By Diksha Nama, contributor, Engineers Garage An audio system is designed to receive audio signals (via microphone), record audio in some storage, transmit audio (through wired or wireless communication channels), and reproduce audio signals (via speakers). So, the audio circuits perform signal processing for representing the sound in the form of electrical signals, manipulate the […]
filters
WL-CSP 25-W RF switch replaces mechanical relays
Menlo Microsystems, Inc. announced the production release of the MM5130, the first high-performance RF switch manufactured with their proprietary Ideal Switch technology. The MM5130 is designed to handle 25W with ultra-low losses, in a miniaturized wafer-level chip-scale-package (WL-CSP). Historically, this level of performance has been reserved for large RF mechanical relays, which have major drawbacks. […]
Filters, Part 1: Analog, switched, and digital filters
Filters are essential functions in most circuits and systems; as frequencies extend into the multi-GHz range, surface acoustic wave (SAW) and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters are needed to meet the design objectives. An engineer I worked with (and whose name I have forgotten) once remarked to about electronic filters (and he was serious): “like […]
Automotive noise suppression filters work in MF and HF bands
TDK Corporation announces that it has developed the MHF1608 series of HF band noise suppression filters for automobiles, and will begin mass production in September 2020. The noise suppression component will be inserted in signal lines for electronic control circuits in automotive applications including car audio, navigation, and battery monitoring systems. Signal transmission paths are […]
RF/Microwave bandpass filter implementations, Part 3: Microstrip, coaxial, and helical filters
Part 2 looked at two types of RF/microwave filters, but there are many more, including ceramic coaxial filters and helical filters. They are discussed in this part. Microstrip filters Microstrip filters are built as a carefully defined pattern on a PC board. There is almost no limit to the filter designs which can be built […]
RF/Microwave bandpass filter implementations, Part 2: Cavity and comb filters
The well-known and extensively analyzed lumped-element bandpass filter is generally not suitable for the RF/microwave region, but there are many distributed-element, energy-based alternatives. Part 1 of this article established the context for these RF/microwave filters, which operate in the spectrum from several hundred MHz and higher, and increasingly cannot use discrete lumped-circuit elements (RLCs). Instead, […]
RF/Microwave bandpass filter implementations, Part 1: Distributed filters
The well-known and extensively analyzed lumped-element bandpass filter is generally not suitable for the RF/microwave region, but there are many distributed-element, energy-based alternatives. Just say the word “filters,” and for many engineers, the mention of this topic stirs a mix of feelings ranging from fear to relief. Why fear? Because filters as a topic in […]
Filters, Part 2: SAW and BAW devices for RF
Part 1 of this FAQ looked at the basic available electronic filters – analog, switched capacitor, and digital – and briefly reviewed the attributes of each. As the frequencies to be filtered reach to 1 GHz and well beyond, while the selectively needed also became narrower, these filter approaches can no longer support many of […]
Basics of bandpass filters
Filters will allow some signals to pass through while blocking others. A bandpass (a.k.a. band-pass) filter allows signals of a certain frequency range (“a band of frequencies”) to pass through the filter as-is. (This range of accepted frequencies is called the passband. The size or range of the passband is called the bandwidth.) With a […]
