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PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit
User Manual
Software & Hardware Installation
For All Hittite PLLs & PLL with Integrated VCO Products
20 Alpha Road Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 • Fax: 978-250-3373 • sales@hittite.com
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Analog, Digital & Mixed-Signal ICs, Modules, Subsystems & Instrumentation
Part #
128340
Rev C - v02.1110
ECN# CP100301
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PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit User Manual
Notice
Hittite Microwave Corporation has prepared this manual for use by Hittite personnel and customers as a guide for the proper instal-
lation, operation, and maintenance of Hittite equipment and computer programs. The drawings, specications, and information con-
tained herein are the property of Hittite Microwave Corporation, and any unauthorized use or disclosure of these drawings, specica-
tions, and information is prohibited; they shall not be reproduced, copied, or used in whole or in part as the basis for manufacture or
sale of the equipment or software programs without the prior written consent of Hittite Microwave Corporation.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
2. Package Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
3. Operating Environment ..................................................................3
4. Setup and Installation ...................................................................4
5. PLL Programming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
6. Hittite PLL Design Tool .................................................................10
7. Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit User Manual
1. Introduction
This document provides basic instructions for getting started with Hittite PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO
Evaluation Kit. Hittite PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit consists of hardware and software that
allows users to control Hittite PLL evaluation boards and observe and test full functionality and performance
of Hittite PLLs and PLLs with Integrated VCOs.
Note: For most up-to-date software download and information please visit www.hittite.com.
2. Package Contents
2.1 Hardware
Verify that all the items listed in Table 1 are included in the shipment.
Item Quantity
PLL Evaluation Board 1
USB Interface Board 1
6’ USB A Male to USB B Male Cable 1
CD ROM (Contains User Manual and software) 1
Table 1: Packing List
2.2 Software
1. Hittite PLL Eval Software
• Enables users to communicate with and control Hittite PLLs and PLL with integrated VCOs with
their PCs, and observe full functionality and performance of all Hittite PLLs and PLLs with integrated
VCOs
2. Hittite PLL Design Software
• Is a powerful tool that can aid in the design and performance analysis of all Hittite’s PLLs
3. Operating Environment
The PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit is designed for use in a laboratory setting at ambient
room temperature (25°C) and is not protected against moisture. The USB Interface Board has an ESD
rating of +/-3000V, however the HMC PLLs may have a lower rating (check the product’s datasheet for
its specic ESD rating). Use appropriate ESD procedures and precautionary measures when handling all
electronic hardware.
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PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit User Manual
4. Setup and Installation
4.1 User Provided Equipment
In addition to the items provided in the PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit, the user must
provide the following equipment to communicate with the PLL under test.
• DC Power Supply
• DC Cables
• Computer (PC) with Standard USB port
• For detailed specications regarding operating system and software requirements please visit
www.hittite.com
4.2 Software Installation
Note: Installing/Uninstalling the Hittite PLL Evaluation Software & Hittite PLL Design Software requires
administrative privileges
1. Hittite PLL Evaluation Software Installation
To install/uninstall Hittite PLL Evaluation Software double click on “Hittite PLL Eval Software
Installer.exe” that was downloaded from www.hittite.com, or provided with a CD, and follow the
installation/uninstallation wizard.
2. Hittite PLL Design Software Installation
To install/uninstall Hittite PLL Design Software, log in as administrator and right click on “Hittite PLL
Design Software Installer.exe” that was downloaded from www.hittite.com, or provided with a
CD, and select ‘Run as Administrator,’ and follow the installation/uninstallation wizard.
4.3 Hardware Setup
Setup all hardware according to Figure 1.
1. Setup the evaluation board
a. Set the DC power supply to +5.5V and connect to the evaluation board. Some evaluation boards
require a second higher power supply to operate. The evaluation board power connections are
all labelled with the required voltage.
b. Connect Phase Noise Test Set or Spectrum Analyzer to the evaluation board through an RF
cable.
2. Plug the header connector of the USB Interface board into the header connector of the evaluation
board or use the ribbon cable (provided with some evaluation kits).
3. Connect the USB Interface Board to the USB port of the PC through the USB Cable provided with
the kit.
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Evaluation PCB
RIBBON
CABLE *
USB Interface
Board
USB Interface
Header
Header
PLL
Power
Supply*
USB CABLE
DC CABLES *
PC DESKTOP OR NOTEBOOK *
DC Pins
RF CABLE*
PHASE NOISE TEST SET
OR SPECTRUM ANALYZER *
HITTITE PLL & PLL WITH INTEGRATED VCO
EVALUATION KIT
Figure 1. Hardware Setup
*Device must be provided by user. Please note that some evaluation boards connect directly to the USB
board without a ribbon cable.
4.4 Launch Hittite PLL Evaluation Software
1. Launch the “Hittite PLL Eval Software” le from Start, All Program Files menu on your PC, or from
your Desktop. Hittite PLL Evaluation Software Selection Window shown in Figure 2 will appear.
From the drop down list, select the part under test.
Figure 2. Hittite PLL Product Selection Window
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PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit User Manual
2. Press “Done”, the Hittite PLL Evaluation Software GUI shown in Figure 3 will appear.
Figure 3. PLL Main Control GUI
3. Load the register le.
a. Press the “Load Reg File” button ashing in the lower right corner of the display. Navigate to
register setting les corresponding to the device under test.
b. Select the le according to the desired mode of operation, Fractional or Integer. For PLL
with Integrated RF VCO devices select the register le for fo/2 (Divider), fo (Fundamental)
or 2fo (Doubler) Mode as needed. fo/2, fo, 2fo Mode switching is performed by running the
specic register le.
c. The Check Lock section should now display the green ‘LOCKED’ display indicator.
4. Consult the Product Operation Guide available on www.hittite.com or provided on the CD-ROM for
detailed instructions on PLL programming and debugging.
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5. PLL Programming
5.1 Frequency Selection
To program the PLL to a desired frequency, enter the frequency in the “OUT Freq Desired” box and
press the “Update Frequency” button (Reference divider and VCO divider registers are only updated
when the “Update Frequency” button is pressed).
The “OUT Freq (Actual)” box displays the frequency that the PLL is actually generating. The “Error” box
displays the frequency error between the desired and actual frequencies.
5.2 External or Internal Fixed Dividers
Often, there will be dividers and/or doublers used between the VCO and the PLL’s prescaler, and/or
between the VCO and the measurement equipment. For the GUI to calculate the correct N for the
PLL, it needs to know the ratio between the “OUT Freq Desired” and the prescaler input. For standard
Hittite parts, in “Auto” mode, the SW determines the value based on the selected part number, and the
programmed register settings. If the user is using external dividers or multipliers, however, the “Manual
Override” should be selected, and the frequency relationship between the VCO and output, and VCO and
Prescaler need to be specied by the user.
A block diagram ( ) of the PLL system is available by clicking on the “HMC PLL Block Diagram” button
on the PLL Main Control GUI. The diagram may not be exactly as shown depending on the device and
conguration. Some PLLs may have a xed divider internal to the PLL in the loop.
Figure 4. PLL Block Diagram
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5.3 Frequency Step in Channel Size
To step up/down in frequency, enter the desired frequency step size in MHz in the “OUT Freq Step”
window and press the “Up”/”Down” button.
5.4 Fractional Mode
To operate in Fractional Mode, check the “Frac Mode” box. It is recommended to run the provided
register le for the desired mode (Fractional or Integer) for best spectral performance as there are other
registers that need conguring when changing between these two modes.
5.5 Frequency Scan
A convenient Scan feature is included to nd the locking range of the PLL/VCO combination. Press
the “Scan VCO Frequency” button and select “Start Scan” to use the default start scan parameters.
The software will start programming different frequencies looking for lock, sweeping out the operating
frequency range. The upper, lower and center frequencies are reported on the form.
5.6 Check Lock
The “LOCKED”/”UNLOCKED” indicator is updated every time the “Update Frequency” button is pressed.
You can conrm the locked state at any time by pressing the “Check Lock” button.
5.7 Frequency Hopping
When performing settling time measurements, the PLL can also be congured to hop between two
specied frequencies entered in the “Frequency Hop” window. The “Dwell Time” is not well calibrated
and only offers a crude time estimation. It should not be relied upon for accurate hop timing.
5.8 Register Read/Write
“SPI Read/Write” buttons provide direct register read/write capability in Hex. These are debug tools. To
observe all the detailed register states, click the “Open Detailed GUI” button and the window in Figure
5 will open. Each register is controlled by its own “Read” and “Write” button in its sub-panel. Changes
made by clicking on any check box are only implemented upon clicking that register’s “Write” button.
Similarly a panel is only updated after the “Read” button is clicked.
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Figure 5. Typical PLL GUI (varies by PLL model)
5.9 PLL Conguration Save/Load
To save a PLL conguration to a le, use the “Save Reg File” button in the bottom right corner of the “PLL
Main Control GUI”. This allows you to instantly recall the desired PLL state by using the “Load Reg File”.
Saving a “Register” le for PLL with Integrated RF VCO devices does not capture the “Mode” state (fo/2,
fo, 2fo).
Further instructions on the operation of the PLL with Integrated Microwave VCO products can be found in
the Evaluation Board Operating Guide available on www.hittite.com or on the CD-ROM.
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PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit User Manual
6. Hittite PLL Design Tool
Hittite PLL Design Software is a powerful tool that can be used to model and analyze performance of Hittite’s
PLLs. The tool can be used to:
• Model Integer and Fractional-N PLL performance
• Design loop lter component values
• Model and analyze individual and composite noise contributions
• Model frequency and phase settling time
The PLL Design & Analysis Tool uses MathWorks’ MCR (Matlab Compiler Runtime) Library which is included
in the installation package. Hittite Microwave Corporation’s limited rights to the deployment of MCR are
governed by a license agreement between Hittite Microwave Corporation and MathWorks.
6.1 Using the Hittite PLL Design & Analysis Tool
1. The Hittite PLL Design tool requires parameters to be initialized before running a simulation. From
the main software window select File, Open and select the appropriate .mat or .pll le.
2. Enter/modify design parameters to tailor the simulation to your requirements (VCO frequency, PFD
frequency, Loop BW, Phase Margin, etc.). Press the ‘Compute’ button in the lower right corner to
graphically display simulated performance data.
3. Design an optimal loop lter by clicking on the Filter Design button to open the Loop Filter Design
dialog. The Loop Filter Design tool provides various loop lter topology options and congurations.
4. Edit individual noise contributors ranging from crystal oscillator, reference path, phase detector,
VCO, RF divider, operational amplier, delta-sigma modulator, etc. by clicking on Noise Contributors
button.
a. Model and simulate the effect of VCO gain variation across VCO tuning range.
b. Model and analyze the effect of power supply noise on the loop performance from various
PLL components.
5. View graphical displays of various modelled performance metrics by choosing the desired category
from the Select Plot Type drop down menu.
6. Observe modelled loop parameters summary from Loop Parameters display.
7. Generate detailed HTML reports outlining simulation setup and resulting performance by selecting
Generate Reports from the Tools menu.
7. Technical Support
Please contact pll@hittite.com for any questions. Hittite Microwave provides local direct support in many
areas around the world. Please see the “Contact Us” page at www.hittite.com.
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PLL & PLL with Integrated VCO Evaluation Kit User Manual
20 Alpha Road Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 • Fax: 978-250-3373 • sales@hittite.com
Order On-Line at: www.hittite.com
Receive the latest product releases - click on “My Subscription”
