September 2008 [Components] Field-Replaceable SMAs Cut Loss From DC To 26.5 GHz A LINE OF RUGGED, field-replaceable 50-ohm SMA connectors features low insertion loss through DC to 26.5 GHz, with usable performance through 31 GHz. The connectors feature passivated 303 stainless-steel bodies with gold-plated center contacts and PTFE insulators for superior voltage-handling capabilities. They exhibit VSWR of 1.07:1 or better from DC to 11 GHz, 1.25:1 or better through 20 GHz, and 1.38:1 or better through 26.5 GHz. The rugged coaxial... — Jack Browne September 2008 [Devices & ICs] Transceiver-On-Chip Serves ZigBee Systems THE ZIC2410 SERIES of transceivers on a chip are designed for IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee applications. The 2.4-to-2.483- GHz RF transceiver, which includes an 8051-based 8-b microprocessor, combines robust +8-dBm transmit output power with receiver sensitivity of -98 dBm, to deliver link-budget performance of 106 dB. The transceiver consumes less than 33.2 mA in receive mode and about 30 mA when transmitting at 0 dBm; standby current consumption is a mere 0.3 microamps. The ZIC2410... — Jack Browne September 2008 [Components] Oscillator Tunes From 1000 To 1500 MHz MODEL CVCO55CW-1000-1500 is a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that operates from 1000 to 1500 MHz with a control voltage range of 0.5 to 4.5 V. The low-noise VCO achieves typical phase noise of -95 dBc/Hz offset 10 kHz from the carrier, with typical second-harmonic suppression of -15 dBc. The compact VCO is supplied in an industry-standard 0.5 x 0.5-in. surface-mount-technology (SMT) housing. It is designed for a supply voltage of +3 VDC with maximum... — Jack Browne September 2008 [Components] Double-Balanced Mixer Converts 11 To 20 GHz MODEL HMC-C051 is a passive double-balanced mixer that is ideal for point-to-point & point-to-multipoint radio, test equipment, laboratory and military applications from 11 to 20 GHz. The HMC-C051, which can be used as an upconverter or a downconverter, is supplied in a miniature hermetic module. It features an intermediatefrequency (IF) bandwidth of DC to 6 GHz. The mixer suffers only 7-dB conversion loss, and achieves 43-dB isolation between the local-oscillator (LO) and RF... — Jack Browne August 2008 [Components] Type-N Connector Performs Through 18 GHz WITH A WEATHERTIGHT, waterproof, through-panel mount seal, a Type-N connector is targeting rugged RF applications like outdoor antennas and portable test equipment. This new member of the V-Bite RF edgeboard family comprises a coax connector that is engineered with a silicone ring on the inside of the panel or box. This ring creates a robust seal when the nut is tightened from the front. The sealed part boasts a very low profile (one-half the connector’s... — Nancy Friedrich August 2008 [Components] RF Power Detector Boasts 75-dB Dynamic Range RF POWER-AMPLIFIER control and monitoring are required by a range of wireless systems. To perform these tasks, a monolithic broadband, logarithmic RF power detector promises to provide accurate RF power measurements over the 800-to-900-MHz and 1.7-to-2.2-GHz cellular bands as well as the 2.6- and 3.5-GHz WiMAX bands. The detector exhibits linearity of +/-0.8 dB from -40° to +85°C. The LT5538 is capable of detecting signals as small as -75 dBm to as... — Nancy Friedrich August 2008 [Components] Broadband Solid-State Switch Covers 1 MHz to 4.2 GHz WITH SWITCHING SPEED of better than 100 ns, a broadband switch is targeting applications like automated switching systems, switch matrices, and manufacturing test systems. The solid-state, non-reflective RF switch, dubbed the model PS-4.2/2S-5V-TTL-R, features a frequency range of 1 MHz to 4.2 GHz. At 4.2 GHz, isolation is greater than 50 dB. Insertion loss is 4.0 dB maximum. Operating-temperature range is 0° to +70°C. The single-pole, double-throw (SPDT)... — Nancy Friedrich August 2008 [Test & Measurement] 170-MHz Signal Generator Fits Benchtop BY LEVERAGING an internal temperature-controlled crystal oscillator (TCXO), a direct-digital-synthesized (DDS) signal generator provides accuracy of better than +/-2 ppm. Model 2918A contains two synchronized 170-MHz DDS sources that can be individually set to any value between 0.1 Hz and 170 MHz with a resolution of 0.1 Hz. The phase between the channels can be controlled with 14-b resolution. The standard output level is +4 dBm with 10 b programming range.... — Nancy Friedrich June 2008 [Devices & ICs] Single-Chip MIMO Transceiver Covers 2.3 To 2.7 GHz TO MAKE IT EASIER to build in mobile-WiMAX support, a single-chip, 2.3-to-2.7-GHz, multiple-inputmultiple- output (MIMO) RF transceiver has emerged. By using a dual-receiver architecture to mitigate RF channel fading, the MAX2839 is vowing to improve receiver signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by 10 dB compared to a single-receiver architecture. The transceiver’s two receivers feature a low noise figure at 2.3 dB and –81-dBm sensitivity for a ... — Nancy Friedrich June 2008 [Components] Pulse Modulators Switch In Under 500 ns A COMPACT LINE of magnetron pulse modulators has been spawned to replace tube-based pulsers for highpower- radar transmitters delivering peak RF powers of 3 to 50 kW. The DTI PowerMod solid-state pulse modulators provide over 99 percent switching efficiency. Depending upon load, pulse frequencies range up to 100 kHz. The modulators feature adjustable pulse widths from sub-microseconds to DC pulse to pulse. Under typical performance, the modules vow to... — Nancy Friedrich June 2008 [Components] Chip Resistors Are Optimized For 50-Ohm Impedance BY USING SPECIAL MANUFACTURING techniques to reduce voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), a family of chip resistors has been optimized for 50-O characteristic impedance. Power ratings for the resistors range from 50 mW up to 200 W and a low return loss to 20 GHz. In addition to the standard and MIL-PRF-55342 case sizes, the new components are available in 14 standard case sizes: 0402 thru 3838. The resistors are available with single-surface or wrap-around terminations and a... — Nancy Friedrich June 2008 [Test & Measurement] Cable Kit Checks WiFi And Broadband Infrastructure Cable Kit Checks WiFi And Broadband Infrastructure FOR BOTH WIFI and broadband infrastructure installation, cables are needed for RF and data throughput. With the variety of connectors available today and the popularity of reverse-polarity styles, it has become quite difficult to test these cable assemblies in the field. The RFA-4028-WIFI kit was created to simplify this task. The kit contains a Unidapt RF cable tester (RFA-4018-20) with an assortment of 30... — Nancy Friedrich May 2008 [Components] FETs Target WiMAX PAs From 2500 To 2700 MHz TWO LDMOS RF power transistors have debuted for wireless-infrastructure applications in the 2.5-GHz-to-2.7- GHz frequency band. By providing peak output power of up to 170 W, these transistors should help designers simplify their RF power-amplifier (PA) designs. Under WiMAX signal conditions, the PTFA260851E/F single-ended, 85-W FET typically features 14 dB gain and 22 percent efficiency at 16 W average output power. Its sibling, the PTFA261702E push-pull,... — Nancy Friedrich May 2008 [Systems & Subsystems] 7/16 Panel Receptacle Exhibits –175 dBc IMD Performance LOW INTERMODULATION distortion (IMD) is key to newer wireless systems like WiMAX. Such systems rely on outstanding linearity in both amplifiers and passive components to process the complex modulation schemes needed data rates. By consistently delivering passive-intermodulation (PIM) levels of –175 dBc, a 7/16 panel receptacle is promising to meet this need for connectors. This receptacle exhibits a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of less... — Nancy Friedrich May 2008 [Communications] 2.5-GHz, 90-Deg. Antenna Serves WiMAX Base Stations TO TARGET both fixed and mobile WiMAX applications, a new antenna is promising to provide a very predictable pattern and consistent performance. The antenna specifically targets maximal-ratio-combining (MRC), multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO), and other wireless wide-areanetwork applications. The 2.5-GHz, dual-slant 45-deg., 90-deg. WiMAX base-station antenna is fully compliant with ETSI EN 301.525 CS pattern specifications. It operates across the 2.3-to-2.7-GHz... — Nancy Friedrich May 2008 [Computer-Aided Engineering] Software Speeds Development Of Mixed-Technology PCBs A JOINTLY DEVELOPED solution is promising to significantly improve productivity for the design of RF circuits on printed circuit boards (PCBs). This integrated solution enables PCB mixedsignal designers (RF, analog, and digital) to concurrently design a PCB using Mentor Graphics’ Expedition Enterprise or Board Station XE flows. At the same time, the design is integrated with Agilent’s Advanced Design System (ADS) electronic-design-automation (EDA) software... — Nancy Friedrich April 2008 [Communications] 100-W SSPA Targets Ku-Band 100-W SSPA Targets Ku-Band To provide low-cost operation and longevity for satellite-communications (satcom) customers, a compact, 100-W, solid-state high-power amplifier (SSPA) has been introduced in an integrated antenna-mount package. This SSPA, which is dubbed the model XTS-100K1, is designed for satcom operation at 14.0-to-14.5-GHz Ku-band frequencies and optionally available in a version for use at 13.75 to 14.5 GHz. Thanks to its antenna-mount approach,... — Nancy Friedrich April 2008 [Components] Power Divider/Combiner Covers 950 To 2150 MHz Power Divider/Combiner Covers 950 To 2150 MHz Power dividers and combiners are critical to the distribution or combining of microwave signals. The model PD-32-LB3-S, for example, provides for 1 x 32-way inphase power division or combining over the very-small-aperture-terminal (VSAT) extended frequency band, LB3. That band spans 950 to 2150 MHz. The RoHScompliant PD-32-LB3-S boasts a maximum insertion loss of 4.0 dB, an in/out ... — Nancy Friedrich April 2008 [Components] Power Amplifier Offers 50 dB Gain From 6 To 18 GHz Power Amplifier Offers 50 dB Gain From 6 To 18 GHz By taking a monolithic-microwave-integrated- circuit (MMIC) approach, a family of broadband high-power amplifiers is being billed as both economical and reliable. The model AMP6G18-50-33 is a 6-to-18- GHz amplifier. It flaunts more than 50 dB of gain. The amplifier delivers at least 2 W of output power at 1-dB compression. Its noise figure is less than 3.5 dB. Typical current draw is less than 1.5 A from +12 VDC. The... — Nancy Friedrich April 2008 [Components] Mini-TCXO Keeps Phase Noise To -155 dBc/Hz Mini-TCXO Keeps Phase Noise To â??155 dBc/Hz Designers are under pressure to shrink the size, lower the cost, and improve the performance of a variety of components. Oscillators are among the most essential of the components requiring these enhancements. Following this trend, the VTM3 temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO) offers phase-noise performance that is similar to its predecessorsâ??the VTC4 and VTC1 TCXOsâ??in a 50-percent package smaller ... — Nancy Friedrich |
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