TNP #16 - Teardown, Repair & Analysis of a few mm-Wave (26GHz - 40GHz) Amplifier Modules
27K views
April 2, 2022 8:25 PM
In this episode Shahriar takes a close look at a few mm-wave amplifier modules which have failed. The amplifiers cover a few frequency ranges up to 40GHz. The measure S-Parameters reveals a serious problem with the amplifiers. The teardown of the module is presented along with microscope closeups of various devices and integrated circuits used in its construction.
A broadband amplifier is also examined with a simpler problem. A broken DC power connector is replaced which brings the unit back to life showing 18dB of gain with better than 25GHz 2dB bandwidth.
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TNP #15 - The Impossible Amplifier
17.6K views
April 1, 2022 5:22 PM
Could I have found the greatest amplifier on April 1st?
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TSP #205 - Keysight FieldFox 50GHz Handheld Microwave Analyzer / RTSA Review & Experiments
19.9K views
March 25, 2022 10:32 PM
In this episode Shahriar reviews the Keysight FieldFox Microwave Analyzer which is capable of both 2-port network analysis as well as spectrum analyzer with real-time capabilities. Keysight’s FieldFox portable analyzers are equipped to handle tough working environments during routine maintenance, in-depth troubleshooting, and anything in between:
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/products/network-analyzers/fieldfox-handheld-rf-microwave-analyzers.html
This review is organized as follows:
00:00 – Introductions.
01:22 – Instrument overview, design, interfaces, built quality.
04:38 – LCD screen, remote interface, GUI usage.
05:04 – S-Parameter personality, calibration, tuner experiment, reflection phase shifter measurements, etc.
15:35 – Power Sensor personality, PA load-pull experiment, reflection power measurements.
21:12 – Spectrum analyzer personality overview, built-in synthesizer, output spectrum quality.
24:42 – mm-Wave transmitter measurement, detecting impairments, spectrum analyzer capabilities.
29:00 – I/Q analyzer personality, RF envelope versus time capabilities.
31:33 – Real-time spectrum analyzer personality, 100% POI performance.
33:23 – PathWave VSA compatibility, mm-wave constellation demodulation example.
36:32 – Noise Figure personality, Friis equation demonstration, NF uncertainty calculator.
46:50 – Concluding remarks.
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TNP #14 - Teardown & Analysis of a Somewhat Dangerous LiPo-Based Mini Spot Welder
48.1K views
March 13, 2022 8:40 PM
In this episode Shahriar takes a look at the a battery-based spot welder which have become fairly popular recently. Due to being mass-produced, some poor corner-cutting schemes can render these devices dangerous. The teardown of a random unit is presented. After improving the safety of the unit, a sample weld is done. The maximum deliverable energy of the unit is also measured.
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TSP #204 - Teardown, Tutorial & Experiments with Active/Passive Microwave Band-Pass Filters (APS104)
68.1K views
March 13, 2022 12:48 PM
In this episode Shahriar repairs an OPTOELECTRONICS APS-104 tunable band-pass filter. The instrument provides continuous tuning from 20MHz to 1GHz with a constant 4-MHz band pass response. Since the repair proves to be fairly easy, the video focuses on comparison between various band-pass filter architectures. This includes microwave cavity filters, PCB-based filters with varactor tuning, YIG filters and frequency-translation filters. A range of measurements highlight the differences and pros/cons of the aforementioned filters. The APS-104 unit is fully reverse engineered and characterized as well.
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