University of Balamand
Faculty of Engineering
ELEN 306- Telecommunications Laboratory
Presented to Dr. Olga Yaacoub
Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)
Kamil Al Sayegh A2310392
Rebecca Chalouhi A2310120
/4/2026
I. Introduction
Digital communication systems play a crucial role in modern technology by enabling the
reliable transmission of information in the form of discrete signals. Unlike analog
communication, where signals are continuous and more susceptible to noise and
distortion, digital communication offers improved robustness, flexibility, and efficiency.
One of the most fundamental techniques used in digital communication is Pulse Code
Modulation (PCM). PCM is a method used to convert an analog signal into a digital
representation by sampling, quantizing, and encoding the signal into binary form. This
process allows analog signals such as audio and sensor data to be transmitted over digital
communication channels.
The PCM process consists of three main stages. First, the analog signal is sampled at
regular intervals according to the Nyquist criterion. Second, the sampled values are
quantized into a finite number of discrete levels. Finally, the quantized values are
encoded into binary form for transmission. At the receiver, the process is reversed to
reconstruct an approximation of the original signal.
The objective of this project is to design and simulate a complete PCM modulation and
demodulation system using Simulink in MATLAB. The system demonstrates all key
stages of PCM, including sampling, quantization, binary encoding, decoding, and signal
reconstruction. In addition, the performance of the system is evaluated by analyzing the
effect of different quantization levels and calculating the Signal-to-Quantization-Noise
Ratio (SQNR).
II. System Design and Methodology
A complete PCM system was designed and implemented using Simulink in MATLAB.
The system consists of two main parts: the PCM modulator (transmitter) and the PCM
demodulator (receiver).
PCM Modulator
The modulator begins with an analog input signal generated using a sine wave
block. The signal was configured with an amplitude and bias such that its range
lies between 0 and 5 volts, ensuring compatibility with the analog-to-digital
conversion stage.
The first stage of the PCM process is sampling, which was implemented using a
Zero-Order Hold (ZOH) block. This block samples the continuous input signal at
a fixed sampling interval, producing a discrete-time signal.
The sampled signal is then passed through an Ideal Analog-to-Digital Converter
(ADC) quantizer block. This block performs quantization by mapping the
continuous amplitude values into a finite number of discrete levels, determined by
the number of bits used. Different quantization resolutions were tested by varying
the number of bits from 2 to 4.
Following quantization, the digital representation of the signal is converted into
binary form using an Integer to Bit Converter block. This stage represents the
encoding process in PCM, where each quantized level is expressed as a binary
code.
PCM Demodulator
At the receiver side, the binary signal is first converted back into integer values
using a Bit to Integer Converter block. This process represents the decoding stage
of the PCM system.
The decoded integer values are then scaled using a Gain block to reconstruct the
quantized amplitude levels of the signal. The scaling factor depends on the
number of quantization levels and ensures that the signal returns to the appropriate
voltage range.
A second Zero-Order Hold block is used to maintain each reconstructed sample
value over the sampling interval, mimicking the behavior of a digital-to-analog
converter (DAC).
Finally, a low-pass filter, implemented using a Transfer Function block, is applied
to smooth the reconstructed signal and approximate the original analog waveform.
Next, to evaluate system performance, key signals at different stages of the system were
exported to the MATLAB workspace. The sampled signal before quantization and the
reconstructed signal after decoding were used to calculate the Signal-to-Quantization-Noise
Ratio (SQNR). This allowed for a quantitative assessment of the effect of different
quantization levels on signal quality.
III. Simulink Design
IV. Results
First we have the 2 bit mode which translates to 4 levels of quantization:
The gain in the demodulation was set to 1.25 since we have 4 levels and the voltage is
between 0 and 5 , and so 5/4 is 1.25 so this gain must be added to reconstruct the signal as
close as possible:
This is the quantized signal at 4 levels.
And this is the reconstructed signal in blue against the original signal in yellow.
Second, we have the 3 bit mode which translates to 8 levels of quantization:
The gain in the demodulation was set to 0.625 since we have 8 levels and the voltage is
between 0 and 5 , and so 5/8 is 0.625 so this gain must be added to reconstruct the signal as
close as possible:
This is the quantized signal at 8 levels.
And this is the reconstructed signal in blue against the original signal in yellow.
Lastly, we have the 4 bit mode which translates to 16 levels of quantization:
The gain in the demodulation was set to 0.3125 since we have 16 levels and the voltage is
between 0 and 5 , and so 5/16 is 0.3125 so this gain must be added to reconstruct the signal as
close as possible:
This is the quantized signal at 16 levels.
And this is the reconstructed signal in blue against the original signal in yellow.
The simulation results show the signal at different stages of the PCM system. The sampled
signal exhibits discrete-time behavior, while the quantized signal shows discrete amplitude
levels. The reconstructed signal becomes smoother after filtering and closely approximates
the original input signal, especially for higher quantization levels.
V. Performance Analysis
This table summarizes the findings of the SQNR in the different scenarios tested in our
simulations:
Number of Number of Quantization SQNR Observation
Bits Levels Step (Δ) (dB)
2 4 1.25 14.32 High distortion, poor signal
approximation
3 8 0.625 21.19 Noticeable improvement,
moderate noise
4 16 0.3125 27.75 Good approximation, low
quantization noise
Results and Analysis
The performance of the PCM system was evaluated by varying the number of quantization
bits and calculating the corresponding Signal-to-Quantization-Noise Ratio (SQNR). Three
cases were analyzed: 2 bits (4 levels), 3 bits (8 levels), and 4 bits (16 levels).
For the 2-bit case, the SQNR was measured at approximately 14.32 dB. Due to the limited
number of quantization levels, the signal was coarsely approximated, resulting in significant
quantization noise and visible distortion in the reconstructed waveform.
When the number of bits was increased to 3, the SQNR improved to approximately 21.19 dB.
This increase in resolution allowed for a finer representation of the signal, reducing
quantization error and improving the overall quality of the reconstructed signal.
For the 4-bit case, the SQNR further increased to 27.75 dB. With 16 quantization levels, the
signal approximation became much more accurate, and the reconstructed waveform closely
resembled the sampled input signal. The quantization noise was significantly reduced
compared to the lower bit cases.
These results confirm that increasing the number of quantization bits leads to an
improvement in system performance. Specifically, the SQNR increases as the number of
levels increases, which corresponds to a reduction in quantization noise. This observation
aligns with theoretical expectations, where SQNR increases approximately linearly (in dB)
with the number of bits.
Overall, the analysis demonstrates that higher-resolution quantization provides better signal
fidelity at the cost of increased data rate and bandwidth requirements, highlighting the
fundamental trade-off in PCM systems.
VI. Bit Error Rate
The BER was calculated by comparing the transmitted and received bit sequences. The result
was zero, indicating that no bit errors occurred. This is expected in an ideal PCM system
without a noisy channel, where encoding and decoding are performed perfectly. The observed
signal distortion is therefore attributed to quantization rather than transmission errors.
(comparing the input of the bit to integer with the output of the integer to bit)
As well when calculating the BER of the input and outputs of the bit converters the BER also
came out to 0.
But, when calculating the BER of the input and output of the integer to bit converter, we see
an increase in BER making it 0.7702 that is inaccurate since we are calculating using 2
completely different data types.
VII. Discussion
The results obtained from the simulation are consistent with theoretical expectations.
Increasing the number of quantization bits leads to a reduction in quantization error and an
improvement in SQNR. The observed increase in SQNR with each additional bit confirms the
linear relationship predicted by theory. Minor deviations from theoretical values can be
attributed to practical factors such as filtering effects and sampling limitations in the
simulation.
VIII. Advantages and Disadvantages
Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) offers several important advantages in digital communication
systems. One of its main advantages is its robustness to noise and interference. Since PCM
converts analog signals into digital form, it allows for error detection and correction
techniques to be applied, making it more reliable than analog transmission. Additionally,
PCM signals can be easily stored, processed, and transmitted over long distances without
significant degradation. Another advantage is that PCM provides consistent signal quality, as
the reconstruction depends primarily on the quantization resolution rather than channel
conditions.
However, PCM also has some disadvantages. One of the main drawbacks is the requirement
for a higher bandwidth compared to analog communication systems. As the number of
quantization bits increases, the bit rate also increases, which leads to greater bandwidth
consumption. Another disadvantage is the presence of quantization noise, which introduces
distortion in the signal, especially when a low number of quantization levels is used.
Furthermore, PCM systems are more complex to implement, as they require additional
components such as analog-to-digital converters (ADC), digital encoding, and decoding
circuits.
Overall, PCM provides a reliable and efficient method for digital communication, but it
involves trade-offs between signal quality, system complexity, and bandwidth usage.
IX. Conclusion
In this project, a complete PCM system was successfully designed and simulated using
Simulink. The system demonstrated all key stages of PCM, including sampling, quantization,
encoding, decoding, and reconstruction. The performance analysis showed that increasing the
number of quantization levels significantly improves signal quality, as reflected by higher
SQNR values. This project highlights the importance of quantization resolution in digital
communication systems and the trade-off between signal quality and system complexity.