Custom MMIC (www.CustomMMIC.com), a developer of performance-driven monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), is introducing a new online, easy-to-use, cascade analysis calculator that lets you choose between input or output specifications for each component in your system. Designed to analyze up to ten stages, this new calculator offers a simple yet powerful way to analyze multi-component systems for their cascaded gain, noise figure, compression point, and linearity.
Until now, the various online cascade analysis calculators had one built-in problem: all stages had to be specified with either input or output power parameters. Unfortunately, component datasheets are hardly universal in this regard - most active components such as amplifiers are specified in terms of output power and output IP3, but passive components such as mixers and attenuators are often specified by their input values. This variation in specifications used to mean that a microwave system designer had to convert between input and output specifications (or vice-versa) in order to use a cascade analysis tool. While this conversion is simple for most parameters, converting output P1dB to its input equivalent often leads to the following question: "Do I add "1" or subtract "1" to the gain to determine the input P1dB?"
Custom MMIC's engineering team designed this new calculator to let one choose between input or output specifications for each component in a line-up—and go straight from datasheet to analysis without any questions.
To view Custom MMIC's new cascade analysis calculator visit: http://www.custommmic.com/Calculators/Cascade-Analysis/
For detailed instruction on how to use the calculator refer to the user manual at: http://www.custommmic.com/Calculators/Cascade-User-Manual/