Page 447 - Complete Wireless Design

Wireless Issues

446 Chapter Ten

passive components, a section that displays all of the standard engineering
constants (Boltzmann’s, the speed of light, Planck’s, etc.). Even more func-
tionality in this program is expected to be added by Agilent in the near future,
and will be obtainable for download from Agilent’s Web site.
Sonnet Lite, by Sonnet Software, which is included in the attached CD ROM,
is an advanced electromagnetic simulator that permits a microwave designer
to simulate planar (microstrip) circuits and antennas, and displays a graphi-
cal output of gain and return loss. It is a very important software tool in all
high-frequency microwave design.
RFAMP, by Thomas H. Stanford Engineering, is a noteworthy RF design
program available on the Web. This software will automatically calculate a
discrete amplifier’s stability, matching network, S , S , and convert between
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S, Y, Z, and ABCD parameters. It is truly an invaluable program when nar-
rowband, small-signal discrete S-parameter amplifier design is performed.
Even a simple program such as Inductor Design Calculator by David E.
Powell will speed high-frequency design of air inductors tremendously. It is
available on the Web.
PLL Made Easier (Easy-PLL), by National Semiconductor, makes the design
of PLLs a much more accurate, speedy, and repeatable process. It is included
with this book’s CD ROM, as well as on the National Semiconductor Web site.
By placing the desired reference frequency, tuning range, and comparison fre-
quency within the appropriate blocks, this software will actually choose the
proper VCO and PLL chip (National PLLs only), as well as design the entire
loop filter and give the engineer the PLL’s complete characteristics, such as
phase noise and lock time. Easy-PLL will also perform a comprehensive design
check to assure PLL stability and proper component values. Another program
that is included in this book’s CD ROM is National Semiconductor’s Code
Loader. It also assists the engineer in designing phase-locked loops. Code
Loader, after we select the desired National PLL chip—along with other basic
parameters—permits the design and Bode plot viewing of the loop filter’s
response, and allows the programming (through a computer) of the physical
PLL’s N and R counters, phase detector, charge pump, and other registers.
A low-cost program, AADE’s Filter Design, helps the engineer simply and
rapidly design almost all types of lumped low-pass, high-pass, bandpass, and
bandstop filters, such as Butterworth, Chebyshev, Elliptic, Bessel, gaussian,
and crystal ladder, while also displaying the filter’s insertion loss, return loss,
group delay, input impedance, etc. As this program is circuit theory–based,
and also uses ideal components (except for inductor Q), internal stray coupling
and distributed reactances will begin to undermine its design accuracy as the
frequency increases. This can be somewhat mitigated by designing for a high-
er frequency than that desired, since the stray effects will naturally lower the
filter’s center frequency. Regardless of its limitations, this program is a must-
have software tool for lumped filter design.
LC Match, by RadioCom Corporation, is a free program available on the Web
that lets the designer enter a circuit’s source and load impedance, and then

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