EVALUATING THE AD9152 DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER

Preface

This user guide describes both the hardware and software setup needed to acquire data capture from AD9152-FMC-EBZ evaluation board (EVB) to characterize the AD9152 16-bit 2.25GSPS Dual JESD204B signal processing RF Digital-to-Analog Converter.

The AD9152-FMC-EBZ has an FMC mezzanine card and connects to an ADS7-V2 or ADS8-V1 data pattern generator system. The ADS7-V2/ADS8-V1 automatically formats the data and sends it to the EVB via its JESD204B lanes. +12V, +3.3V, and VADJ power supply rails are provided by the ADS7-V2/ADS8-V1 system via the FMC connector P1. A clock distribution chip (AD9516-1) is included on this EVB as a clock fan-out and frequency divider for the DACCLK, JESD204B SYSREF signals, and a GBTCLK clock used by the ADS7-V2/ADS8-V1.

There is also an FMC standard I2C bus that is used by the ADS7-V2/ADS8-V1 to identify the board. This I2C interface is implemented in software in the AD9152-FMC-EBZ PIC processor (XU1). All ADS7-V2/ADS8-V1 to/from the EVB interface signals are connected via the FMC connector P1.

Typical Setup

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Figure 1 AD9152-FMC-EBZ Setup with ADS7-V2EBZ

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Figure 2 AD9152-FMC-EBZ Setup with ADS8-V1EBZ

Tip

Tip: Click on any picture in this guide to open an enlarged version.

Software Needed

Important

  • Do not install ACE on a computer with DAC Software Suite.

  • Known Issue: ACE may fail to detect HS-DAC boards, details here.

Hardware Needed

  • AD9152-FMC-EBZ Evaluation Board which comes with:

    • USB-A to USB-Mini Cable

  • ADS7-V2EBZ or ADS8-V1EBZ Evaluation Kit which includes:

    • 12V 60W AC/DC Power Supply

    • Power Cord

    • USB-A to USB-B Cable

  • PC with ACE and DPG Lite Software Applications

  • Low Phase Noise High-Frequency Continuous Wave Generator

  • Signal/Spectrum Analyzer

    1. SMA Cables

Quick Start Guide

  • Attach AD9152-FMC-EBZ onto the FMC connector of ADS7-V2 or ADS8-V1 controller board. Connect the evaluation board to PC via USB, the continuous waveform generator output to J1, and one of the DAC outputs (J4 or J17) to a signal/spectrum analyzer. Connect ADS7-V2/ADS8-V1 to PC via USB and to a 12V 60W AC/DC power supply, then switch the board ON using S1 beside the connector for 12V supply. Refer to Typical Setup section for pictures of actual evaluation setup.

  • Set the frequency of the continuous waveform generator output to 1.5 GHz and the output level to +3 dBm. Enable the output.

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Figure 3 ADS7-V2 and AD9152 detected in DPG Software

  • Start DPG Lite or DPG Downloader. A panel named after the detected controller board should appear at the bottom of the DPG window. The device on the evaluation board and the data interface should also be automatically detected by the software and shown at Evaluation Board and Port Configuration, respectively. See Figure 2.

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Figure 4 AD9152-FMC-EBZ detected in ACE

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Figure 5 ACE Initial Configuration Wizard

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Figure 6 ACE AD9152 Chip View Tab

  • In ACE, apply the configuration wizard settings enumerated below and shown in JESD204B PLL should lock and the indicator should turn green.

    • FDAC: 1.5 GHz

    • Interpolation: 2

    • JESD Mode: 4

    • Subclass1: True

    • DigGain: True

    • PLL_Enable: False

    • Input Data Format: 2’s complement

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Figure 7 Single Tone and ADS7-V2 Configuration Panels in DPG

  • In DPG Lite or DPG Downloader, configure single tone waveform generation. From the Add Generator Waveforms pulldown menu, select Single Tone. Apply the following settings:

    • Data Rate: 750 MHz

    • Desired Frequency: 100 MHz

    • DAC Resolution: 16 bits

    • Amplitude: -10 dB

    • Unsigned Data: unchecked

    • Generate Complex Data (I & Q): checked

  • In the ADS7-V2 or ADS8-V1 panel in the DPG window, configure Data Playback by selecting tones for the DAC outputs from each dropdown menu. Set JESD Mode to Mode 4, Links to Single and Subclass to 1.

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Figure 8 AD9152 DAC Output FFT for Data Rate = 700 MHz, FOUT = 100 MHz

  • Press the download arrow (9154_down_arrow.png) then the play button (9154_right_green_arrow.png). As in Figure 6, Serial Line Rate should appear as 7.5 Gbps and Sync Status should have a check mark. The FFT plot of the DAC output is in Figure 7.