Toll transmitter

RF Micro Devices has released what it claims is the first fully integrated 5.8 GHz transmitter to comply with China’s electronic toll collection standard.

The ML5830 is a low-power, amplitude shift key and frequency shift key transmitter operating in the 5.8 GHz ISM band. It is designed for electronic toll collection applications, including onboard units and roadside units.

With the implementation of the company’s FastWave microcontroller, the device eliminates the mass production tuning process necessary with other solutions. The microcontroller enhances performance through self-alignment of the VCO, filtering and phase locked loop detection and control.

It also enables user-specific application configurations through modifications via a 3-wire serial interface to transmitter control, calibration and interface algorithms.

The device integrates an upconversion mixer, a buffer/pre-driver amplifier and an ASK modulator capable of producing a typical output power of +4 dBm. Its FSK mode provides digitally selectable data rates of 1 and 2 Mbps. It also incorporates a fully integrated fractional-N synthesiser, a voltage controlled oscillator and the necessary filtering to digitally switch to a higher power, higher data rate FSK modulation mode, providing OEMs the flexibility to meet both current and future needs of the ETC market.

Features include: less than 36 mA while delivering +4 dBm output; fully integrated digital FIR transmit data filter limits occupied bandwidth (OBW); fractional-N synthesiser with 30 Hz resolution; self-calibrating VCO and filters eliminate tuning using microcontroller; 3-wire serial control interface; integrated power regulation enabling 2.7 to 3.6 V operation.