RFdude.com hardware lab
version 2.0
Note: pictures of lab version 3.0 will be out someday, the ones pictured here are out of date...
Main RF lab area (old picture at previous location)
- click on the picture for a larger image -
The main desk is to the left and the construction bench (not shown) is to the right
Microwave/RF Measurement Capabilities summary
- Spectrum analysis
- 9kHz - 26.5 GHz & 1kHz-22 GHz (coaxial)
- 18 -26.5 GHz (Waveguide input)
- 26.5-40 GHz (Waveguide input)
- 33-50 GHz (Waveguide input)
- Low frequency FFT analysis with oscilloscope
- Signal generation
- RF: 100kHz - 26 GHz fundamental
- Many many synthesized generators including a pair of very low noise units.
- low frequency function generator
- Noise figure and Gain
- 100 MHz -1600 MHz fundamental
- 1600 MHz - 40 GHz with the appropriate frequency converter built from lab parts or product under test (we have a 40 GHz noise source).
- Network analysis
- Vector: 300 kHz to 20 GHz
- Communications Test
- FM/AM/SSB modulation testing with RF communications test set
- Waveform Analysis
- Analog Scope
- 60 MHz Digital Scope (2 channel Tek, 1GS/s)
- 200 MHz Digital Scope (4 channel LeCroy, 2GS/s)
- Other
- Many lab power supplies
- three electronic loads for power supply testing
- GPS locked frequency standard for locking the RF instruments to
With GPIB and the "TESTLINK" module in Agilent Genesys, it's easy to show some examples here of measured vs. simulated circuit performance. These are not perhaps the best examples, but they give you the idea. These are the results for a simple small signal amplifier I designed for a work project, nothing fancy or exotic. All measurements were done here in the basement....
Some measurement/modeling/prototyping capability notes
| Example types | Content | Date |
| Small signal bipolar amplifier for 850 Mhz |
|
Very old... |
| Random 3.5 GHz bandpass filter on FR4 (milled) | quick writeup | 7/7/2007 |
| Various circuits that we fabricated in our lab | See our
webcast
from January 10th, 2008 sponsored by Agilent through TechOnline.
Some of this material was also presented by Rick Carter of Agilent at
IMS2008 in Atlanta here are the slides |
2008 |
| misc | Presentation during IMS2009 lunchtime Genesys networking event (note that this presentation was mainly a rough outline for a group discussion relating to board level circuit design, simulation tips, etc -- it was not meant to stand alone). | 6/10/2009 |
Metal Shop
I decided that I had tapped out my interest in sheet brass and seam-soldered PCB construction. For repeatable >1 GHz work, machining capabilities were necessary. The first big project with the mill has been building housings for a two-stage (~20 dB gain) 10 GHz Low Noise Amplifier.
this shows the drill press, mill, and bench-top band saw (old picture at previous location)
-- click for higher resolution --
Prototype fabrication resources:
- PCB Milling/drilling prototyping machine! -- Major addition in 2007, New upgraded model in 2009, and upgraded again in 2010 (Accurate 365)!
- Drill press, hand drill, dremel, other random power tools.
- Portable/Bench-top band saw
- Small bench top belt/disc sander.
- Small vertical mill, admittedly I'm no expert with it... but plan to learn! See pictures of some prototype boards and boxes here. These pictures are of a ham-radio project I'm using as an excuse to do some design at 10 GHz. I've done various LNA's, mixers, and filters over the last couple years, here I'm trying to refine the work a bit and some early versions of these LNA's have already been fielded in our amateur contest group.
- Medium duty wire-feed welder (I will not claim to be skilled in it's use)
- Standard electronics prototyping/assembly hand tools, including a stereo microscope.
- Stockpile of electronic components (from microcontrollers to low noise GaAs FETs), cables, connectors.
