High gain drivers support lower supply voltage for 5G mMIMO applications

High gain, high linearity driver amplifiers that support lower supply voltages and which allow for 34 per cent reduction in power consumption have been released by Guerrilla RF. The GRF5123 and GRF5124 are designed specifically for 5G mMIMO transmitters. 

They have a rated operating range of 1.8 to 5.0GHz and each device can cover all major mMIMO bands with separate tunes covering 1.8 to 2.2GHz, 2.3 to 2.7GHz, 3.3 to 4.2GHz and 4.4 to 4.7GHz.

Both devices have a 3.0 x 3.0mm QFN-16 footprint that has become the de facto standard for many 5G mMIMO driver applications, said Guerilla RF. The two devices differ in rated gain; the GRF5124 offers approximately 3dB more gain than the GRF5123. These gain options provide latitude when designing for 64T64R and 32T32R 5G mMIMO systems where different gain levels are desired.

Each core can be operated from a 5.0V or 3.3V supply voltage. The ability to operate on a lower 3.3V rail allows for a 34 per cent reduction in power consumption while trading off approximately 2dB in compression and linearity performance. For 64T64R systems, this lower supply voltage can save up to 10W in consumed power, advised the company.

When operated at 2.5GHz with a 5V supply and only 100mA of current, the GRF5123 delivers 37.4dB of gain, 22.9dBm of OP1dB compression, 38.6dBm of OIP3 linearity, and a low noise figure of 1.2dB. The device can also be operated with a 3.3V rail with 36.5dB of gain and comparable linearity, compression and noise performance.

Given the same operating frequency and supply rail, the GRF5124 provides 40.2dB of gain, 23.3dBm of OP1dB compression, 36.3dBm of OIP3 linearity, and a slightly higher noise figure of 1.6dB. Using a 3.3V supply reduces the gain by 1dB and the linearity and compression performance by 2dB.

“The GRF5123/4 are specialised, high-gain variants of Guerrilla RF’s popular pHEMT driver cores which are already used in 4G and 5G base station applications,” says Jim Ahne, Guerrilla RF’s vice president of automotive and 5G products. 

Samples and evaluation boards are available for the GRF5123 and GRF5124. 

https://www.guerrilla-rf.com 

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Ultrasonic sensor has rapid responsiveness for vehicle autonomy

Murata introduced an ultrasonic sensor device for deployment in automotive applications. The MA48CF15-7N exhibits high sensitivity and rapid responsiveness, said Murata. The MA48CF15-7N is housed in a hermetically-sealed package to protect against liquid ingress. 

The accuracy of short / medium-range object detection mechanisms will need to increase to meet the demands of vehicle designs, said Murata. They will be needed to determine an object’s presence and gauge distances to accommodate higher levels of autonomy by emitting ultrasonic waves and detecting their reflections, explained the company.

The MA48CF15-7N is capable of covering a wide detection range, from 150mm   to 5.5 metres for high obstacle detection accuracy. It generates a beam across an angle of 120 by 60 degrees. The 1100pF ±10 per cent capacitance (at 1kHz) is another important aspect, with the narrow deviation exhibited meaning that no transformer adjustment is required. 

The resonant frequency is 48.2 ±1.0kHz and there is a 35 ±10 Q value for improved usability with better temperature performance. Tolerances on these two parameters are reduced by 50 per cent compared to previous Murata models, said the company, enabling much smaller variations in the detection characteristics of individual units. 

Murata manufactures electronic components, modules and devices. Its complete portfolio includes ceramic capacitors, resistors / thermistors, inductors / chokes, timing devices, buzzers, sensors and EMI suppression filters. The company is also a ceramic capacitor manufacturer, specialising in Bluetooth and WiFi modules, board-mount DC/DC converters and is a manufacturer of standard and custom AC/DC power supplies.

Established in 1944, Murata is headquartered in Japan and has European offices in Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.   

http://www.murata.com

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MicroCloud server is scalable for gaming and video hosting workloads

IT and data centre operators that need to manage cloud gaming and video hosting workloads can access a high performance and scalable server, the MicroCloud AS -3015MR-H8TNR by Supermicro. 

The MicroCloud server has been designed to use AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors based on the latest Zen 4 cloud architecture, which has a boost speed of up to 5.7GHz.

The MicroCloud blade contains a single optimised AMD Ryzen 7000 series processor, up to 128Gbyte of DDR5 memory and a TDP (thermal design power) of up to 170W for new technologies with PCIe 5.0, DDR5-5200MHz memory, up to 16 cores (32 threads) per CPU and very high clock rates, said Supermicro. DDR5-5200 MHz, and up to 16 cores (32 threads) per CPU. The server is suitable for e-commerce, cloud gaming, code development, content creation and virtual private servers

The Supermicro MicroCloud 3U enclosure contains eight blades, with each blade containing up to two front-accessible NVMe U.2, SAS, or SATA3 drives. The Supermicro MicroCloud shares cooling and redundant power supplies across the eight blades for a more efficient and uninterrupted operation. IT departments can quickly set up dedicated hosting, a multi-instance environment for workloads such as web hosting, cloud gaming, and remote and virtual desktops through easy accessibility of the physical nodes and the rear I/O with a flexible remote management interface, including dedicated IPMI port for the eight nodes, advised Supermicro.

Michael McNerney, vice president of Marketing and Security, Supermicro, said: “These new servers . . . will give IT administrators a compact and high-performance option in order to offer more services with lower latencies to their internal or external customers. By working closely with AMD to optimise the Ryzen 7000 Series firmware for server usage, we can bring a range of solutions with new technologies with PCIe 5.0, DDR5 memory, and very high clock rates to market faster, which allows organisations to reduce costs and offer advanced solutions to their clients.”

https://www.supermicro.com/

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Modems for GEO / GSO satellites provide uninterrupted monitoring 

Modems developed by Qualcomm in collaboration with non-terrestrial network (NTN)  service provider, Skylo to provide uninterrupted remote monitoring and asset tracking. They enable low power connectivity for IoT devices across satellite and cellular networks, said Qualcomm.

The modems follow the 3GPP Release 17 standards for satellite communications on GEO / GSO (geosynchronous equatorial orbit / geostationary orbit) satellites, making connectivity available globally and providing easy device set up and orientation.

Both chipsets support the Qualcomm Aware platform, which provides real time asset tracking and device management in remote areas to support critical decision making.

Qualcomm Technologies has announced the Qualcomm 212S and the Qualcomm 9205S modem chipsets with satellite capability. They power off-grid industrial use cases that require standalone non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity or hybrid connectivity alongside terrestrial networks, and allow IoT enterprises, developers, ODMs and OEMs to harness real time information and insights to manage business projects.

The Qualcomm Aware platform allows companies to better monitor and track valuable assets virtually anytime and anywhere around the world. The 212S and 9205S chips advance IoT tracking and monitoring capabilities to provide connectivity and coverage even in the most remote areas, said Qualcomm. 

It is designed with ultra-low power consumption for applications in remote, fixed locations, helping promote an extended usable life. Applications include gathering telemetry and data from water and gas tanks, meters, and other infrastructure equipment. It is also suitable for utility grid monitoring, early fire detection reporting, on-shore and off-shore mining installations, and environmental management.

The Qualcomm 212S is Qualcomm Technologies’ first IoT-NTN-only modem that supports the 3GPP Release 17 standards for satellite communications. It is designed for cost efficiency and value, with only the essentials necessary for satellite communications and nothing more, added Qualcomm.

The Qualcomm 212S is also compatible with the recently announced Qualcomm QCM4490 processor to deliver low power satellite connectivity to industrial handheld devices. This important integration powers time-critical, two-way messaging capabilities and one-way payload delivery between devices and customer end points or the Qualcomm Aware cloud, all while helping promote extended usable device time.

The Qualcomm 9205S modem chipset enables IoT devices to easily connect to cellular and satellite networks for virtually gap-free coverage, and integrates GNSS to provide location data.

It is suitable for industrial applications that require always-on, hybrid terrestrial and satellite connectivity for goods and assets on the move. Applications include transoceanic shipping container tracking, agricultural equipment and livestock tracking, global fleet and freight tracking for supply chain management including for logistics partners that perform remote deliveries.

The Qualcomm 9205S uses virtually the same architecture as the Qualcomm 9205 modem, making it easy to upgrade equipment designs to include satellite connectivity and enable hybrid connectivity. The Qualcomm 9205S helps enable hub-type use cases through a highly capable applications processor and peripheral support for a wide variety of IoT applications.

Like the Qualcomm 212S, the Qualcomm 9205S adheres to 3GPP Release 17 standards for satellite communications, making it easy to establish IoT-NTN connectivity using GEO/GSO satellites and eliminates the need for orientation-specific device positioning.

The Qualcomm 212S modem will be available later this year and Qualcomm 9205S modem is available now. 

http://www.qualcomm.com 

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