Re: Not a new concept
The first project I did with that device was a state of charge analyzer for NiCad batteries (the idea was poo-poo'd but it actually is possible as I managed to prove).
To aid in that, the 68HC805 I was using has a ratiometric A/D converter (it converted between two arbitrary voltages rather than between 0V and some Vref) so I was able to get the measurement to 'zoom in' for more accurate readings.
Fun times indeed (and I loved the instruction set - perfect for jump tables among other things).