Optimising performance
Extra steps to ensure peak performance
If you are planning to use an off-the-shelf antenna for your design it is important to bear in mind that the manufacturer will provide information regarding its performance in free space, because they do not know what other components or enclosure you plan to use. These components, the PCB, battery and enclosure design will affect the performance of the antenna. In addition the transmission lines must be impedance matched and the overall design must minimise parasitic and reflective losses and other factors that might de-tune the antenna, or worse still cause reflections that would damage the device.
Antenna selection should be made at the beginning of development for any wireless IoT device because its final cost and performance will define the success of your project
From initial design through procurement – keeping an eye on the ball
Understanding the factors in your design that affect performance and validating those decisions through prototype testing and control over purchasing decisions made prior to mass production are key steps in delivering successful projects. Any changes from prototype to production that are made simply to reduce costs can de-tune the antenna and compromise the device performance or even render it inoperable.
Trust the experts. How Crout can help
The Crout team have an established track record in helping customers achieve superior results that deliver cost savings and In many cases during a design review it has become possible to switch to a PCB antenna which has zero cost compared to an off the shelf antenna.
Among the various RF transmission lines used in high frequency layout and routing, the coplanar waveguide design is probably the most commonly used. Placement is easily accomplished on the surface layer of the printed circuit board
Coplanar waveguide designs are easy to place in a PCB layout and are used for impedance controlled routing. akorIoT offers the calculation and measurement of the waveguide structures.
The team offer a range of services to help you get the best possible performance from an antenna, contact us today find out how we can help.
