MAX2837 Evaluation Kit
Evaluates: MAX2837
General Description
Connections and Setup
The MAX2837 evaluation kit (EV kit) simplifies test-
ing of the device’s receive and transmit performance
in WiMAX applications operating in the 2.3GHz to
2.7GHz ISM band. The EV kit provides 50Ω SMA
connectors for all RF and baseband inputs and outputs.
Differential-to-single-ended and single-ended-to-differential
line drivers are provided to convert the differential I/Q base-
band inputs and outputs to single-ended.
The EV kit is fully assembled and factory tested. Follow the
instructions below to test the device. This section provides
step-by-step instructions for getting the EV kit up and
running in all modes. See
Figure 1
for EV kit connections:
Connect the PC to the INTF3000 interface board
using the USB-A male to USB-B male cable. On the
INTF3000, remove jumper JU1 and connect a DC
supply set to 3.3V to the VPULL connector. Connect
the 25-pin connector of the INTF3000 (J4) directly to
the 25-pin connector on the EV kit (J18).
2) With the power supply turned off, connect the +3.3V
power-supply to VBAT and VCCAUX. Connect the
power-supply ground to the header labeled GND1.
3) With the power supply turned off, connect the +5V
power supply to the +5V test point and the -5V power
supply to the -5V test point. Connect the power-
supply ground to the header labeled GND2. Connect
all the power-supply grounds together.
4) Set the RXBBBUF jumper across pins 1-2 to enable
the RX baseband buffers.
5) Set the VCCVCO jumper across pins 2-3, VCCVCO1
jumper across pins 1-2, VCCVCO2 jumper across
pins 2-3, and VBAT_LDO jumper across pins 2-3 to
utilize the three on-board LDOs to regulate the VBAT
voltage to +2.85V.
6) Turn on the +3.3V power supply, and the +5V and
-5V power supplies.
7) Make sure there are no jumpers across headers
labeled RXEN, TXEN and JPSHDNB so that these
enables can be controlled through the software.
8) Adjust the TX common-mode potentiometer (R36)
until measuring 0.9V common-mode voltage at the
VCM test point (see
Figure 1
for locations).
9) Install and run the MAX2837 control software from
HERE.
10) In the
Enables
panel of the software, check the
EN_SPI box to enable the 3-wire interface.
11) In the
Synth
panel of the software, set the LO
frequency to 2500MHz.
12) In the
Registers
panel of the software, set ENABLE
to 1 and RXENABLE and TXENABLE to 0 to put the
IC into standby mode. The supply current should be
around 35mA.
1)
Features
●
On-Board Line Driver and Voltage Reference
● 50Ω SMA Connectors on All RF and Baseband Ports
● PC Control Software Available at
www.maximintegrated.com/evkitsoftware)
Quick Start
This section lists the recommended test equipment to
verify the operation of the MAX2837. It is intended as a
guide only and substitutions may be possible.
●
MAX2837 EV kit
●
INTF3000+ interface board
● DC supply capable of delivering +5V and 250mA of
continuous current
● DC supply capable of delivering -5V and 250mA of
continuous current
● DC supply capable of delivering +3.3V and 250mA of
continuous current
● Two HP8648s or equivalent signal sources capable of
generating 0dBm up to 3GHz
● Two HP or equivalent arbitrary waveform generators
● One HP8561E or equivalent RF spectrum analyzer
with a minimum 100kHz to 3GHz frequency range
● One TDS3012 or equivalent oscilloscope with 200MHz
bandwidth
● PC laptop or tablet with Microsoft Windows XP
®
,
Windows
®
7, 8 OS and a USB port
● USB-A male to USB-B male cable
Recommended Test Equipment
Windows and Windows XP are registered trademarks and
registered service marks of Microsoft Corporation.
19-0966; Rev 2; 1/16
MAX2837 Evaluation Kit
Evaluates: MAX2837
Receive Mode
1)
2)
Set the signal generator to accurately deliver
-100dBm at 2502MHz. Connect the output of the
signal generator to RXRF port of the EV kit.
Connect either the RXBBI or RXBBQ baseband output
to a spectrum analyzer. Set the center frequency to
2MHz and the span to 1MHz. Other recommended
spectrum analyzer settings are: Res BW of 3kHz,
Attenuation of 40dB, and Ref Level of 30dB.
In the
Registers
panel of the software, set ENABLE
and RXENABLE to 1 and TXENABLE to 0 to activate
the receive path. The current should be around 94mA.
In the
RX
panel of the software, toggle both the LNA
gain enable and the baseband VGA enable to be
SPI. Set both of the gain controls to max.
Turn on the RF signal source. The output CW tone at
2MHz should be approximately -2dBm.
Connect the spectrum analyzer to the TXRF port.
Set the center frequency to 2500MHz and the span
to 5MHz. Other recommended spectrum analyzer
settings are: Res BW of 10kHz, Attenuation of 10dB
and Ref Level of 0dB.
Connect a 2MHz sinusoid to TXBBI and a 2MHz
sinusoid with a 90° phase shift (or a cosine) to
TXBBQ. Set the input amplitude of each channel to
90mV
RMS
.
In the
Registers
panel of the software, set ENABLE
and TXENABLE to 1 and RXENABLE to 0 to activate
the transmit path. The current should be around 146mA.
In the
TX
panel of the software, toggle TX VGA Gain
to SPI. Set it to -3dB from the max gain.
In the
TX
panel of the software, set the TX Mixer V2I
gain to -5.5dB (this is also the default setting).
Turn on the baseband signal sources. The output at
2502MHz should be approximately -1dBm. The LO
leakage at 2500MHz should be around -27dBm and
sideband suppression at 2498MHz should be around
-39dBm.
Layout Considerations
The EV kit can serve as a guide for board layout.
Keep PCB trace lengths as short as possible to
minimize parasitic inductance. Also, keep decoupling
capacitors as close to the IC as possible with a direct
connection to the ground plane.
To minimize coupling between different sections of the
IC, use a “star” power-supply routing configuration with
a large decoupling capacitor at a central V
CC
node.
The V
CC
traces branch out from this node, each going
to a separate V
CC
node in the circuit. Place a bypass
capacitor as close to each supply pin as possible. This
arrangement provides local decoupling at each V
CC
pin. Use at least one via per bypass capacitor for a low-
inductance ground connection. Do not share the capacitor
ground vias with any other branch.
Power-Supply Layout
3)
4)
5)
Transmit Mode
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
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Maxim Integrated │
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MAX2837 Evaluation Kit
Evaluates: MAX2837
Figure 1. MAX2837 EV Kit Connections
Component Suppliers
SUPPLIER
Digi-Key Corp.
Johnson Components
Murata Americas
Texas Instruments Inc.
www.digikey.com
www.johnsoncomponents.com
www.murata.com
www.ti.com
WEBSITE
Note:
Indicate that you are using the MAX2837 when contacting these component suppliers.
www.maximintegrated.com
Maxim Integrated │
3
MAX2837 Evaluation Kit
Evaluates: MAX2837
MAX2837 EV Kit Bill of Materials
DESIGNATION
+5V, -5V, VBAT, VCCAUX
B1–B7, CLK_OUT, CSB, DIN, DOUT, ENABLE,
PABIAS, RXBBI+, RXBBI-, RXBBQ+, RXBBQ-,
RXENABLE, RXHP, SCLK, TXBBI+ TXBBI-, TXBBQ+,
TXBBI-, TUNEM, TUNEP, TXENABLE, RSSI, VCM
GND1, GND2
J17, JP2CSB, JPSPICLK, JPSPIDIN,
JPSPIDOUT, L3, L4, L7, VCCCP1, VCCLNA,
VCCPLL, VCCRXBB1, VCCRXBB2, VCCRXMX,
VCCTXMX, VCCXTAL, VCC_DB, VCC_PAD,
VCC_REF, VCC_TCXO, VCC_VCO, Y1
JPB1–JPB7, JPSHDNB, RXBBBUF, RXEN,
TXEN, VCCVCO, VCCVCO1, VCCVCO2
C1, C3, C8,
C20–C22, C24, C44, C76, C78
C2, C9, C15,
C16, C19, C70, C89
C4–C7, C10, C13, C17, C18, C40, C45, C46,
C59, C60, C67, C83
C11, C23, C26, C28, C32, C34, C73, C74, C75,
C87, C88
C12, C53, C55, C66
C14
C25, C77
C27
C29, C86
C36–C39
C68, C69
C79
C81
J18
QTY
4
Test points, PCB red
Keystone 5010
Test points, PCB mini-red
Keystone 5000
Test points, PCB black
Keystone 5011
DESCRIPTION
29
2
0
Not installed
16
0
7
15
11
4
1
2
1
2
4
2
1
1
1
1 x 3-pin headers
Sullins PEC36SAAN
Not installed, capacitors
22pF ±5% ceramic capacitors (0402)
Murata GRM1555C1H220J
0.1µF ±10% ceramic capacitors (0402)
Murata GRM155R61C104K
0.01µF ±10% ceramic capacitors (0402)
Murata GRM155R71E103K
10µF ±10% ceramic capacitors (0805)
Murata GRM21BR61A106K
3300pF ±10% ceramic capacitor (0402)
Murata GRM155R71H332K
1000pF ±10% ceramic capacitors (0402)
Murata GRM155R71H102K
2.2µF ±10% ceramic capacitor (0805)
Murata GRM21BR71A225K
1µF ±10% ceramic capacitors (0402)
Murata GRM155R61J105K
2.2µF ±10% ceramic capacitors (0603)
Murata GRM188R61A225K
3pF ±5% ceramic capacitors (0402)
Murata GRM1555C1H3R0J
180pF ±5% ceramic capacitor (0402)
Murata GRM1555C1H181J
100pF ±5% ceramic capacitor (0402)
Murata GRM1555C1H101J
DB25 right-angle male connector
AMP 5747238-4
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Maxim Integrated │ 4
MAX2837 Evaluation Kit
Evaluates: MAX2837
MAX2837 EV Kit Bill of Materials (continued)
DESIGNATION
L1
R1, R7
R2, R5, R6, R38
R3, R10
R4, R26
R8, R9, R12–R19, R23, R24, R25, R28, 29, R31,
R32, R40, R41, R45, R47, R48
R11, R30, R35, R42, R50, R52
R20, R51
R21, R22
R33, R36
R34
R37
RXRF, TXRF, CLKOUT, RXBBI, RXBBQ, TXBBI,
TXBBQ, FREF
T1, T2
U1, U3
U2, U6
U4
U7
U8, U9
U10
U11
U12–U14
—
—
QTY
1
2
4
2
2
22
0
2
2
2
1
1
8
2
2
2
1
1
2
1
1
3
16
1
6.2nH ±0.1nH inductor
Murata LQ15AN6N2B00
200Ω ±1% resistors (0402)
205Ω ±1% resistors (0402)
226Ω ±1% resistors (0402)
49.9Ω ±1% resistors (0402)
0Ω resistors (0402)
Not installed, resistors
475Ω ±1% resistors (0402)
61.9Ω ±1% resistors (0402)
Trimmer potentiometers
Bourns 3296W-1-102LF
576Ω ±1% resistor (0402)
332Ω ±1% resistor (0402)
SMA edge-mount connectors, round
Johnson 142-0701-801
2.4GHz RF baluns
Murata LDB182G5010G-120
Low-noise differential ADC drivers
ADI AD8139
MAX4444ESE+
(16-pin narrow SO)
MAX2837ETM+ (48-pin thin QFN-EP, 6mm x 6mm x 0.8mm)
Low-dropout linear regulator
MAX8887EZK29+ (5-pin SOT23)
SN74LVTH244ADB
Texas Instruments SN74LVTH244ADBR
Low-dropout voltage reference
MAX6062AEUR+ (3-pin SOT23)
40MHz TCXO
Kyocera KT3225N40000ECV28ZAA
Ultra-low-noise LDOs
MAX8510EXK29+ (5-pin SC70)
Shunts (JPB1–JPB7, JPSHDNB, RXBBBUF, RXEN, TXEN,
VCCVCO, VCCVCO1, VCCVCO2)
Sullins SSC02SYAN
PCB: MAX9835/7 EVALUATION KIT+
DESCRIPTION
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Maxim Integrated │
5