MC33110
11
MOTOROLA RF/IF DEVICE DATA
APPLICATIONS INFORMATION
Signal–to–Noise Improvement
Among the basic reasons for the original development of
compander type circuits was to improve the signal–to–noise
ratio of long distance telecom circuits, and of voice circuits
which are transmitted over RF links (CBs, walkie–talkies,
cordless phones, etc.). Since much of the noise heard at the
receiving end of a transmission is due to noise picked up, for
example, in the airway portion of the RF link, the compressor
was developed to increase the low–level signals at the
transmitting end. Then any noise picked in the RF link would
be a smaller percentage of the transmitted signal level. At the
receiving end, the signal is then expanded back to its original
level, retaining the same high signal–to–noise ratio. While the
above explanation indicates it is not necessary to attenuate
strong signals (at the transmitting end), a benefit of doing this
is the reduced dynamic range which must be handled by the
system transmitter and receiver. The MC33110 was
designed for a two–to–one compression and expansion, i.e.
an 80 dB dynamic signal is compressed to a 40 dB dynamic
range, transmitted to the receiving end and then expanded
back to an 80 dB dynamic range.
The MC33110 compander is not limited to RF or long
distance telephony applications. It can be used in any system
requiring an improved signal–to–noise ratio such as
telephones, speakerphones, tape recorders, digital
recording, and many others.
Second Expander
Should the application require it, the MC33110 can be
configured as two expanders by reconfiguring the
compressor side as shown in Figure 26.
Figure 26. Second Expander
2.2
μ
F
Iref
Rectifier
IControl
10 k
Gain
VB
Output
4.7 k
+
–
Input
8
10 k
12
11
9
10
This circuit will provide the same performance as
the expander at Pins 3 through 5.
Power Supplies, Grounding
The PC board layout, the quality of the power supplies and
the ground system
at the IC
are very important in order to
obtain proper operation. Noise, from any source, coming into
the device on VCC or ground, can cause a distorted output, or
incorrect gain level.
VCC must be decoupled to the appropriate ground
at the
IC
(within 1
″
max) with a 4.7
μ
F capacitor and a 0.01
μ
F
ceramic. A tantalum capacitor is recommended for the larger
value if very high frequency noise is present since electrolytic
capacitors simply have too much inductance at those
frequencies. The quality of the power supply voltage should
be checked at the IC with a high frequency scope. Noise
spikes (always present if digital circuits are near this IC) can
easily exceed 400 mV, and if they get into the IC, the output
can have noise or distortion. Noise can be reduced by
inserting resistors and/or inductors between the supply and
the IC.
If switching power supplies are used, there will usually be
spikes of 0.5 V or greater at frequencies of 50 kHz to
1.0 MHz. These spikes are generally more difficult to reduce
because of their greater energy content. In extreme cases, a
three terminal regulator (MC78L05ACP), with appropriate
high frequency filtering, should be used and dedicated to the
analog portion of the circuit.
The ripple content of the supply should not allow its
magnitude to exceed the values in the Recommended
Operating Conditions table.
The PC board tracks supplying VCC and ground to the
MC33110 should preferably not be at the tail end of the bus
distribution, after passing through a maze of digital circuitry.
The analog circuitry containing the MC33110 should be close
to the power supply, or the connector where the supply
voltages enter the board. If VCC is supplying considerable
current to other parts of the board, then it is preferable to
have dedicated lines from the supply or connector directly to
the MC33110 and associated circuitry.
PC Board Layout
Although this device is intended for use in the audio
frequency range, the amplifiers have a bandwidth of
≈
300 kHz, and can therefore oscillate at frequencies outside
the voiceband should there be excessive stray capacitance
or other unintended feedback loops. A solid ground plane is