SpinCore Technologies PA15W User manual
RF Power Amplifier PA15W
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PulseBlaster™, SpinCore, and the SpinCore Technologies, Inc. logos are trademarks of SpinCore Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners.
SpinCore Technologies, Inc. makes every effort to verify the correct operation of the equipment. This equipment version is not intended
for use in a system in which the failure of a SpinCore device will threaten the safety of equipment or person s).
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RF Power Amplifier PA15W
Table of Contents
. Precautions ................................................................................................... 4
Connecting & Disconnecting Power Amplifiers.........................................................4
Power Considerations................................................................................................4
. PA15W – 15 W Power Amplifier Module ................................................... 5
1. Overview......................................................................................................................5
2. Electrical Specifications............................................................................................6
3. Typical Performance Data..........................................................................................6
4. PA15W RF Module with Deblanking Circuitry.........................................................8
5. PA15W RF Module Enclosure Options...................................................................11
1. PA15W RF module enclosed in a single- ay enclosure......................................11
2. PA15W RF module enclosed in a dual- ay enclosure........................................12
. Related Products and Accessories ........................................................ 13
V. Contact nformation ................................................................................. 13
V. Document nformation .............................................................................. 13
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RF Power Amplifier PA15W
. Precautions
Working with RF power amplifiers can be dangerous and even fatal if not handled properly.
Output voltages can reach values greater than 90 V peak-to-peak and can be fatal. Follow these
steps to avoid damaging the amplifier or inflicting serious injuries.
Connecting & Disconnecting Power Amplifiers
When connecting the power amplifier, follow these steps in order to avoid damaging the
amplifier or inflicting serious injuries.
1) Apply the load to the amplifier make sure a load is ALWAYS present when working with
power amplifiers).
2) Apply the DC power to the amplifier.
3) Apply the RF input to the amplifier.
Repeat the steps in reverse order when disconnecting the amplifier.
Power Considerations
Make sure the following considerations have been made before applying power to the amplifier.
1) Be sure your load can appropriately dissipate the maximum power being applied by the
amplifier.
2) When applying an RF signal, work with low duty cycles to limit the power being
dissipated. The duty cycle ratio should be below 1% for safe operation. If you would like to
operate at high duty cycles or in continuous operation, please inquire with SpinCore
Technologies.
3) Do not input a sinusoidal RF signal to the amplifier with an amplitude greater than 1 Volt
peak-to-peak, as values beyond this can damage the amplifier.
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RF Power Amplifier PA15W
. PA15W – 15 W Power Amplifier Module
1. Overview
The PA15W RF power amplifier comes in a very compact broadband module capable of
delivering up to 15 Watts RMS into a 50-ohm load. It has a 3 dB bandwidth from 4 MHz to 100
MHz. The rise and fall time of the power amplifier for the RF pulse output is typically around 200
ns. The PA15W has standard female SMA jack connectors for RF input and output, and screw
terminal connectors for DC input power.
The product comes with blanking circuitry – the blanking circuitry keeps the PA15W blanked
turned off) until a TTL input logical high) is applied. The blanking circuitry helps to conserve
power, keeps the amplifier cool under typical operating conditions, and provides noise reduction
during the reception of NMR signals. To deblank the power amplifier, a TTL pulse needs to be
applied to the control circuitry at least 15 μs prior to the RF pulse being applied at the input.
The PA15W module measures 2.5" x 2.25" x 2.5" 64 x 57 x 64 mm). There are multiple
packaging options available, such as enclosures with integrated AC power supplies and complete
mobile NMR, NQR and MRI systems that include preamplifiers, filters and SpinCore's
RadioProcessorUSB board along with the PA15W. See the “Packaging Options” section later in this
document for more information. The use of a low pass or band pass) filter at the output of the
PA15W is recommended to reduce high frequency noise and improve performance.
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RF Power Amplifier PA15W
2. Electrical Specifications
Table 1: Basic electrical specifications for the PA15W power amplifier module.
Parameter
Specification
Units
DC Power Input
12
V DC)
Max. RF input power
10
mW
Max. continuous RF output power
15
W RMS)
Minimum deblanking time
15
μs
TTL Input
3.3
V
3. Typical Performance Data
When powered by 12 V DC, driven by 1.8 V peak-to-peak 7.81 mW) RF input and with the output
terminated with 50 Ohms, the PA15W provides the performance values contained in Table 2.
Table 2: Typical PA15W performance from 1 MHz to 100 MHz.
Frequency
(MHz)
Output Voltage
(V pk-pk)
Output power
(W RMS)
Output power
(dBm)
Gain
(dB)
145.52 5.18 37.6 28.22
566.45 11.04 40.44 31.42
10 69.22 11.98 40.8 31.86
20 70.37 12.38 40.94 32
30 72.39 13.1 41.18 32.25
40 73.65 13.56 41.33 32.4
50 82.78 17.13 42.35 33.41
60 91.37 20.87 43.21 34.27
70 86.93 18.89 42.77 33.84
80 83.55 17.45 42.43 33.49
90 83.5 17.43 42.28 33.34
100 80.8 16.32 42.14 33.2
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RF Power Amplifier PA15W
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igure 1: Output Power vs. Frequency of the PA15W RF Power Amplifier.
1 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Output Power vs. Frequency
Pout W)
Frequency in MHz)
Pout W)
igure 2: Gain vs. Frequency of the PA15W RF Power Amplifier.
1 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Gain vs. Frequency
Gain dB)
Frequency MHz)
Gain dB)
RF Power Amplifier PA15W
4. PA15W RF Module with Deblanking Circuitry
This is the simplest option, shown in Figure 3, which along with the power amplifier module
includes only the switching circuitry mounted on top of the power amplifier to enable it when a TTL
pulse is applied to the input pin. PA15W RF module connector information is described on the next
page.
12 V DC Power Input
•Left screw on terminal block is DC Power, which can be identified by the small 1 marked
along side it on the board. Must e sta ilized +12 V (DC)! If voltage applied is higher or lower
than +12 V (DC), the power amplifier will fail. Right screw on terminal block is DC Ground,
which can be identified by the small C13 marked along side it on the board.
RF Ports
•RF In – SMA jack connector do not exceed 10 mW RF input power).
•RF Out – SMA jack connector. A 50 Ω load must be connected to RF Out.
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igure 3: PA15W Connections (Front View).
RF Power Amplifier PA15W
3.3 V TTL Input Connector
•10-pin IDC conenctor. Must e 3.3 V NOT 5 V! The input impedance is 100 Ω. The
deblanking signal should be connected to pin 8 of the IDC connector with pin 7 serving as
the corresponding ground). See Figure 4 below for pinout information.
The timing diagram of a typical application of PA15W with the deblanking pulse applied prior to the
RF pulse is presented in Figure 5, below. When working with short RF pulses, on the order of 1 μs
or so, triggering the oscilloscope on the falling edge of the deblanking pulse will help with identifying
and capturing the RF pulse on the scope.
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igure 5. Representation of the de lanking and RF input and output signals to the PA15W. The PA15W
requires at least 15 μs de lanking time prior to the RF pulse for full output power. Note: when operating the
power amplifier the duty-cycle for the de lanking signal should e kept low to avoid damage to the
amplifier.
Deblanking
Signal
RF
Output
Deblanking Time Pulse Time
RF Input
igure 4: 10-pin IDC connector (Front View: Digi-Key part A33159-ND). Mates with
Digi-Key part HKC10H-ND or similar.
RF Power Amplifier PA15W
The performance of the PA15W at the end of the pulse is presented in Figure 6, below.
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igure 6. Typical performance of the PA15W at the end of pulse. Channel 2 is the de lanking signal and
channel 1 is the RF output. The PA15W was driven y a 1.1 V peak-to-peak RF signal with the output
signal attenuated 20 dB and terminated with 50 Ohms.
RF Power Amplifier PA15W
5. PA15W RF Module Enclosure Options
Multiple packaging options are available when ordering the PA15W RF power amplifier module.
There are two standard enclosure configurations available: single-bay and dual-bay enclosures.
1. PA15W R module enclosed in a single-bay enclosure
The PA15W RF power amplifier can also be delivered in various external enclosures which
protect the RF power amplifier circuitry and include an AC/DC power supply, internal RF cables and
output low-pass or band-pass) filter please specify your operating frequency at the time of
purchase). For typical enclosures, the power input is 90-264 V AC, the RF input and output signals
are provided on external BNC connectors, and the TTL inputs are routed through female DB-9 input
connector shown in Figure 7). There are two options for the TTL signal and ground connector pins
on the DB-9 connector. On the first, the active TTL signal needs to be connected to pin 4, with the
corresponding ground line connected to pin 8. On the second, the active TTL signal needs to be
connected to pin 9, with the corresponding ground line connected to pin 5. You will be notified by
SpinCore at the time of shipment which option you have. If you do not know which option you have,
you can contact SpinCore to find out.
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igure 7: DB-9 Female Input Connector.
RF Power Amplifier PA15W
Single-bay enclosure additional specifications include:
•Excellent EMI/RFI shielding meets FCC & CE regulations.
•Built-in 4x4 cm quiet cooling fan.
•High quality 50 Watt AC input switching power supply.
•Dimensions are approximately 10.25” x 7.75” x 2.25” 26 x 19.5 x 6 cm).
2. PA15W R module enclosed in a dual-bay enclosure
Dual-bay enclosure additional specifications include:
•Metal body with streamlined plastic front panel.
•Built-in 8x8 cm quiet cooling fan.
•High quality 80 Watt AC input switching power supply.
•Dimensions are approximately 11” x 7” x 6.75” 28 x 18 x 17 cm).
•Optional heatsink and fan assembly to allow continuous operation of the amplifier.
•Available as part of a complete iSpin-NMRTM system or as a stand-alone PA15W.
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igure 8: A sample photo of a PA15W
RF power amplifier in a single- ay
enclosure.
igure 9: PA15W RF power amplifier – enclosed in a dual- ay enclosure.
RF Power Amplifier PA15W
. Related Products and Accessories
1. Alternative RF Power Amplifier modules are available: PA10W, and PA75W. For more
information, please visit the URL http://www.spincore.com/products/RFPA/
2. iSpin-NMR™ is SpinCore Technologies' complete, portable NMR system. For more
information, please visit http://spincore.com/products/iSpinNMR/
3. RadioProcessor is SpinCore Technologies' general purpose, broadband, radio frequency
RF) digital data acquisition and excitation system. For more information, please visit
http://www.spincore.com/products/RadioProcessor/
4. If you require a custom power level, please inquire with SpinCore Technologies through our
contact form, which is available at http://www.spincore.com/contact.shtml
V. Contact nformation
SpinCore Technologies, nc.
4631 NW 53rd Avenue, SU TE 103
Gainesville, FL 32653
USA
Telephone (USA): 352-271-7383
Website: http://www.spincore.com
Web Contact Form: http://www.spincore.com/contact.shtml
V. Document nformation
Revision history available at SpinCore.
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