Mini-Circuits and Vayyar Imaging, a 3D imaging sensor company, have partnered to offer transceiver project kits for students, university programs and hobbyists. The kits are developed to enable students to explore electromagnetic theory, RF/microwave engineering and applications such as radar. They address a significant gap in most university’s RF/microwave programs, between textbook theory and the lab measurements to confirm the theory or evaluate the “real world” performance of RF/microwave components and systems.

The first kit, UVNA-63, enables students to build a fully functioning vector network analyzer (VNA), develop S-parameter algorithms and perform real-time measurements of two-port RF devices from 500 MHz to 6 GHz. The kit comprises Vayyar’s high performance transceiver IC with RF components from Mini-Circuits and includes calibration standards, control software and a development environment for Python and MATLAB^®.

The UVNA-63 VNA kit can be pre-ordered now from Mini-Circuits and will be delivered in September, coinciding with the fall semester at most schools.

Attendees at the upcoming EDI CON conference in Santa Clara will have the opportunity to play with the DIY VNA at a workshop on Thursday morning, October 18. The hands-on “Build Your Own VNA” session, one of several EDI CON courses eligible for IEEE continuing education credits, will cover transmission line theory, the basics of S-parameter measurements and construction of a VNA. Participants will use the UVNA-63 kit to build a VNA, load the scripts, understand the math behind the measurements, make measurements and evaluate accuracy.

Mini-Circuits
Brooklyn, N.Y.
www.minicircuits.com