Calculators » Signal and Communication » SNR to Resolution Converter

SNR to Resolution Converter

snr resolution signal noise ratio analog digital converter signal processing

This page provides converters and calculators for converting between SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) and resolution in N bits. It includes both:

SNR to Resolution converter

Inputs

Outputs

EXAMPLE:

INPUT: SNR (dB) = 37.9 OUTPUT: RESOLUTION (bits) = 6

Resolution to SNR converter

Inputs

Outputs

EXAMPLE:

INPUT: RESOLUTION (bits) = 6 OUTPUT: SNR (dB) = 37.9

Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)

SNR is the ratio of the root mean square (RMS) signal frequency input to the RMS noise signal of the ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) from DC to the Nyquist frequency. This calculation excludes noise at DC and harmonics.

The formula for SNR is:

SNR = 20 * log10 (SIGNALrms / NOISErms)

Resolution (N)

Resolution is expressed as the number of discrete levels required to represent the digitized version of an analog signal that’s input to an ADC. The higher the resolution, the better the reconstruction of the signal. Essentially, more bits mean finer gradations.

SNR vs. Resolution Converter

The following equation/formula is used for the SNR to resolution and vice versa conversion:

SNR vs Resolution converter