Philips Semiconductors RF Communications Products Product specification
SA608Low voltage high performance mixer FM IF system
November 3, 1992
5
CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION
The SA608 is an IF signal processing system
suitable for second IF systems with input fre-
quency as high as 150MHz. The bandwidth
of the IF amplifier and limiter is at least 2MHz
with 90dB of gain. The gain/bandwidth dis-
tribution is optimized for 455kHz, 1.5kΩ
source applications. The overall system is
well-suited to battery operation as well as
high performance and high quality products
of all types.
The input stage is a Gilbert cell mixer with
oscillator. Typical mixer characteristics
include a noise figure of 6.2dB, conversion
gain of 17dB, and input third-order intercept
of –9dBm. The oscillator will operate in
excess of 200MHz in L/C tank configurations.
Hartley or Colpitts circuits can be used up to
100MHz for xtal configurations. Butler
oscillators are recommended for xtal
configurations up to 150MHz.
The output impedance of the mixer is a 1.5kΩ
resistor permitting direct connection to a
455kHz ceramic filter. The input resistance
of the limiting IF amplifiers is also 1.5kΩ.
With most 455kHz ceramic filters and many
crystal filters, no impedance matching
network is necessary. The IF amplifier has
43dB of gain and 5.5MHz bandwidth. The IF
limiter has 60dB of gain and 4.5MHz
bandwidth. To achieve optimum linearity of
the log signal strength indicator, there must
be a 12dB(v) insertion loss between the first
and second IF stages. If the IF filter or
interstage network does not cause 12dB(v)
insertion loss, a fixed or variable resistor or
an L pad for simultaneous loss and
impedance matching can be added between
the first IF output (Pin 16) and the interstage
network. The overall gain will then be 90dB
with 2MHz bandwidth.
The signal from the second limiting amplifier
goes to a Gilbert cell quadrature detector.
One port of the Gilbert cell is internally driven
by the IF. The other output of the IF is
AC-coupled to a tuned quadrature network.
This signal, which now has a 90
° phase
relationship to the internal signal, drives the
other port of the multiplier cell.
The demodulated output of the quadrature
drives an internal op amp. This op amp is
configured as a unity gain buffer.
A log signal strength completes the circuitry.
The output range is greater than 90dB and is
temperature compensated. This log signal
strength indicator exceeds the criteria for
AMPs or TACs cellular telephone. This
signal is buffered through an internal unity
gain op amp. The frequency check pin
provides a buffered limiter output. This is
useful for implementing an AFC (Automatic
Frequency Check) function. This same
output can also be used in conjunction with
limiter output (Pin 11) for demodulating FSK
(Frequency Shift Keying) data. Both pins are
of the same amplitude, but 180° out of phase.
NOTE: Limiter or Frequency Check output
has drive capability of a 5kΩ minimum or
higher in order to obtain 120mV
RMS
output
level.
NOTE: dB(v) = 20log V
OUT
/V
IN
