![](http://datasheet.mmic.net.cn/390000/MAX2396_datasheet_16817805/MAX2396_3.png)
Quick Start
The MAX2396 EV kit is fully assembled and factory test-
ed. Follow the instructions in the
Connections and
Setup
section for proper device evaluation.
Test Equipment Required
This section lists the recommended test equipment to
verify the operation of the MAX2396 EV kit. It is intended
as a guide only, and some substitutions are possible:
DC supply capable of delivering 200mA continuous
current at +5.0V
DC supply capable of delivering 200mA continuous
current at -5.0V
DC supply capable of delivering 50mA continuous
current at +2.8V
DMM, to measure IC supply current
HP 8648C or equivalent signal source capable of
generating -30dBm up to 2.2GHz
HP 8561E or equivalent RF spectrum analyzer
(baseband spectrum only)
TDS3012 or equivalent digitizing oscilloscope
Windows
95/98/2000 PC with an available parallel port
Connections and Setup
This section provides a step-by-step guide to testing
the basic functionality of the EV kit:
1) Install the MAX2396 control software on a PC. This
software uses a 3rd-party DLL to allow communica-
tion through the parallel port:
“
DriverLINX
”
by
Scientific Software Tools (www.sstnet.com). The
Maxim installer installs this DLL for you automatically.
2) Connect the interface board and cable from the PC
parallel port to the EV kit header. Pin 1 on the rib-
bon cable is indicated with a stripe, and pin 1 on
the header is nearest to the corner of the board.
The interface board is just populated with logic
buffers to protect the parallel port against acciden-
tal shorts, but be careful with these connections.
3) Calibrate the power meter, with the low-power
head, at 2140MHz. A rough interpolation of the cal
factor does not introduce noticeable error if reading
the cal factor from a table.
4) Set the signal generator for a 2140.18MHz CW
(unmodulated) output at -27dBm, and connect a
3dB pad to the DUT side of the SMA cable. Use the
power meter to set the input power to the DUT at
-30dBm. Use measured attenuators and/or the
signal generator
’
s internal step attenuators (-40dB)
to reduce the signal to -90dBm.
5) Connect the RF source
’
s SMA cable and attenua-
tors to the EV kit
’
s LNAIN SMA input.
6) Connect the BNC cable from either I or Q to the
spectrum analyzer. Connect the other output into
the oscilloscope
—
be sure to set the oscilloscope
’
s
inputs to 50
, and not 1M
. Cable loss at 180kHz
is negligible; as long as cables are about the same
length, no calibration is required at the output to
observe proper signal level, as well as proper I/Q
gain-and-phase balance.
7) Set one of the DC supplies to 2.8V and set a current
limit of 100mA (if available). Connect this supply
through the ammeter to VCC_IC, and readjust the
supply, if necessary, to get 2.8V at the IC when
powered up. This supply connection only powers
the IC on the EV kit
—
read the ammeter to watch IC
supply current for the receiver. Connect another
line directly from the 2.8V supply to VCC_EXT to
supply the external logic on the kit. Not having the
voltage drop of the ammeter in line means the volt-
age is slightly higher than VCC_IC, but this does
not cause a problem.
8) Set the other supplies for ±5.0V with a current limit
of about 100mA. Connect these supplies to the +5V,
GND, and -5V on the opposite side of the kit. These
are the bipolar supplies for the MAX4444 differential
line drivers that buffer the I/Q outputs. Note that all
GND test points are connected to the same ground
plane
—
it is only necessary to use one of them.
9) Set the spectrum analyzer to span from DC (mini-
mum sweep) to 2MHz. Set the reference level to
+10dBm.
10) Set the oscilloscope for a sweep rate of about
1μs/div, DC-coupling, with an amplitude scale of
about 100mV/div.
E
MAX2396 Evaluation Kit
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