XPost: sci.electronics.design, sci.electronics.misc   
   From: MrTallyman@BananaCountersRUs.org   
      
   On Thu, 7 Mar 2013 07:14:39 +0000 (UTC), Cydrome Leader   
    wrote:   
      
   >In sci.electronics.misc Tim Williams  wrote:   
   >> Hmmm, not a big deal I suspect.   
   >>   
   >> Build a general purpose RF block for, say, 2.45GHz BT or 802.11(etc), or   
   >> whatever.  Give it handles to talk with anything (modulations, bit   
   >> streams, etc.), design and build it on a particular fab process, and like   
   >> magic, anything incorporating that block will also work.  Monolithic   
   >> inductors can be fabricated with not very good Q at 2.45GHz (I think they   
   >> usually peak around Q = 10 or 20 around 5GHz), but enough to do "silicon   
   >> oscillators" and stuff.  Voltage regulation (bandgap, or old school buried   
   >> zener) and temperature compensation are no-brainers, as ICs go.  Want a   
   >> DDS?  Just chuck some more IP at it!  Then whatever ancillary function   
   >> (moisture, temperature sensor, etc.) simply plugs into this mess of   
   >> transistors and functions.   
   >>   
   >> Quite crazy, as all that circuitry is squeezing into a few milimeters of   
   >> silicon, when a few decades ago it was, well of course it was migrating to   
   >> thick film before monolithic, but before that, it was all machined   
   >> cavities, hand-soldered RF transistors, and microstrip everywhere.  I   
   >   
   >years ago I was given a box of microwave "plumbing" from what may have   
   >been a broadcast engineer. The stuff would have worked with microwaves or   
   >hydraulic fluid. The guy who made the stuff seemed to be really good with   
   >a jewelers saw, copper pipe, brass discs rods and solder.   
   >   
   >   
   >   
     Not many folks making hard coax runs anymore.   
      
     Semi-rigid  and a few others abound.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)