The LMX2572EVM is design to evaluate the performance of LMX2572. This board consists of a LMX2572
device.
The LMX2572 is a low-power, high-performance wideband synthesizer that can generate any frequency
from 12.5 MHz to 6.4 GHz without using an internal VCO doubler. The PLL delivers excellent performance
while consuming just 75 mA from a single 3.3-V supply.
Apply 3.3 V to VCCSMA connector. Acceptable supply voltage range is 3 V to 3.6 V. The maximum current
consumption in the most extreme configuration must not exceed 150 mA.
By default, the onboard DC-DC converter is not used.
2.3Reference Clock
Connect OSCinP SMA connector with one of the outputs from Reference PRO using the SMA Male-tomale adopter. OSCinM SMA connector is not connected to LMX2572 so it could be left open.
The EVM is configured for single-ended input with OSCin pin connected to OSCinP SMA connector and
OSCinM pin 50-Ω terminated onboard. If required, the EVM can be modified to operate with different clock
source in different configuration, see Appendix A for details.
Terminate the unused output of the Reference PRO board with a 50-Ω resistor or SMA load. By default,
the output clock from Reference PRO is a 100-MHz LVPECL clock. Appendix B has the details of
Reference PRO.
2.4RF Output
Connect either RFoutAP or RFoutAM SMA connector to a signal analyzer. The unused connector must be
terminated with a 50-Ω resistor or SMA load. Output frequency is 3 GHz and the amplitude is about +2.5
dBm.
By default, the evaluation software, TICS Pro, has RFoutB power down. These SMA connectors could be
left open.
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2.5Programming
Connect ribbon cable from Reference PRO to LMX2572EVM.
Connect USB cable from a PC to USB port in Reference PRO. This provides power supply to Reference
PRO board and communication with TICS Pro. A firmware update may be required, see Appendix B for
details.
2.6Evaluation Software
Download and install TICS Pro to a PC.
Run the software and follow the following steps to get started.
1. Go to "Select Device" → "PLL + VCO" → LMX2572.
2. Go to "Default Configuration" → "Default Mode xxxx-xx-xx".
There are two switches in MUXout_SW. Switch 1 is used for register readback. Switch 2 is used to
provide a visual PLL lock status through the LED D1. By default, both switches are in the Make position.
To read back register in TICS Pro, set Switch 2 to the Break position.
Phase shift = 360° × (800 / 1000) × (1 / 32) = 9°. We can write 800 to MASH_SEED 40 times to get 360°
phase shift.
Typical Measurement
Table 2. Phase Adjustment Setting
PARAMETEREXAMPLE VALUE
MASH_SEED800
PLL_DEN1000
CHDIV32
VCO_PHASE_SYNC_EN0
Figure 7. Phase Adjustment Setting
3.2.2Calibration-free Automatic Ramping
LMX2572 supports linear frequency ramp without the need of VCO calibration in the middle of the ramp.
The output waveform is a continuous frequency sweep between the start and the end frequencies.
However, the frequency ramp range is limited. When using ramp, the followings need to be set
accordingly:
This is a triangular ramp example. Ramp up is defined by RAMP0 while ramp down is defined by RAMP1.
RAMP_THRESH, RAMP_DLY_CNT, and RAMP_SCALE_COUNT are "don't care" because we are not
going to trigger any VCO calibration. RAMP_MANUAL = 0 means Automatic Ramping mode.
Set RAMP_EN = 1 to start ramping. Set RAMP_EN = 0 to turn off ramping.
This ramping mode supports wider ramp frequency, however there are glitches in the middle of the ramp
because of VCO calibrations which are required so as to ensure the continuity of the ramp.
RFoutB of LMX2572 can be used to generate or duplicate SYSREF signal. The output of RFoutB can be a
single pulse, series of pulse, or a continuous stream of pulses. These pulses are synchronous with the
RFoutA signal with an adjustable delay. To use the SYSREF capability, the PLL must be in SYNC mode
with VCO_PHASE_SYNC_EN = 1. Here is an example of Pulsed mode.