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RSSGetting It Right The First Time When Specifying Filters: What Electronic Design Engineers Need To Know
March 28, 2007
By Joseph Pillari, Anatech Electronics
In a classic case of what you don't know can hurt you, design engineers with advanced knowledge of digital electronics are discovering an urgent need to brush up on RF basics when it comes to specifying filters for wireless devices. Failure to take into account the fundamental aspects of filter types and minimum specification requirements can result in products that fail "test," thus incurring costly production delays as the product goes back to the drawing board. On the other hand, knowing how to accurately specify filters helps yield products that meet production benchmarks and function correctly in the hands of the customer. In effect, this knowledge helps contain production expenses while upping the product's chance of success in the marketplace.
Back To The Basics
The fierce competition for band space in today's wireless world dictates an ever-increasing attention to filter performance. Inaccuracies in specifying the correct filter ultimately translate into frequency conflicts that come back to bite the design team in the form of cross-talk, dropped calls, loss of data and interrupted network connections.
The problem of incomplete or inaccurate specification of filters partly rests on today's emphasis on digital electronics in the electronics marketplace. By some accounts, 80-90% of new electronic design engineers are software and digital oriented. Herein lies the knowledge gap, because no matter that the intelligence being transmitted is in digital form, when it travels through the ether via radio or microwave, the carrier always obeys the laws of electromagnetic physics.
Fortunately, a quick refresher on some of the more essential elements of filter performance specifications can aid engineers in correctly calling out filters that meet the needs of their particular application. Doing it right the first time saves time and money, ensuring more bang for the buck when ordering these indispensable components.
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