Powering RF Systems: Why So Many Power Supply Designs Have Problems and What IC Suppliers Should Do About It

Focus:

Many power supply designs used to power microwave and RF applications simply don't work as well as they need to. From the simplest linear regulators, to the switching converters, all the way up to distributed power systems, these designs often fail to meet key specifications such as stability, regulation, ripple, and headroom. This feature examines the variety of reasons why these power supply designs perform poorly. These include poorly chosen power-system architecture or converter topology, datasheets that inadequately characterize power ICs, lack of power IC simulation models that work in RF simulators, and lack of test-equipment interface adapters and signal injectors capable of making high-fidelity Bode plot and impedance measurements. Article discusses the datasheet shortcomings in detail. Authors argue that power IC developers and FAEs-if they are willing-can address many of these issues by providing better information and component models to RF engineers. The article concludes with a list of "The Top Ten Things RF Engineers Should Know About Voltage Regulators."

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand potential pitfalls of designing power systems for RF and microwave applications
• How to apply voltage regulators in RF and microwave systems

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Author & Publication:

Steve Sandler and Charles Hymowitz, AEi Systems, Los Angeles, Calif., How2Power Today, Sep 24 2010

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