Sensor Resolution (Bits) Calculator

Work out sensor resolution (bits) instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Sensor Resolution (Bits) Calculator

One LSB is full-scale range divided by 2 to the power n, so a 12-bit converter on 10 V resolves 2.44 mV. Real noise-free resolution is always lower: losing 1.5 bits to noise means the smallest reliably distinguishable step is nearly three LSBs.

Formula

ADC resolution

LSB = full scale / 2^n; effective resolution = LSB x 2^(bits lost to noise)

Worked example

With the default values below, Sensor Resolution (Bits) Calculator returns LSB size of 2.44141. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

ADC resolution: 12 bits
Full scale range: 10 V
Noise-free bits lost: 1.5 bits

Results

LSB size: 2.44141 mV
Effective resolution: 6.90534 mV
Total counts: 4,096 counts
Dynamic range: 64.97 dB

Step by step

1Values used
2ADC resolution
3LSB size= 2.44141 mV
4Effective resolution= 6.90534 mV
5Total counts= 4,096 counts
6Dynamic range= 64.97 dB

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is effective resolution lower than the datasheet bits?

Thermal noise, reference noise, clock jitter and layout coupling all add. Datasheets quote effective number of bits (ENOB), which is the honest figure.

How do I recover lost bits?

Averaging: each factor of four in the number of averaged samples recovers one bit, provided the noise is random and the signal is stationary.