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Overview
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The
VCO and RF gain stage are functioning at micro-wave frequencies
(up to 2GHz) and so require very specific board layout and component
selection. For the design of the VCO I have reused the recommended
layout by Alpha technologies. The RF MMIC comes with a suggested
layout for the gain stage. The rest of the circuit is running at
<10MHz and should therefore pose no problems regarding layout.
(Of course they must be as isolated as possible) |
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PCB
Material
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For
this design I will be using only 30mil FR4 1 oz copper-plated substrate.This
allows our 2GHz traces to be 50 mils wide. It is not necessary to
have a copper overlay, but it may aid in placement and soldering. |
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Soldering
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I would recommend a fine-tipped
soldering iron and silver solder. Also, it might be beneficial to reflow
the board afterwards in a B&D "reflow" toaster oven. |
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