Signal distribution control board for wireless applications, 2001

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Jac

Identifier: b2087774

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate Electrical Engineering program. The holdings are bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Science degree.

Dates

Creation: 2001

Creator

Jacinto, Alexandra (Author, Person)
Drucker, Harris (1943-2024) (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Collection holdings may not be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (723-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Patrons must complete a Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to gain access to the collection holdings. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 59 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Wireless communication testing occurs at baseband, intermediate, and radio frequencies. Chipsets that reside in base stations and mobile stations typically utilize baseband frequencies for signal processing of call set-ups and provided dedicated channels such as pilot, paging, synchronization, traffic, and data. These signals must be converted to radio frequency before they are transmitted to the wireless channel and received by the mobile station (forward link) or the base station (reverse link). These signals must be received and transmitted without considerable signal degradation that will affect the Bit Error Rate (BER) and signal quality of the modulated signals. The frequency translation is accomplished through the Radio Frequency (RF) Converter.

The RF Converter is comprised of two main boards, the Up/Down Converter and the Signal Distribution Control Board (SDCB). The Up/Down Converter translates RF frequency to IF frequency, and vice versa, using the heterodyne technique. The SDCB has eight significant signal paths: two transmit paths, one duplex path, two local oscillator paths, and one 10 MHz reference path. The primary functions of these paths is to route any input and output signals from the base station and/or mobile station, provide level control, provide duplexing functionality, generate an interminable frequency local oscillator (RF LO). The SDCB board distributes two local oscillators needed for the dual up/down conversion. It also takes in a 10 MHz reference signal needed to lock the RF LO and the IF LO. RF amplifiers, switches, power combiners, splitters, and a prescaler are used throughout the design to get the modulated signals to proper level and to the proper input or output ports. Device control for these components is provided through the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chip that resides on the digital section of the board. The SDCB distributes seven different power supplies throughout the board. Since the SDCB is a mixture of RF and digital design, careful layout is applied to achieve a successful design.

Partial Contents

1. Introduction -- 2. Project summary -- 3. Specifications -- 4. Signal distribution control board signal paths -- 5. Other design factors -- 6. Component selection -- 7. Design details -- 8. Gain map -- 9. Performance results.