Msamples/s, the DAC3162 uses 135mW/channel with 20mA output current and 67mW/channel with 2mA output current. They feature pin-for-pin compatibility and are claimed to help achieve 12- or 10bit resolution. According to the company, their simplified interface eliminates the need for the SPI. The company also offers evaluation modules for the DACs with a transceiver chain that includes the CDCP1803 clock buffer and TRF370333 quadrature modulator. These evaluation modules are compatible with the company's TSW3100 pattern generator module.
