The original Analog Plug is a bit overkill and a bit expensive for 8 simple 12-bit channels. I’m going to switch to an MCP3424, which has “only” 4 channels. The interesting bit is that they go all the way up to 18-bit resolution – if you need only about 4 samples per second (think thermostats, voltmeters, etc).
Here’s the board I had made:
And here’s the patch I had to apply (VSS and VDD mixed up, doh!):
This sketch puts the chip in continuous 18-bit mode and reports the readings:
Sample output:
I tied channel 1 “-” to ground and connected a small trimpot to “+” – note that the input range is bipolar and should be within -2.5 .. +2.5 V (or less, since input gain is adjustable from 1x to 8x). The sample output shows readings while turning the trimpot a bit, with 18-bits these readings lie between -131,071 and +131,071.
Luckily only a few of these plugs have been made so far (as part of a larger panel with other stuff on it), so there’s no harm done. To redo them properly will just take a few more weeks, as usual…