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Selecting RF components for a system
design can be one of the more time-
consuming tasks in the development
cycle. To begin with, a designer
may have to sift through hundreds
of possible options for a suitable
model. Each model represents a
matrix of features and parameters
with varying degrees of form, fit, and
function compatibility with the design
requirements. Evaluating the options
may take hours or even days, and once
a suitable part is identified, there’s
still an element of uncertainty as to
whether another model may have
achieved better system performance.
It’s the proverbial needle-in-a-stack-
of-needles problem.
Naturally, some RF component
suppliers have built databases of
product information and developed
search engines to speed up the
“plug-and-chug” task of product
selection. This technology represents
an innovation in customer support in
the RF component space, but as with
many things, the devil’s in the details.
Component search engines give
engineers the speed and efficiency
of computing horsepower, but
because most simply search supplier
specs against customer criteria,
they come with inherent limitations,
often generating false positive and
false negative results, and failing to
accurately and completely identify the
ideal parts for a given application.
To address this problem, Mini-Circuits
developed Yoni2,an advanced,
patented search engine for RF
components. Its purpose is not only
give customers a much faster way to
identify parts that meet their design
requirements, but also to ensure that
search results reflect an accurate
andrealisticevaluationof
product
performance within the customer’s
application bandwidth. This article
will clarify the distinction between
Yoni2 and other RF component
search engines and explain the
advantages associated with the more
sophisticated search methodology of
the Yoni2 program.
Supplier Specs – A
Convenient Reduction
Suppliers provide performance
specsas a quick, convenient way
to evaluate “ballpark” product
performance for a given parameter of
interest. Theseare single values that
the manufacturer can conservatively
guarantee the product will meet
within a reasonable margin across
its operating frequency range. This
Accelerating RF Component Selection
with Yoni2® Advanced Search Engine for RF
Components
Brandon Kaplan, Mini-Circuits
28 l New-Tech Magazine Europe