Product category: Communications ICs (Wireless)
News Release from: Maxim Integrated Products | Subject: MAX2828 and MAX2829
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 03 December 2004
Transceivers boost range for wireless
LANs
Two new single-chip RF transceivers are designed for single-band 802.11a and dual-band 802.11a/g WLAN applications.
Two new single-chip RF transceivers are designed for single-band 802.11a and dual-band 802.11a/g WLAN applications The MAX2828 covers the world-band frequency spectrum from 4.9 to 5.9GHz, whereas the MAX2829 covers both 2.4 to 2.5 and 4.9 to 5.9GHz bands
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 27 Aug 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The ICs feature a MIMO (multiple-input-multiple-output) mode in which the phase angle of the local oscillator is held constant during transmit/receive operation, allowing multiple transceivers to be synchronised to the system reference oscillator.
This feature is critical for 802.11n NxN MIMO radio and smart-antenna-based WLAN applications.
The MAX2828 and MAX2829 transceivers are manufactured using Maxim's in-house, high-performance SiGe BiCMOS process.
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Compared with CMOS-only designs, this process results in as much as 4dB better receiver sensitivity performance in both 11a and 11g 54Mbit/s mode.
This performance improvement translates to 58% longer range for line-of-sight WLAN applications and 36% longer range for indoor applications.
The transceivers derive their superior receiver sensitivity from a combination of an RF-optimised IC process technology and innovative circuit design.
The result is a low receiver noise figure of 3.5dB, low oscillator phase noise of -99dBc/Hz at 100kHz, only 35ns group-delay variation in the channel filter passband, and high-I/Q quadrature sideband suppression of 40dBc.
A fast, digital C and DC-offset cancellation scheme allows antenna diversity selection within a packet header, thereby further improving range.
The transceivers are also designed with -10dBm receiver input IP3 at maximum gain, and 80dB filter channel selectivity, resulting in excellent immunity to 802.11a/g OFDM and 802.11b CCK jammers.
On the transmitter side, the output is highly linear, delivering -2.5dBm for 802.11g and -5dBm for 802.11a at less than 2% EVM.
This allows the external PA to deliver its maximum power without added distortion from the transceiver, directly improving transmitter range.
The MAX2828 and MAX2829 transceivers significantly reduce the radio BOM cost and implementation size by integrating all RF transceiver function blocks between the RF switch and baseband processor I/Os.
No external SAW filter is required.
The transceivers integrate the full transmit path (from baseband IQ input to RF output) and full receive path (from LNA input to baseband IQ output), a low-noise VCO, a fractional-N PLL synthesiser, and baseband/control interface.
The transceivers operate from a +2.7 to +3.6V supply.
A 1uA low-power shutdown mode saves power during the system sleep mode.
The ICs are available in small 8 x 8mm, 56-pin, leadless QFN packages.
Prices start at $7.11 (1000-up, FOB USA).
An evaluation kit is available to speed designs.
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