Analog Devices intros low-power RF prescalers

NORWOOD, USA: Analog Devices Inc. has announced the availability of new RF prescaler circuits for a variety of applications, including point-to-point radios, VSATs (very small aperture terminals) and microwave communication systems.

A prescaler is a circuit that generates an output signal related to an input signal by a fractional scale factor. Designed using ADI’s industry-leading RF and PLL (phase locked loop) synthesizer design expertise, the ADF500x RF prescalers offer the industry’s highest performance for a fixed divide ratio of 2, 4 or 8 and can operate to 18 GHz with very low power consumption.

Using a nominal 3-V supply, the ADF500x devices have differential 100 Ω RF outputs that allow a direct interface to the differential RF inputs of ADI’s PLL products. This launch of the ADF500x series of products includes three new devices: the ADF5000 divide-by-2 prescaler; ADF5001 divide-by-4 prescaler and ADF5002 divide-by-8 prescaler.

ADF500x prescaler features and benefits:
Divide by 2, 4 or 8 options
* Integrated RF de-coupling capacitors.
* Low power consumption: active mode at 30 mA and power down mode at 7 mA.
* Low phase noise at -150 dBc/Hz.
* Single DC supply that is +3V compatible with ADI’s extensive offering of PLLs.

The ADF500x RF prescalers are available now in 3 mm x 3 mm LFCSP packaging and are priced at $6.97 per unit in 10,000-unit quantities.