Reply by glen herrmannsfeldt April 29, 20082008-04-29
rickman wrote:

(snip regarding PCM, and modulation in general)

> Why do you say it has *nothing* to do with the DAC conversion? The > "modulation" of PCM is the ADC step. The inverse of ADC is DAC so why > wouldn't that be the "demodulation" step?
Well, yes, but it is also in the storage method for the ADC output.
> I've always thought of PCM as a very odd term. There is no modulation > involved. Calling it "coding" might be ok, but why "pulse"? There > are not really pulses involved, just digital data. But if you > consider it in the context of the times when it was being used, the > other choices were all analog modulation techniques; AM, FM, PWM, > PAM,... In that context, it made sense to call digital data a "pulse > modulation" of some sort since it is digital which is always pulses > (compared to analog signals).
It is just digital data, but you have to do something with it to store it or send it through a communications link. In pretty much all systems the digital data goes through analog electronics and is stored as a modulated signal. (I would possibly give an exception to an NRZ signal through a DC coupled system.)
> PCM is just a name for digital representation of an analog signal. > The name is not descriptive or accurate and it does not fit "proper" > nomenclature. But it is with us to stay. Don't try to read too much > into it.
Consider what it actually looks like on a CD, or the signal coming off the CD. It it recorded as on/off pulses of the laser. Before CD there were other optical recording systems being considered, such as PWM. PWM is 'digital' in that the signal is either on or off, and so not dependent on the linearity of the recording/playback system. PWM could also be time multiplexed on an analog medium, such as optical fiber or coaxial cable. Pulse modulated signals can go through AC coupled systems such as transformers or magnetic tape. But yes, the term PCM is often used in the context where no modulation is needed. (Though stored on a magnetic disk on a computer it is also pulse modulated in some form.) -- glen
Reply by Jerry Avins April 28, 20082008-04-28
Green Xenon [Radium] wrote:

> ... I've also believed that > PCM-demodulation has nothing to do the DAC conversion at all.
You may remember that you've been wrong before. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by Richard Dobson April 28, 20082008-04-28
rickman wrote:
...
> I've always thought of PCM as a very odd term. There is no modulation > involved. Calling it "coding" might be ok, but why "pulse"? There > are not really pulses involved, just digital data. But if you > consider it in the context of the times when it was being used, the > other choices were all analog modulation techniques; AM, FM, PWM, > PAM,... In that context, it made sense to call digital data a "pulse > modulation" of some sort since it is digital which is always pulses > (compared to analog signals). >
The BBC used the term PCM for their early digital audio transmissions. There were in effect two stages - the initial ADC stage, and a further stage to "encode" it for broadcast or relay, e.g. as part of the overall video feed. From what little I remember, this was not so much for direct broadcast to users (so not "digital radio" as such), but to transmit from location to studio etc (e.g. over microwave link). The data was not "pure" ADC output, but carried additional parity bits and stuff (to use the full technical term). Googling "PCM BBC" should throw up lots of relevant material. Richard Dobson
Reply by rickman April 28, 20082008-04-28
On Apr 28, 2:30 am, "Green Xenon [Radium]" <gluceg...@excite.com>
wrote:
> glen herrmannsfeldt wrote: > > Randy Yates wrote: > > (snip) > > >> I'm guessing so. In almost 30 years, I've never heard of a > >> PCM-demodulator, but I am getting old and senile. Where did you come > >> across this term? > > > Well, the M is for modulation, but I agree using the term > > "demodulator" in that case is unusual. > > > In the past, other modulation methods such as PWM (pulse width > > modulation) were used. In that case, a real demodulator makes > > some sense. Compare to demodulating an AM-SC (Amplitude > > modulation - suppressed carrier) signal like the stereo > > subcarrier. > > > For PWM, even as a 'digital' signal, the demodulation is > > somewhat analog. For PWM, you might have a PLL to lock onto > > the bit stream (such as that coming off a CD), but the actual > > demodulation is the D/A converter. > > > -- glen > > A PCM-demodulator does to a PCM-signal what an AM-demodulator does to an > AM-signal which is also what an FM-demodulator does to an FM-signal. I > know how AM/FM demodulation work. I am just curious as to how > PCM-demodulation works. From that start, I've also believed that > PCM-demodulation has nothing to do the DAC conversion at all.
Why do you say it has *nothing* to do with the DAC conversion? The "modulation" of PCM is the ADC step. The inverse of ADC is DAC so why wouldn't that be the "demodulation" step? I've always thought of PCM as a very odd term. There is no modulation involved. Calling it "coding" might be ok, but why "pulse"? There are not really pulses involved, just digital data. But if you consider it in the context of the times when it was being used, the other choices were all analog modulation techniques; AM, FM, PWM, PAM,... In that context, it made sense to call digital data a "pulse modulation" of some sort since it is digital which is always pulses (compared to analog signals). PCM is just a name for digital representation of an analog signal. The name is not descriptive or accurate and it does not fit "proper" nomenclature. But it is with us to stay. Don't try to read too much into it. Rick
Reply by Green Xenon [Radium] April 28, 20082008-04-28
glen herrmannsfeldt wrote:
> Randy Yates wrote: > (snip) > >> I'm guessing so. In almost 30 years, I've never heard of a >> PCM-demodulator, but I am getting old and senile. Where did you come >> across this term? > > Well, the M is for modulation, but I agree using the term > "demodulator" in that case is unusual. > > In the past, other modulation methods such as PWM (pulse width > modulation) were used. In that case, a real demodulator makes > some sense. Compare to demodulating an AM-SC (Amplitude > modulation - suppressed carrier) signal like the stereo > subcarrier. > > For PWM, even as a 'digital' signal, the demodulation is > somewhat analog. For PWM, you might have a PLL to lock onto > the bit stream (such as that coming off a CD), but the actual > demodulation is the D/A converter. > > -- glen >
A PCM-demodulator does to a PCM-signal what an AM-demodulator does to an AM-signal which is also what an FM-demodulator does to an FM-signal. I know how AM/FM demodulation work. I am just curious as to how PCM-demodulation works. From that start, I've also believed that PCM-demodulation has nothing to do the DAC conversion at all.
Reply by Green Xenon [Radium] April 28, 20082008-04-28
Randy Yates wrote:
> "Green Xenon [Radium]" <glucegen1@excite.com> writes: > >> Randy Yates wrote: >>> "Green Xenon [Radium]" <glucegen1@excite.com> writes: >>> >>>> Hi: >>>> >>>> How does a PCM-demodulator work? >>>> >>>> >>>> Thanks, >>>> >>>> Radium >>> Lookup A/D and D/A conversion. >> >> So a PCM-demodulator is the same thing as a DAC? > > I'm guessing so. In almost 30 years, I've never heard of a > PCM-demodulator, but I am getting old and senile. Where did you come > across this term?
There is AM-demodulation and FM-demodulation. So why not PCM-demodulation?
Reply by glen herrmannsfeldt April 28, 20082008-04-28
Randy Yates wrote:
(snip)

> I'm guessing so. In almost 30 years, I've never heard of a > PCM-demodulator, but I am getting old and senile. Where did you come > across this term?
Well, the M is for modulation, but I agree using the term "demodulator" in that case is unusual. In the past, other modulation methods such as PWM (pulse width modulation) were used. In that case, a real demodulator makes some sense. Compare to demodulating an AM-SC (Amplitude modulation - suppressed carrier) signal like the stereo subcarrier. For PWM, even as a 'digital' signal, the demodulation is somewhat analog. For PWM, you might have a PLL to lock onto the bit stream (such as that coming off a CD), but the actual demodulation is the D/A converter. -- glen
Reply by Darol Klawetter April 25, 20082008-04-25
On Apr 25, 12:01 am, "Green Xenon [Radium]" <gluceg...@excite.com>
wrote:
> Hi: > > How does a PCM-demodulator work? > > Thanks, > > Radium
Your question is very broad. Once an analog signal has been sampled and put into PCM form (e.g., A/D samples), the resulting PCM bits can then be used to modulate a carrier in a variety of ways (QPSK, FSK, BPSK, etc). Thus, a PCM demodulator would require, for example, a QPSK or FSK demodulator. This demodulator would output a stream of PCM bits which represent samples of an analog signal. This technique is sometimes used when conveying analog channels in a time-division multiplexed scheme. Darol Klawetter
Reply by April 25, 20082008-04-25
Green Xenon [Radium] wrote:
> Hi: > > How does a PCM-demodulator work? > > > Thanks, > > Radium
Here is analog methodology. But you still have to synchronize to the beginning of a symbol (called pulse group here). http://www.tpub.com/content/neets/14184/css/14184_178.htm PCM is somewhat broad. You need a way to synchronize correctly (depends on the specifics). In a digital implementation, it is a matter of clocking in the serial pulse state (present or not) into something that will generate the digital sample value (i.e. serial-to-parallel register). This can then be clocked to the DAC. Cheers, J.Elms
Reply by April 25, 20082008-04-25
On Apr 25, 1:01&#4294967295;am, "Green Xenon [Radium]" <gluceg...@excite.com>
wrote:
> Hi: > > How does a PCM-demodulator work? > > Thanks, > > Radium
Like Randy I have have never seen the exact term "PCM Demodulator" and I expect it is some kind of marking speak for a simple D/A process. But google is a freind and offers up this site: http://www.sunequipco.com/LABS/DCL-10300/DCL-10300.htm They will teach you all about such named devices. IHTH, Clay