AD8321
Distortion and DOCSIS
Overshoot on PC Printer Ports
Care must be taken when selecting attenuation levels specified
in Table I as the output signal from the AD8321 must compen-
sate for the losses resulting from any added attenuation as well
as the insertion losses associated with the diplexer. An increase
in input signal becomes apparent at the upper end of the gain
range and will be needed to achieve the 58 dBmV at the modem
output. The insertion losses of the diplexer may vary, depend-
ing on the quality of the diplexer and whether the frequency of
operation is in near proximity to the cut-off frequency of the
low-pass filter. Figures 9 and 10 show the expected second
and third harmonic distortion performance vs. fundamental
frequency at various input power levels. These graphs indicate
the worst harmonic levels exhibited over the entire output range
of the AD8321 (i.e., –27 dB to +26 dB). Figures 9 and 10 are
useful when it is necessary to determine inband harmonic levels
(5 MHz to 42 MHz or 5 MHz to 65 MHz). Harmonics that
are higher in frequency, as compared to the cutoff frequency of
the low-pass filter of the diplexer, will be further suppressed by
the stop band attenuation level of the LP filter in the diplexer.
Designers must balance the need to improve noise performance
by adding attenuation with the resulting need for increased
signal amplitude while maintaining DOCSIS specified dis-
tortion performance.
The data lines on some PC parallel printer ports have excessive
overshoot. Overshoot presented to the CLK pin (TP7 on the
evaluation board) may cause communications problems. The
evaluation board layout was designed to accommodate a series
resistor and shunt capacitor (R6 and C12) if required to filter or
condition the CLK data.
Between Burst Transient Reduction
In order to reduce the amplitude of the “Burst On/Off Tran-
sient” glitch at the output of the AD8321, when switching from
forward transmit mode to reverse powered down mode, position
the SWb switch in Figure 28 to position “a” before changing the
logic applied to PD Pin 6 of the AD8321 from Logic 1-to-0
(and also 0-to-1). Use the “Enable Output Switch” feature in
the evaluation board control software (see Figure 31) to select
the appropriate position of the AS128-73 switch. A check in this
box enables the switch to pass upstream data to the output of the
evaluation board. The AS128-73 produces a glitch of approxi-
mately 5 mV p-p regardless of the AD8321 gain setting. The
AD8321-EVAL board comes with resistors and capacitors
installed on the logic lines controlling the RF switch (R8, R9,
C16, C17). These values were selected to reduce the glitch
amplitude to DOCSIS acceptable levels and may be modified
if required. The SPDT function of the AS128-73 RF switch
accommodates the need to maintain proper termination when
the diplexer is disconnected from the output of the AD8321.
The AD8321-EVAL board accommodates the needed back
termination (refer to the Cb and Rb of the evaluation circuit).
Evaluation Board Features and Operation
The AD8321 evaluation board (p/n AD8321-EVAL) and com-
panion software program written in Microsoft Visual Basic are
available through Analog Devices, Inc. and can be used to
control the AD8321 Variable Gain Upstream Power Amplifier
via the parallel port of a PC. This evaluation package provides a
convenient way to program the gain/attenuation of the AD8321
without the addition of any external glue logic. AD8321-EVAL
has been developed to facilitate the use of the AD8321 in an
application targeted at DOCSIS compliance. A low cost Alpha
Industries AS128-73 GaAs 2 Watt High Linearity SPDT RF
switch (referred to as SWb) is included on the evaluation board
(see Figure 28) along with accommodations for a user specified
75 W matching attenuator (See Table I for a table of resistor
values of attenuators ranging from –1 dB to –4 dB). The
AD8321 DATEN, CLK and SDATA digital lines are pro-
grammed according to the gain setting and mode of operation
selected using the Windows® interface of the control software
(see Figure 30). The serial interface of the AD8321 is ad-
dressed through the parallel port of a PC using four or more
bits (plus ground). Two additional bits from the parallel port
are used to control the RF switch(s). This software programs
the AD8321 gain or attenuation, incorporates asynchronous
control of the power-down feature (PD Pin 6) as well as asyn-
chronous control of the Alpha Industries RF switch(es) AS128-
73.* A standard printer cable is used to feed the necessary data
to the AD8321-EVAL board. These features allow the designer
to fully develop and evaluate the upstream signal path begin-
ning at the input to the PA.
Differential Inputs
When evaluating the AD8321 in differential input mode, termi-
nation resistor(s) should be selected and applied such that the
combined resistance of the termination resistor(s) and the input
impedance of the AD8321 results in a match between the signal
source impedance and the input impedance of the AD8321. The
evaluation board is designed to accommodate Mini-Circuits T1-
6T-KK81 1:1 transformer for the purposes of converting a
single-ended (i.e., ground referenced) input signal to differen-
tial inputs. The following paragraphs identify three options for
providing differential input signals to the AD8321 evaluation
board. Option 1 uses a transformer to produce a truly differen-
tial input signal. The termination resistor(s) specified in Option
1 and 2 may also be used without the transformer if a differen-
tial signal source is available. Option 2 uses a transformer and-
produces ground referenced input signals that are separated in
phase by 180∞. Option 3 relies on differential signals provided
by the user and does not employ a transformer for single-to-
differential conversion.
Differential Input Option 1: Install the Mini-Circuits T1-6T-
KK81 1:1 transformer in the T1 location of the evaluation
board. Jumpers J1, J2 and J3 should be applied pointing in the
direction of the transformer. A differential input termination
resistor of 82.5 W can be used in the R3 position. This value
should be used when the single-ended input signal has a source
impedance of 75 W. In this configuration, the input signal must
be applied to the VIN+/DIFF IN port of the evaluation board.
An open circuit is required in R1, R2 and J4 positions resulting
in a 75 W differential input termination to the AD8321. If a
50 W single-ended input source is applied to the VIN+/DIFF IN
port, the R3 value should be 53.6 W.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
*Alpha Industries @ www.alphaind.com
REV. A
–11–
ADI [ ADI ]
