20-GHz System Streamlines Testing Of Microwave Mixers, Frequency Converters

July 19, 2004

Designers can take advantage of Aeroflex's 20-GHz microwave mixer measurement system to speed up the development, tuning, setup, and testing of microwave mixers and frequency converters. It combines the 20-GHz IFR6813 microwave generator and...

Roger Allan

This system features fast sweeps for points of 2 seconds by utilizing the new frequency list mode with the generator, which is triggered by the analyzer via an RS232 port. With the list mode, users can create and store up to 1024 points. Designers also can achieve fast operation by using the RS232 ports of both units to control the mixer system. That's because it uses a hardware trigger instead of a continuous transfer of a sequence of commands.

The system can make 400 measurement points/s. It also has fully synthesized high-performance signal sources, a group delay option, and floppy-disk storage. Possible measurements include insertion loss and gain, RF frequency response, and input return loss.

The microwave analyzer acts as the controller for the generator to provide synthesized swept RF and local-oscillator (LO) signals, as the mixer inputs, with the IF output fed to the analyzer's receiver.

Available now, the system starts at $89,000, based on the options ordered. The IFR6813 generator costs $23,750.

Aeroflex Inc.www.aeroflex.com

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.