A P P L I C AT I O N S
R A D I O S YS T E M I C s
Transmitter and receiver ICs for SRD applications
Lower component count,
higher performance
The author: The TDA 5100 (transmitter) and
JOHANNES TDA 5200 (receiver) compo-
GERSTLAUER,
Dr.-Ing., is a consul- nents were developed as inex-
tant with the
pensive alternatives to the
Siemens Semicon-
ductor Group SAW-based systems for short
range devices currently in use.
Thanks to the selected architec-
ture, circuits containing a mini-
mum number of components
can be implemented without
major outlay on development.
Despite their low cost, these so-
lutions enable very good elec-
trical values to be attained.
26
The new system components for
short-range radio devices can be
used universally in both the relevant
UHF bands at 434 and 869 MHz.
The transmitter can be operated with
both amplitude and frequency mod-
ulation, whereas the receiver can on-
ly process amplitude-modulated sig-
nals.
The market
The market for radio systems is
characterized by above-average
growth rates worldwide. This in-
cludes the booming communica-
tions market and – somewhat less
obviously – the market for short
range devices (SRDs).
This latter market was initially dri-
ven principally by applications in
the automotive sector in the form of
remote keyless entry (RKE) sys-
tems. Today, a much larger home
market is on the horizon, thanks to
the radio networking of numerous
functions in and around the home.
These include security, detection,
recording, data transmission and
control applications.
The 433.05 - 434.79 MHz and
868.00 - 870.00 MHz bands are of
particular interest for short range de-
vices. The 869 MHz band was re-
leased as recently as 1998 and has a
number of outstanding properties.
Although its free space attenuation
is 6 dB higher than at 434 MHz, this
drawback is more than counterbal-
anced by the higher efficiency of the
antennas with their small dimen-
sions. Whereas the unregulated allo-
cation of the 434 MHz band has led
to a high interference potential there,
a very effective distribution has been
specified for the 869 MHz band. The
division into subsections with dif-
ferent maximum permissible duty
cycles of 100%, 10%, 1% and 0.1%
makes operation much less liable to
interference. A study has shown that
its interference immunity is at least
two orders of magnitude greater than
in the 434 MHz band, which is part-
ly occupied by “continuous carri-
ers”.
The maximum level of radiated
transmission power permissible in
the critical frequency ranges is ap-
proximately 10 mW. In practice, and
Components 1/99

with the use of sensitive receivers,
transmitter powers of this order of
magnitude even allow sufficient
ranges to be attained in built-up ar-
eas which normally represent very
difficult conditions for radio recep-
tion.
The large numbers of SRD compo-
nents required in the RKE and home
sectors have opened up a mass mar-
ket for the UHF technology used in
the low-cost sector. This highly
price-sensitive market obliges man-
ufacturers to exploit the technology
to its utmost in order to develop in-
expensive and easily-fitted sub-
assemblies. This target can only be
achieved with a high level of inte-
gration.
SAW-stabilized systems in discrete
or semi-integrated circuit technolo-
gy have hitherto been the preferred
solution for the SRD sector. This ap-
plies particularly to the 434 MHz
range which has been used up to
now. The new highly integrated cir-
cuit technology permits the applica-
tion of more sophisticated principles
for frequency generation. Thus, the
HF PLL principle makes use of a
crystal resonator as a frequency ref-
erence. An automatically controlled
oscillator (VCO) locks on to a mul-
tiple of this reference frequency. It
offers a frequency stability that is al-
most ten times better than that of
SAW resonators, and at lower cost.
This higher frequency stability al-
lows the use of narrowband re-
ceivers: a considerable asset in view
of the need to minimize external in-
terference.
The TDA 5100 transmitter
The transmitter IC was developed as
a component for universal applica-
tions. It can be operated alternative-
ly with ASK or FSK modulation in
both the 434 MHz and 869 MHz
bands. A single lithium cell provides
the power supply.
Properties
• Power supply 2.1 V - 4.0 V,
6.9 mA typically
Components 1/99
• Output power +5 dBm
(434 MHz), -1 dBm (869 MHz)
• Power down mode 80 nA typically
• Low power detect 2.15 V
• Response time ≤ 1 ms
• Integrated VCO and PLL synthe-
sizers
• Frequency range 433-435 and
868-870 MHz
• ASK/FSK modulation, 0 - 100/
20 kHz
• Reference frequency 6.8 or 13.6
MHz selectable
• Programmable clock output for
the controller: 3.39 MHz/847.5 kHz
The operations performed inside the
transmitter are shown in Fig. 1. They
reveal some very interesting details.
An LC circuit with a coil integrated
on the silicon is used as the frequen-
cy-determining element in the VCO.
A similarly integrated capacitance
diode performs the tuning. For oper-
ation in the 869 MHz range, the VCO
signal is used via a driver stage to
control the final transmit stage di-
rectly. When the transmitter operates
in the 434 MHz range, the VCO fre-
quency remains in the 868 MHz
Complete circuit diagram of the TDA 5100, FSK 869 MHz transmitter
Fig. 1 A powerful transmitter can be implemented for a modest outlay: the external components
required for the one-channel transmitter are limited to the reference quartz, eight chip components
and the encoder.
A P P L I C AT I O N S
R A D I O S YS T E M I C s
range. The final stage is controlled by a
driver and pulse-former stage after fre-
quency division by a factor of two. In
class-C operation, the final stage attains a
high efficiency with a current flow angle
of less than 180°. The collector efficien-
cy reaches values of approximately 45%.
Powerful transmitter for a modest
outlay
In amplitude modulation, amplitude
shift keying (ASK) is applied to the fi-
nal stage transistor, whereas frequency
modulation involves the application of
frequency shift keying (FSK) to the ref-
erence oscillator. A pull capacitor is con-
nected in series to the quartz in accor-
dance with the modulation sequence.
Because of the large bandwidth of the
(integrated) loop filter of around 150
kHz, the VCO can also be modulated by
high modulation frequencies. The appli-
cation circuit in Fig. 1 shows how little
expenditure is needed in order to imple-
ment a powerful transmitter. The exter-
nal components required for the one-
channel transmitter are limited to the
reference quartz, eight chip components
and, of course, the encoder. The trans-
27
A P P L I C AT I O N S
R A D I O S YS T E M I C s

SUMMARY mitter requires no tun- The TDA 5200 receiver

The TDA 5100 transmit compo- ing. A loop configura-
nent and the TDA 5200 receive tion acts as the antenna.
component were developed for
use in the cost-sensitive SRD The antenna and the cir-
systems market. They combine cuit matching it to the
such properties as maximum power amplifier are de-
integration, universal applicabil-
ity, high efficiency and an attrac-
signed so that an elec-
tive price. tric field component is
radiated in addition to
the magnetic component. This pro-
duces a measurable improvement in
the antenna efficiency. The photo-
graph on page 26 illustrates the im-
plementation of the application cir-
cuit on a test board. The board can be
operated at both 434 and 869 MHz
with appropriate dimensioning of
the frequency-determining compo-
nents. The following values were
measured on this board:
Board size 30 mm x 35 mm
Power supply Lithium cell, CR 3032
2.6 V/6.9 mA
Emitted RF power
434 MHz -10 dBm
869 MHz -5 dBm
Noise spectrum
Harmonics ≤ -40 dBm
Spurious emissions ≤ -65 dBm
The TDA 5200 receiver compo-
nent was developed to match the
TDA 5100 transmitter component.
However, whereas the transmitter is
designed for both ASK and FSK
modulation, the receiver can only
process ASK signals. The universal
functionality in both the 434 MHz
and 869 MHz bands was retained.
Properties
• Power supply 5 V ± 10%, 4.7 mA
typically
• Power down mode 50 nA typically
• Wakeup time ≤ 1ms
• Integrated VCO and PLL synthe-
sizers
• Frequency range 433-435 MHz
and 868-870 MHz
• Reference frequency 6.7 MHz or
13.4 MHz selectable
• Intermediate frequency 10.7 MHz
(5-20 MHz)
• Data filter and pulse-former stage
adjustable externally to the baud ra-
te
• Sensitivity -112 dBm (434 MHz)
or -108 dBm (869 MHz) at 4.8 kbit/s
The TDA 5200 is a simple superhet
receiver with an intermediate fre-
quency of nominal 10.7 MHz, as
shown in Fig. 2. This concept again
allowed a maximum level of inte-
gration to be reached. All the circuits
required for generating the oscillator
signal for the mixer were integrated
on the silicon. Only the frequency-
determining quartz still needs to be
connected externally. A very inex-
pensive ceramic filter can be used
for selection at the intermediate fre-
quency. Some external circuits are
required in connection with the low-
noise amplifier (LNA). A simple LC
network is added at both its input
and output for matching and RF se-
lection. The receiver requires no tun-
ing if this network is suitably di-
mensioned.
The data filter and the pulse-former
stage in the baseband are optimally
matched to the relevant data signal
by their external circuits. If a code
containing a DC component is pre-
sent, the pulse-former stage is oper-
ated in conjunction with a clamping
circuit.

Outlook

Complete circuit diagram of the TDA 5200 receiver The TDA 5100 and TDA 5200 com-
ponents, with their new, highly inte-
grated architecture allow simple and
inexpensive radio subassemblies
with very good technical data to be
implemented. They represent the
first members of a range of cost-op-
timized universal RF components
designed for use in the growth-in-
tensive market for short range de-
vices.

Check 1-99-6 (HL) on Reader Service

Fig. 2 All the circuits required for generating the mixer oscillator signal on the TDA 5200 simple Card
superhet receiver with an IF of 10.7 MHz were integrated on silicon.
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28 Components 1/99