3V precision reference for ADC/DAC bias
The LT1461ACS8-3#PBF is a series voltage reference from Analog Devices, delivering a fixed 3V output with ±0.04% initial tolerance. This is the accuracy floor for the entire operating range — a 3V rail that holds to within 1.2 mV at 25°C, before temperature and load effects are added. For a 16-bit ADC with a 3V reference, that drift contributes roughly 0.2 LSB of error — well within the noise floor of most SAR converters. Output current is rated at 100 mA, which is unusually high for a precision series reference. This lets the LT1461ACS8-3#PBF bias multiple converter reference inputs, an analog front-end, and a small buffer amplifier from a single reference node without an external buffer stage.
Noise and quiescent budget for signal-chain integrity
For a 3V output, that translates to roughly 24 µV p-p of flicker noise — the dominant error source below the ADC's quantization step in a 16-bit system. Quiescent supply current is 70 µA typical, making this reference viable for battery-powered instrumentation that spends most of its time in a low-duty-cycle measurement loop. The 3.5V minimum input headroom means it can run from a 3.7V Li-ion cell down to its discharge floor. The input voltage range spans 3.5V to 20V, so the reference can be powered from a regulated 5V or 12V rail without a separate LDO. The series topology means the load current is drawn from the input rail, not from a resistor divider — efficiency is high at light loads.
SOIC-8 footprint and board-level integration
The supplier device package is 8-SO, which is the same mechanical outline used across the LT1461 family. Supplied in tube packaging, this is the standard handling format for through-hole assembly or small-batch rework. The surface-mount package reflows on a standard SOIC-8 land pattern with no thermal pad requirement — the reference's 100 mA output does not generate significant self-heating in still air.
Active lifecycle and compliance documentation
No additional compliance documentation (REACH, UL, IEC) is listed in the manufacturer's standard product data.