2013-08-14 Digital transmitter delivers software-defined radio benefits to macro- and small cell Artschip Products, Inc. has introduced the ART5189 multi-Nyquist RF digital-to-analog converter (RF DAC) that delivers a fully digital software-defined radio (SDR) transmitter, enabling a common hardware platform for multicarrier, multiband, and multistandard base stations. Working with FPGA-based direct digital synthesis (DDS), the ART5189 RF DAC architecture shifts the functions of the analog quadrature modulator and agile local oscillator (LO) used in current architectures into the digital domain. This eliminates in-phase and quadrature errors, and LO feedthrough, commonly associated with analog upconversion. The ART5189 simplifies RF design and improves reliability for base-station transmitters. The ART5189 selectable frequency response modes support direct RF synthesis of common 3G/4G cellular bands in multiple Nyquist zones from 700 MHz to 2.8 GHz. A single ART5189 RF DAC serves multiple standards such as multicarrier GSM, WCDMA and LTE without compromising dynamic performance. This allows designers to use a common hardware platform that cuts development time-to-market. Smartphones and tablet computers demand more bandwidth from wireless base stations. A ART5189 RF DAC-enabled transmitter delivers much wider bandwidths than traditional architectures. The ART5189 selectable 4:1 and 2:1 input data multiplexer lets hardware designers reduce input word rates, and this allows use of lower-cost FPGAs. ART5189 RF-DAC technology is also ideal for microwave radio links used in mobile backhaul equipment; for CMTS/edge-QAM boxes used in cable head-end equipment; and for other wideband communication systems.