0521 Mw Antenova Antenna Placement Tool Promo 6094258a83d84

Free Tool Optimizes PCB Antenna Placements

May 6, 2021

Not every PCB designer is an expert in antenna placement. Antenova’s free software will make you one without needing to learn the ins and outs of a tricky subject.

David Maliniak

Related To: Microwaves & RF

This article is part of the TechXchange: Device-Level Antenna Selection Considerations.

Determining exactly where to place an antenna on a printed-circuit board (PCB) isn’t a trivial exercise. It’s difficult enough when there’s a single antenna, and if there are multiple antennas, you’ll have to balance the goals of optimal signal strength with that of minimal interference while accounting for the PCB’s dimensions. Many product designers don’t have that kind of in-house antenna design skills to rely on, either.

Antenova, a maker of antennas and RF antenna modules for machine-to-machine (M2M) and IoT applications, is trying to help with a free software tool that’ll not only aid in selecting an antenna for embedded applications, but also in optimizing placement of the antenna on your PCB. The tool displays the optimum position for embedded antennas on the PCB, depending upon the dimensions of the PCB and the specifications of the antennas. It places each individual antenna on the PCB in the best location for signal strength, doing so early in the design process and enabling designers to converge on a working wireless design more easily.

Antenna placement becomes much more complex when there is more than one antenna in the design, as each antenna needs to be able to radiate correctly without causing interference to the others. Antenova has created the tool to position up to three antennas from different categories or a pair of antennas in a diversity configuration.

The placement tool will be valuable for designers creating layouts for the small PCBs within some of the latest trackers and mobile devices. As well as showing the best position for the antenna, the tool displays the “keep-out” area adjacent to the antenna, which must be kept free of other components, helping designers to pack components as closely as possible and save space in the design.

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About the Author

David Maliniak | Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF

I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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About me:

In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.