/dxwifi-pa

10W-class power amplifier research and design for DxWiFi

NOTE: THIS PROJECT IS DEPRECATED. PLEASE SEE the OreSat DxWiFi Project for the latest hardware and software.


dxwifi-pa

##Project Overview OreSat is a CubeSat-form factor nanosatellite being built to be placed into orbit as part of NASA’s CSLI/ELaNa program. OreSat current secondary mission objective is to be able to communicate via WiFi from space -- specifically, have data be transmitted from a COTS IEEE 802.11b module onboard the CubeSat to an inexpensive “DIY” ground station setup meant for K-12 STEM programs.

##Team Members

  • Andrew Greenberg (PSAS project Manager)
  • Glenn LeBrasseur (RF mentor and consultant)
  • Ben Wilson (Signal Prossessing)
  • Devin Lorenzen (RF/Analog)
  • Edward Sayers (Embedded Systems)
  • Seth Ward (RF/Analog)

##Project Specifications ###Must

  • Operate in space environment in a CubeSat
    • Operate under industrial temperature range (-40° to +100°C)
    • Radiation robust (handles SEU / latch-up)
    • Use conduction, not convection, to cool.
  • Operate in an amateur launch vehicle environment
    • Constant g load of 15g’s
    • Vibration of ? g’s (TBD: mil spec rating)
  • Fit 1U CubeSat Form Factor ( < 10X10X10 cm)
  • Have a output power greater than 25.2dBm (⅓ W)
  • Have an average power consumption less than 6W
  • Have a Tx gain greater than 15.2dB
  • Have a Rx gain greater than 19dB
  • Have a power added efficiency (PAE) greater than 60%
  • Handle binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation
  • Operate on a Vcc = (10,14.7,16.4)V
  • Be FCC compliant
    • out of band harmonics must be -40dB below carrier
  • operate with a center frequency of 2.412GHz
  • Have a bandwidth of 22MHz

###Should

  • Have a PAE greater than 70%
  • Operate under in a temperature range of -55° to +125°C
  • Have a Tx Gain of 20dB
  • Have a output power of 30dBm(1W)
  • increase heat buffer by 10%

###May

  • Have PAE greater than 80%
  • Have a Tx gain of 30dB
  • Have a power output of 40dBm (10W)
  • Have an adjustable power output

##Notes

  • Linearity is not a design requirement because BPSK modulation is amplitude independent.