AN RFMD® REFERENCE MANUAL Control Bit Generator Software Used for Digital Step Attenuators and Variable Gain Amplifiers RFMD Multi-Market Products Group RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 1 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software REVISION HISTORY Version Date Description of change(s) Author(s) 0.1 05-Jul-11 Review andRevision for external posting Eric Schonthal 0.0 19-Jun-11 Initial Draft Seung Kyun Heo RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 2 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software CONTENTS 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 4 2. Configuration Requirements .................................................................................................................................................................. 4 3. Configuration Verification....................................................................................................................................................................... 5 3.1 Parallel Port Address Verification ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Parallel Port Pin Configuration ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 3.3 UM232R USB Driver Install ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 3.4 UM232R USB Device Verification ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 4. CBG Software Interface .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4.1 Software Installation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4.2 CBG User Interface.............................................................................................................................................................................. 9 4.2.1 Choose Interface................................................................................................................................................................... 9 4.2.2 RFMD Parts List ................................................................................................................................................................. 10 4.2.3 Pin Configuration ............................................................................................................................................................... 10 4.2.4 Attenuation ......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 4.3 Procedural Sequence To Avoid Component Damage ................................................................................................................... 10 5. Interface Output Control Voltage ......................................................................................................................................................... 11 6. References............................................................................................................................................................................................ 12 RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 3 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software 1. INTRODUCTION The Control Bit Generator (CBG) is a program that has the ability to generate control bits that set and/or control the attenuation values of Digital Step Attenuators. The CBG currently handles up to 8 control bits that can be set through the use of a parallel, or USB port. A future version will control up to 16-bits for Dual Variable Gain Amplifier (VGA) products. This software is available to customers as a free download through the RFMD website at: https://www.rfmd.com/software/CBGS/bitsgenerator.zip Figure 1. Control Bit Generator 2. CONFIGURATION REQUIREMENTS The minimum requirements for operation of the CBG are below: Parallel Port or UM232R USB Device Control Cable or USB Cable Microsoft Windows Environment RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 4 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software 3. CONFIGURATION VERIFICATION To operate the CBG, the parallel port address must be verified and the parallel port pins configured. Then the driver for the USB device must be installed and the device verified. 3.1 PARALLEL PORT ADDRESS VERIFICATION To check the address of the Parallel Port: 1. Open Device Manager. Figure 2. Device Manager 2. Right-click ECP Printer Port (LPT1). 3. Click on Properties to open the ECP Printer Port (LPT1) Properties. RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 5 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software Figure 3. ECP Printer Port (LPT1) Properties The address can be found in the Resource tab of ECP Printer Port (LPT1) Properties. To avoid future errors, the address of LPT1 should remain set to the default value of 378. 3.2 PARALLEL PORT PIN CONFIGURATION During the test setup, the CBG will display the pin configuration of each device under test (DUT). Once pin configuration is verified, use cable to connect the PC parallel port to the DUT control port. For example, if the DUT has a 7-bit parallel interface, pins D0 to D6 and GND pin of the parallel port should be connected to the control pins of the DUT. Figure 4. Parallel Port Pin Configuration 3.3 UM232R USB DRIVER INSTALL The UM232R USB driver install should only need to be completed once for each PC. Installation instructions can be found in the driver installation guides listed at the link below: http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Documents/InstallGuides.htm The latest driver files can be found at the below link: http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 6 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software 3.4 UM232R USB DEVICE VERIFICATION For verification: 1. Connect the UM232R USB Device 2. Open the Device Manager 3. Click the Ports (COM & LPT) arrow to see the port connections. Figure 5. USB Serial Port Correctly Installed RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 7 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software 4. CBG SOFTWARE INTERFACE Using the CBG Interface requires installing the software, opening the executable file, and selecting the interface. Follow the procedural sequence specified in section 4.3 to avoid component damage. 4.1 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION To install the CBG software: 1. Download the software zip (Bits_Generator_REVx.x.zip) file from the RFMD website https://www.rfmd.com/software/CBGS/bitsgenerator.zip 2. Extract the software zip file to any folder. NOTE: All files should be placed in the same folder. 3. Right-click Bits_Generator_REVx.x.exe and select Run as administrator to run the CBG. Figure 6. Control Bit Generator Software Installed Folder RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 8 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software 4.2 CBG USER INTERFACE After running the executable as an administrator, the user interface will display. NOTE: To use the USB interface, the UM232R USB device must be connected to PC before running this software. Figure 7. Control Bit Generator Software Interface 4.2.1 Choose Interface CBG supports two data interfaces: USB and Parallel Port. Use the Choose Interface drop down menu (Number 1 in Figure 7) to choose the data interface. NOTE: If the USB device is not available, only the parallel port will be shown in the drop down menu. RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 9 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software 4.2.2 RFMD Parts List To load the interface configuration, update the Pin Configuration section of the CBG interface, and enable and update the Attenuation section: 1. Type or select the RFMD part number to be tested from the drop down menu. 2. Click the Load button. 4.2.3 Pin Configuration Refer to the Pin Configuration section (Number 3 in Figure 7) if a custom parallel port connection cable or pin connection verification is needed after step two in the previous section. 4.2.4 Attenuation Set the desired attenuation in the Attenuation section (Number 4 in Figure 7). The maximum, minimum, and step values of attenuation default to the specifications of the selected RFMD part. Attenuation values can be adjusted, either by typing values and clicking Enter, or by using the Up or Down buttons to change the value. 4.3 PROCEDURAL SEQUENCE TO AVOID COMPONENT DAMAGE To avoid component damage: 1. Plug the UM232R USB device into the PC and install the driver (once for each PC). 2. Run the CBG to set data pin to 0V. 3. Connect the UM232R USB device to an evaluation board. 4. Apply the supply voltage. 5. Load the part configuration. 6. Set the attenuation value. 7. Take the measurement. RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 10 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software 5. INTERFACE OUTPUT CONTROL VOLTAGE The output control voltage ratings of the each interface: 1. Parallel Port High: 2.4V to 5V Low: 0V to 0.8V 2. UM232R UBS Device IO output level can be set to 3.3V or 5V. Output level characteristics are: 5V High: 3.2V to 4.9V Low: 0.3V to 0.6V To use IO output level 5V connect jumper J1 pins 2 and 3 together. 3.3V High: 2.2 V to 3.2V Low: 0.3 V to 0.5V To use IO output level 3.3V, connect jumper J1 pins 1 and 2 together. Figure 8. UM232R USB Device RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 11 of 12 Control Bit Generator Software 6. REFERENCES 1. RFMD company web site (http://www.rfmd.com) 2. UM232R Data Sheet (http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Documents/DataSheets/Modules/DS_UM232R.pdf) RF MICRO DEVICES®, RFMD®, Optimum Technology Matching®, Enabling Wireless Connectivity™, PowerStar®, POLARIS™ TOTAL RADIO™ and UltimateBlue™ are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RFMD. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2011, RF Micro Devices, Inc. 110705 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, NC 27409-9421.·For sales or technical support, contact RFMD at (+1) 336-678-5570 or [email protected]. 12 of 12