Converters Seeks Digital Cell Phone Apps

Four new additions to the company's portfolio of low-cost, highly integrated upconverter and downcoverter ICs include the MD59-0043 (800 to 900 MHz) and MD59-0049 (1.8 to 2 GHz) downconverters, and the MD59-0062 (1,710 to 1,810 MHz) and MD59-0054 (824 to 849 GHz) upconverters. All four devices combine to provide a multi-mode, dual-band chipset solution for protocols such as CDMA, J-CDMA, TDMA and EDGE. The chipset improves linearity performance and reduces drain, it's claimed. The downconverters integrate a low-noise amp, RF amp, mixer, IF amp, LO buffer and various control functions. The PCS and cellular upconverters feature and on-chip driver for highly linear output power for ultra-low profile applications. Housed in 4-mm FQFP-N plastic packages, pricing for the converters is less than $3.00 each/1,000. M/A-COM INC., Lowell, MA. (800) 366-2266.