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Highly programmable RF transceiver for SDR n/w design

Date: 22/10/2013
70 MHz to 6 GHz frequency supporting capable RF transceiver chip for software defined radio applications is available from Analog Devices. This highly-programmable and performance-packed RF transceiver integrates RF front-end, programmable mixed-signal baseband, frequency synthesizers, two analog-to-digital converters and two direct conversion receivers.

The AD9361 is supported by software design kit and FPGA mezzanine card (FMC) to immediately develop software defined radio equipment. The combination of 28nm class programmable logic such as high-end SoC class FPGA and this transceiver coupled with other interfaces can enable design engineers to quickly design software defined radio based networking equipment.

Matt Ettus, President of Ettus Research praised this device as RF architect’s dream device .

"The programming flexibility and configurability of the AD9361 combined with the flexibility of a low power software configurable radio and its small footprint enables new levels of design versatility,” said Sam Fuller, chief technology officer, Analog Devices. “This technology advancement is supported by an equally advanced range of customer ecosystem design support features to minimize time-to-market constraints and reduce project risk."

The AD9361 supports channel bandwidth from less than 200 kHz to 56 MHz, and is highly programmable, as per Analog Devices.

The other features and design support as explained by ADI includes:
Two independent direct conversion receivers have a state-of-the-art noise figure and linearity. Each receive subsystem includes independent automatic gain control, dc offset correction, quadrature correction, and digital filtering, eliminating the need for these functions in the digital baseband. The AD9361 also has flexible manual gain modes that can be externally controlled.

Two high-dynamic-range A/D converters per channel digitize the received I and Q signals and pass them through configurable decimation filters and 128-tap FIR filters to produce a 12-bit output signal at the appropriate sample rate. The transmitters use a direct conversion architecture that achieves high modulation accuracy with ultra-low noise.

AD9361 Design Resources Available: Software Design Kit and FMC Board and design resources including Gerber files, code references, Linux sample applications and drivers, and design support packages, which are available for download. The AD-FMCOMMS2-EBZ-FMC board provides designers with a rapid prototyping environment that supports multiple communications protocols, including most licensed and unlicensed bands.

Editorial product rating: **** (Excellent)