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Richardson RFPD RFPD-RC-4450-50 User Manual

4.4-5 ghz, 2w linear front-end design accelerator
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RFPD-RC-4450-50 4.4-5 GHz, 2W Linear
Front-End Design Accelerator
Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International)
Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.
Internal Richardson Document #
RFPD-RC-4450-50 UG
User Guide
Origination Date:07/2022
Rev C
Date: 11/2022
Page 1
© 2022 Richardson RFPD

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Summary of Contents for Richardson RFPD RFPD-RC-4450-50

  • Page 1 RFPD-RC-4450-50 4.4-5 GHz, 2W Linear Front-End Design Accelerator User Guide Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document #...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    RX Tunable Bandpass filter ........................43 Turn ON Receiver ............................45 Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document #...
  • Page 3 Turn Receiver OFF............................48 Alternate Configurations ........................... 48 Alterative Configurations – RF Connections for Standalone vs. BytePipe vs. Tunable Filter ....49 Alterative Configurations – Digital Hardware Control - RFPD-RC-4450-50 Micro/GUI vs. BytePipe ..52 Reference Information ..........................54 List of Figures Figure 1: High-level RFPD-RC-4450-50 system block diagram................
  • Page 4 Figure 28: Forward RF detector frequency selection and power level readout ..........32 Figure 29: RFPD-RC-4450-50 ACPR - BytePipe™ SoM DPD and 10 MHz LTE with 9 dB PAR ........ 34 Figure 30: RFPD-RD-4450-50 Tx Gain (dB) vs. Frequency (MHz) – 5 Systems ............35 Figure 31: RFPD-RC-4450-50 Tx Pout (dBm) vs.

  • Page 5: Introduction - About This Document

    Table 6: RF Signal Path Hardware Configuration ....................49 Table 5: PA Bias Settings for Class AB operation ....................23 Table 7: Digital Control Hardware Configurations - RFPD-RC-4450-50 Micro/GUI vs. BytePipe ......53 Introduction - About This Document This document serves as a User Guide to assist in powering up and performing bench level testing/evaluation of the “RadioCarbon”...

  • Page 6: Additional Heatsink

    Figure 1: High-level RFPD-RC-4450-50 system block diagram Additional Heatsink When using the RFPD-RC-4450-50 for applications where the PA is likely to exceed its maximum temperature (for example CW signals with an average input power higher than 3dBm), an additional heatsink (with thermal...

  • Page 7: Figure 2: Additional Heatsink With Thermal Tape And Screws For Additional Heat Dissipation

    Figure 2: Additional heatsink with thermal tape and screws for additional heat dissipation The additional heatsink is attached directly to the RFPD-RC-4450-50. To attach, remove the blue tape from the thermal tape, insert the 4 screws into the holes in the heatsink, and stand on end. Align PCB assembly on end...

  • Page 8: Figure 3: Heatsink Alignment

    PCB assembly firmly down onto heatsink for proper adhesion of thermal tape. Figure 4: Tighten Screws Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.

  • Page 9: Rfpd-Rc-4450-50 Configuration - Standalone Mode

    GUI and some by the placement of external capacitors and 0 Ohm resistors. The RFPD-RC-4450-50 GUI controls the TX PA / driver biasing, power detector calibration, LNA bypass, receive filter center frequency, and receive protection/power detection. Hardware changes enable the ability to plug-in the BytePipe SoM (a credit card sized 0.03-6 GHz integrated transceiver with FPGA System on Module that uses...

  • Page 10: Rfpd-Rc-4450-50 Initial Configuration - Standalone Mode

    (Section 8.1 Alterative Configurations – RF Connections for Standalone vs. BytePipe vs. Tunable Filter) The receive section of the RFPD-RC-4450-50 can be configured to bypass the tunable filter through the proper placement of bypass capacitors. Note that the bypass capacitor placement is different...

  • Page 11: Table 4: Rfpd-Rc-4450-50 Io Availability

    RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide Figure 6 shows the Inputs and outputs (IO) of the RFPD-RC-4450-50, but many are usable only in certain configurations. Table 4 gives a description of the IO’s and the modes they can be used in. Please note that just because an IO is available doesn’t mean it is configured to be used.

  • Page 12: Standalone Transmit

    Signal/Spectrum Analyzer and Power Meter. Figure 7 shows the transmit section of the RFPD-RC-4450-50. DC Power to the module is provided via an external DC Power Supply and is applied at the DC Voltage (VIN) port J2 ( Figure 9).

  • Page 13: Rf Bench Setup -Standalone Transmit

    Figure 7: RFPD-RC-4450-50 RF Front end: Transmit Section – Standalone Mode The RFPD-RC-4450-50 also comes with a software GUI that allows the user to control vital tasks such as ON/ Off Power sequencing of the GaN Power Amplifier devices as well as setting optimum PA bias voltages and other key parameters both in the TX and RX paths of the system.

  • Page 14: Hardware Setup - Standalone Transmit

    For optimum RF performance it is recommended that high quality, low loss 50 Ohm cables, adaptors and connections are used. All RF interfaces on the RFPD-RC-4450-50 are 50 Ohms. The RF output attenuator needs to have at least 30dB attenuation and be able to handle 50W CW power.

  • Page 15: Digital/Control - Usb/Ttl Cable Connection

    RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide The nominal Input DC voltage to the RFPD-RC-4450-50 is 45V, but input voltages ranging between 42V and 47V DC can be used. Figure 9: DC Voltage VIN connection * IMPORTANT: Make sure the VIN power supply meets the Minimum/Maximum Voltage and Minimum Current...

  • Page 16: Rf Port Connections

    Table 3 RF Port Connections 6.2.3 o Make all 50 Ohm RF Output connections between the RFPD-RC-4450-50 at ANT Port (J13) and the test equipment shown in Figure 8. Note: Make sure to insert a 30 dB (or higher) Attenuator Pad capable of handling 50W CW, from the ANT port to the test equipment.

  • Page 17: Software Setup - Standalone Transmit

    RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide the RF input signal is fed directly into the RFPD-RC-4450-50 at J19, the coupling cap (5.6 pF Cap) should be populated on C213 (circled in red) and C176 is left open as shown in...

  • Page 18: Launch Rfpd-Rc-4450-50 Software App

    RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide 6.3.1 Launch RFPD-RC-4450-50 Software App o Copy the RFPD-RC-4450-50 Software App ZIP file from the USB thumb drive (provided with the RFPD-RC- 4450-5- KIT) to a folder and extract files o Turn ON the 45V power supply input to the module at VIN (J2).

  • Page 19: Figure 14: Main Screen

    Note: If COM port is not visible, check the serial USB/TTL cable, USB driver, and hardware connection on RFPD- RC-4450-50 at the 6-pin header J15. Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.

  • Page 20: Sequencing Rfpd-Rc-4450-50 Pa

    The sequencing and biasing of the GaN driver and final stage devices is done via the software GUI. When the 45V VIN is applied to the RFPD-RC-4450-50, the Vgs (gate voltages) to the driver and final stage devices will be set to any previously stored values.

  • Page 21: Figure 17: Pa = Off → Control Box Is Green

    Figure 17: PA = OFF → Control box is Green Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document #...

  • Page 22: Biasing The Rfpd-Rc-4450-50 Pa

    (VGS) for the driver stage and final stage devices. The resolution of the VGS bias voltages using the scroll wheels is as small as 1mV. Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.

  • Page 23: Figure 19: Main Screen - Setting Pa Bias

    IDS(B) = 150mA Table 5: PA Bias Settings for Class AB operation Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document #...

  • Page 24: Figure 20: Pa Bias "Quick View

    Figure 20: PA bias “Quick View” Note that there may be slight differences from one RFPD-RC-4450-50 board to another in the exact VGS values that corresponds to the desired IDQ values. This variation is primarily due to the device-to-device differences in forward transconductance and threshold values VGS(th), that will likely exist between the GaN devices used in the PA.

  • Page 25: Turn Rf Signal On

    (PIN) than required and ramp PIN up until the final desired RF output power level (Pout) is reached as measured at SMA port J13. Note: The typical Gain of the RFPD-RC-4450-50 TX chain is 42 dB, so for an AVG Pout of 2W, an RF input signal level of only -9dBm at J19 is needed.

  • Page 26: Real Time Temperature Sensing

    Figure 22: Driver and final stage VGS/IDS values One of the components included on the RFPD-RC-4450-50 is the AD7293 IC which is primarily used for setting the bias of the PA, but also has an internal temperature sensor, plus internal circuitry that interfaces to 2 external temperature sensors.

  • Page 27: Rf Detector Calibration And Measurements

    RF Detector Calibration and Measurements Monitoring of forward RF Power is also possible on the RFPD-RC-4450-50 as it includes an onboard 30 dB directional coupler and a dual RF Detector IC. Calibration of the onboard RF detectors is required. Reverse / reflected power monitoring is included in the hardware and will be included in future GUI revisions.
  • Page 28 Make sure the T/R Switch is set to TX as in Figure 25. The T/R switch routs the signal to the power detector instead of the RX portion of the RFPD-RC-4450-50 as shown in Figure Figure 25: GUI configuration for receiver front end Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S.

  • Page 29: Figure 24: Main Screen - Detector Calibration

    The “Uncalibrated” Detector window pictured in Figure 27 opens. Figure 27: Default calibration Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document # Rev C...
  • Page 30 28, enter 27.0 dBm for each of the 3 frequencies. o With RF ON, set the RF input signal of the RFPD-RC-4450-50 to one of the 3 frequencies (4.7 GHz used in this example) and increase the input Power (PIN) at J19 until RFout = 27.0 dBm as measured at SMA...
  • Page 31 The resulting power level (in dBm) that appears in the Forward Detector field corresponds to the power level measured at the RF output port (J13). Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.
  • Page 32 RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide Figure 30: Forward RF detector frequency selection and power level readout Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.

  • Page 33: Observation Rx

    ADI’s ADRV9002 or NextGen RF’s BytePipe (as shown in Figure 31 Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document # Rev C...

  • Page 34: Rf Transmitter Performance

    RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide RF Transmitter Performance Typical performance of the Transmit signal chain in the RFPD-RC-4450-50 is captured in the graphs below. Figure 31: RFPD-RC-4450-50 ACPR - BytePipe™ SoM DPD and 10 MHz LTE with 9 dB PAR Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S.
  • Page 35 Figure 32: RFPD-RD-4450-50 Tx Gain (dB) vs. Frequency (MHz) – 5 Systems -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 8 10 12 14 PIN (DBM) Figure 33: RFPD-RC-4450-50 Tx Pout (dBm) vs. Pin (dBm) 4.7 GHz – 5 devices -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 8 10 12 14 PIN (DBM) Figure 34: RFPD-RC-4450-50 Tx Pout (dBm) vs.
  • Page 36 RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide -10 -8 10 12 14 PIN (DBM) Figure 35: RFPD-RC-4450-50 Tx Pout (dBm) vs. Pin (dBm) 5.0 GHz – 5 devices -10 -8 10 12 14 PIN (DBM) Figure 36: RFPD-RC-4450-50 Tx Gain (dB) vs. Pin (dBm) 4.7 GHz – 5 devices...
  • Page 37 RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide -10 -8 10 12 14 PIN (DBM) Figure 38: RFPD-RC-4450-50 Tx Gain (dB) vs. Pin (dBm) 5.0 GHz - 5 devices -10 -8 10 12 14 PIN (DBM) Figure 39: RFPD-RC-4450-50 Tx Pin (dBm) vs. Efficiency (%) 4.7 GHz – 5 devices...

  • Page 38: Transmitter Turn Off Sequence

    -10 -8 10 12 14 PIN (DBM) Figure 41: RFPD-RC-4450-50 Tx Pin (dBm) vs. Efficiency (%) 5.0 GHz – 5 devices Transmitter Turn OFF Sequence The following steps outline how to properly Turn OFF the RFPD-RC-4450-50 Transmitter and GUI: o TURN OFF the RF input signal at the Signal Generator.

  • Page 39: Hardware Setup - Receiver Operation

    Exit the GUI by clicking the “close wondow” X o Turn OFF the 45V DC Power supply input. Hardware Setup – Receiver Operation To evaluate the Receiver portion of the RFPD-RC-4450-50, the Test Bench setup in Figure 44 is recommended.

  • Page 40: Rx Port Selection

    Port J17 (RX1A Port J16 goes to SMPM connectors configured for the BytePipe) which follows the Tunable Bandpass Filter, so testing the RFPD-RC-4450-50 at Port J17 will include the LNA stages plus the Tunable BPF in Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com.

  • Page 41: Software Setup - Receiver Operation

    Figure 45: RFPD-RC-4450-50 RF Front end: receive section – standalone mode Software Setup – Receiver Operation RX Testing of the RFPD-RC-4450-50 will require the user to configure it via the software GUI. o Make sure all 50 Ohm cable connections between the RFPD-RC-4450-50 and the test equipment...

  • Page 42: Rx Frontend Configuration

    Figure 47, where the Frontend RX configuration can now be set. Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document #...

  • Page 43: Rx Tunable Bandpass Filter

    RX amp is bypassed. RX Tunable Bandpass filter The RFPD-RC-4450-50 includes an analog Tunable Bandpass Filter IC in the RX path for improved receiver performance. This filter can be tuned via the GUI across the 4.4 to 5.0 GHz frequency band.
  • Page 44 Move the Blue slider tool left or right to tune the center frequency (fc) of the BPF. Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.

  • Page 45: Turn On Receiver

    Turn on the input signal source for the specific RX tests performed Receiver Performance The Typical RF Receiver performance of the RFPD-RC-4450-50 is captured and displayed in the following graphs. Figure 50: Receive S-Parameters, Filter=5.88V Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com.
  • Page 46 RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide Figure 51: Receive S-Parameters, Filter=4.27V Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document #...
  • Page 47 RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide Figure 52: Receive S-Parameters, Filter=4.27V, Second stage LNA Bypassed Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.

  • Page 48: Turn Receiver Off

    MCX connectors or SMPM connectors (configured to mount the BytePipe SoM directly to the RFPD-RC-4450-50) Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document #...

  • Page 49: Alterative Configurations - Rf Connections For Standalone Vs. Bytepipe Vs. Tunable Filter

    Table 6: RF Signal Path Hardware Configuration When the part # RFPD-RC-4450-50 is purchased, the modules are shipped in the “No BytePipe -Tunable Filter” configuration and the RF signals are routed to the MCX connectors as shown in the block diagrams in Figure 54.
  • Page 50 “alternate” cap positions (red rectangles ( ) depending on desired mode of operation. Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.
  • Page 51 Figure 55: C176/C213 Placement to control Tx input from BytePipe™ vs. external signal source Figure 56: Configuration for board in Rx “Standalone Mode” with tunable filter included Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document.

  • Page 52: Alterative Configurations - Digital Hardware Control - Rfpd-Rc-4450-50 Micro/Gui Vs. Bytepipe

    Alterative Configurations – Digital Hardware Control - RFPD-RC-4450-50 Micro/GUI vs. BytePipe The RFPD-RC-4450-50 allows the digital control of both PA amplifiers bias, driver amplifier bias, bypass switch around the 2 stage LNA, tunable filter, RX vs Power detect switch, and power detection/calibration.

  • Page 53: Table 7: Digital Control Hardware Configurations - Rfpd-Rc-4450-50 Micro/Gui Vs. Bytepipe

    RFPD-RC-4450-50 Design Accelerator – User Guide This control can come from either the microcontroller/GUI on the RFPD-RC-4450-50 or when the BytePipe SoM is attached, it can be controlled by it. When the BytePipe is attached, it mounts directly to the SMPM,...

  • Page 54: Reference Information

    For technical support, please refer to Analog Device’s Partner Zone https://ez.analog.com/ Available exclusively from Richardson RFPD - 800-737-6937 (U.S. & Canada) - 630-262-6800 (International) Or visit www.richardsonrfpd.com. See important product notice on last page of this document. Internal Richardson Document #...

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