ANALOG DEVICES UG-435 Service Manual

Evaluation Board User Guide

UG-435

10844-001

One Technology Way • P. O. Box 9106 • Norwood, MA 02062-9106, U.S.A. • Tel: [phone] • Fax: [phone] • www.analog.com

Evaluation Board for the ADF4351 Fractional-N PLL Frequency Synthesizer

FEATURES

Self-contained board including PLL, VCO, loop filter (35 kHz),

25 MHz TCXO reference, USB interface, and voltage
regulators

Accompanying software allows control of synthesizer

functions from a PC
Choice of power supply via USB or external feeding
Typical phase noise performance of −104 dBc/Hz @ 3 kHz

offset from carrier (1 GHz output frequency)

EVALUATION KIT CONTENTS

EVAL-ADF4351EB1Z board

USB Standard-A to Mini-B cable
CD that includes

Self-installing software that allows users to control the

board and exercise all functions of the device
Electronic version of the ADF4351 data sheet
Electronic version of the UG-435 user guide

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT

PC running Windows XP or more recent version
Spectrum analyzer
Oscilloscope (optional)

DOCUMENTS NEEDED

ADF4351 data sheet

REQUIRED SOFTWARE

Analog Devices ADF435xPLL software (Version 4 or higher)

ADIsimPLL™

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This board is designed to allow the user to evaluate the perfor­mance of the ADF4351 frequency synthesizer for phase-locked
loops (PLLs). Figure 1 shows the board, which contains the

ADF4351 integrated synthesizer and VCO, SMA connectors for

the output signal, power supplies, a reference oscillator, and an
USB connector. There is also a loop filter (35 kHz) on board.
The evaluation board is set up for a 25 MHz PFD comparison
frequency. An on-board TCXO provides the 25 MHz reference
frequency.

The package also contains Windows® software (XP or later) to
allow easy programming of the synthesizer.

PLEASE SEE THE LAST PAGE FOR AN IMPORTANT
WARNING AND LEGAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

EVALUATION BOARD

Figure 1. EVAL-ADF4351EB1Z

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Features .............................................................................................. 1

Evaluation Kit Contents ................................................................... 1

Additional Equipment ..................................................................... 1

Documents Needed .......................................................................... 1

Required Software ............................................................................ 1

General Description ......................................................................... 1

Evaluation Board .............................................................................. 1

Revision History ............................................................................... 2

Quick Start Guide ............................................................................. 3

Evaluation Board Hardware ............................................................ 4

Power Supplies .............................................................................. 4

REVISION HISTORY

6/12—Revision 0: Initial Version

Input Signals...................................................................................4

Loop Filter ......................................................................................4

Output Signals ...............................................................................4

Evaluation Board Setup Procedure .................................................5

Software Installation .....................................................................5

Evaluation Board Software ...............................................................9

Evaluation and Test ........................................................................ 11

Evaluation Board Schematics and Artwork ................................ 12

Ordering Information .................................................................... 17

Bill of Materials ........................................................................... 17

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Evaluation Board User Guide UG-435

QUICK START GUIDE

Follow these steps to quickly evaluate the ADF4351 device:

1. Install the ADF435x software from the CD.

2. Connect the EVAL-ADF4351EB1Z to the PC and install

the necessary drivers.

3. Follow the hardware driver installation procedure.

4. Ensure that Switches SW1 and SW2 are closed.

5. Run the ADF435x software.

6. Select the USB board connection and the ADF4351 device

in the Select Device and Connection tab of the software
front panel window.

7. Click the Main Controls tab. Update all registers.

8. Connect the spectrum analyzer to J2.

9. Measure the results.

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EVALUATION BOARD HARDWARE

The EVAL-ADF4351EB1Z schematics are shown in Figure 22
to Figure 24.

POWER SUPPLIES

The EVAL-ADF4351EB1Z can be powered either from the USB
port or via dc power connectors (4 mm banana connectors).
When feeding via banana connectors, 3.75 V to 5.5 V is a
suitable feeding voltage. The power supply circuitry allows
the user to use one or two separate LDOs to feed the ADF4351
(using fewer LDOs increases the risk of spur contaminated dc
feeds). Consult the board schematic in Figure 22, Figure 23,
and Figure 24 to determine a suitable setting.

An LED, D6, indicates when USB power is available, and
another LED, D5, indicates when the ADF4351 is powered.
Switch S1 is used to power the ADF4351 from the external
dc connectors USB port and Switch S2 to power from the
USB port.

In case the USB processor or clock causes spurs on the RF
output signal, the user may feed the evaluation board via the
dc connectors and unplug the USB cable, thereby removing
power from the USB interface circuitry. There is also a
grounded frame surrounding the USB interface circuitry
to allow mounting of a shielding box.

INPUT SIGNALS

The 25 MHz TCXO from Rakon provides the necessary reference
signal. An external REFIN may be used if desired. In this case,
disable the on-board TCXO by removing L10 and R59. R9 can
be populated with 50 Ω to adjust impedance matching of the
evaluation board to the external reference source.

LOOP FILTER

The loop filter schematic is included in the board schematic on
Figure 22. The loop filter component placements are clarified in
Figure 2.

Figure 3. Evaluation Board Silkscreen

OUTPUT SIGNALS

The EVAL-ADF4351EB1Z has two SMA output connectors
(differential outputs). The device is quite sensitive to impedance
unbalance. If only one port of a differential pair is used,
terminate the other with a 50 Ω load.

The board contains 7.5 nH shunt inductors on the RF output
stages, which is optimum for a frequency range of 1 GHz to

4.4 GHz. Lower frequencies than this require larger output
stage inductors, or a 50 Ω resistor to V
output power, but wider frequency bandwidth than the
inductors. Consult the ADF4351 data sheet for more
information.

The MUXOUT signal can be monitored at the test point labeled
MUXOUT.

, which provides lower

DD

Figure 2. Loop Filter Placement

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EVALUATION BOARD SETUP PROCEDURE

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION

The control software and USB drivers for EVAL-ADF4351EB1Z
are on the CD, which accompanies the board. If the user runs
ADF435x_Setup.msi, then the install wizard guides the user
through the install process. Simply follow the on-screen
instructions. The software and USB drivers will be installed
in the default directory called C:\Program Files\Analog
Devices\ADF435x. The software requires Microsoft’s .NET
framework version 3.5 or later to be installed on your machine.
The installer will automatically download the framework from
the Microsoft website if you do not have this installed. If you do
not have an internet connection or a slow connection on the
PC, then you can install the .NET framework directly from the
CD. Do this by double-clicking dotnetfx35.exe. Once installed,
run the ADF435x_Setup.msi again. Note that to install the
dotnetfx35.exe, you need to have Windows Installer 3.1 or later
installed.

1. Install the Analog Devices ADF435x PLL software by

double-clicking ADF435x_Setup.msi.
If you are using Windows XP, follow the instructions in
the Windows XP Software Installation Guide section (see
Figure 4 to Figure 8).
If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, follow the
instructions in the Windows Vista/7 Software Installation
Guide section (see Figure 9 to Figure 13).
Note that the software requires Microsoft Windows
Installer and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 (or higher).
The installer connects to the Internet and downloads
Microsoft .NET Framework automatically. Alternatively,
before running ADF435x_Setup.msi, both the installer
and .NET Framework can be installed from the CD
provided.

2. Connect your SDP board (black) or USB adapter board

(green) by USB. If you are using an SDP board, the drivers
install automatically, and you are ready to run the software.
If you are using an USB adapter board on Windows XP,
follow the steps in the Windows XP Driver Installation
Guide section (see Figure 14 to Figure 17).

On Windows Vista or Windows 7, the drivers install
automatically.

Windows XP Software Installation Guide

Figure 4. Windows XP ADF435x Software Installation, Setup Wizard

1. Click Next.

Figure 5. Windows XP ADF435x Software Installation, Select Installation

Folder

2. Choose an installation directory and click Next.

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Figure 6. Windows XP ADF435x Software Installation, Confirm Installation

3. Click Next.

Figure 7. Windows XP ADF435x Software Installation, Logo Testing

4. Click Continue Anyway.

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Figure 8. Windows XP ADF435x Software Installation, Installation Complete

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5. Click Close.

Windows Vista/7 Software Installation Guide

Figure 9. Windows Vista/7 ADF435x Software Installation, Setup Wizard

1. Click Next.

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