| Group |
2018-22 |
Status |
completed |
| Title |
Vector Network Analyzer |
| Supervisor |
R. Paknys and C. Trueman |
| Description |
A Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) is a fundamental piece of test equipment used for
microwave engineering. It takes measurements of S-parameters over a programmable
frequency range, which are crucial for characterizing performance of high frequency
networks. Unfortunately commercial units cost tens of thousands of dollars, putting them
out of reach for most electronics labs. Our proposed capstone project is to design a
compact VNA with a price bracket under $500. Target features are given bellow. The
design will cut cost in several ways. The unit is based on a single receiver architecture,
decreasing the component count by a factor of four. Furthermore, the unit will interface
with a PC over USB for the user interface, which decreases the cost and complexity of the design.
Features:
•Automatic 2 port S-parameter measurents (S11, S12, S21, S22)
•100MHz to 6GHz test frequency
•80dB or better dynamic range
•On board SOLT calibration
•Milled shielding blocks for EMI resistance
•PC user interface for plotting, controls, and calibration |
| Requirement |
The design involves high frequency circuit design, embedded programming, and GUI
design. It will require knowledge in the following areas:
•Schematic design w/ Altium
•High frequency 4 layer PCB layout
•Spice simulations
•ADS/CST RF simulations
•VHDL synthesis for Xilinx FPGAs
•DSP theory for the digital IF
•MATLAB for DSP modeling
•Distributed element filter design w/
Qucs
•PCB stenciling and reflow for BGAs
•FPGA sequenced power supply design
•GUI programming with Qt
|
| Tools |
Students have a personal electronics lab for most of the required tasks. Tool requirements
listed here exclude those already owned.
Access to the following devices will be necessary:
•Reference VNA (6GHz+)
•Spectrum analyzer (6GHz+)
•SOLT calibration kit
The following software would be useful:
•3D RF simulation suite (ADS, CST, etc.)
•Xilinx Vivado HL System Edition |
| Number of Students |
4 |
| Students |
Jamie Stepanian
Christopher Simpson
Marc Bass
Thierry St-Arnaud |
| Comments: |
Dr. Christopher W. Trueman
Email: Robert.Paknys@concordia.ca
Room: EV 15.185
Tel: 848-2424 ext. 3013 |
| Links: |
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