Case study of Power amplifier Lineup - Part I — Lesson 3

This lesson covers the basics of software-defined radios and practical applications, focusing on power amplifier lineup for linearity and power requirement calculations. It explains the main criteria for power amplifier (PA) selection, including gain value, output power, and efficiency. The lesson also discusses the assembly of power amplifiers, either in series or parallel, and how this affects their characteristics. It further delves into the calculation of output power, efficiency, and linearity. The lesson concludes with a practical example of how to select a device to meet specific parameters according to requirements.

Video Highlights

00:18 - Main criteria for PA selection
05:39 - Detailed walkthrough of a problem statement
09:55 - Calculating the output power back off
16:30 - Calculation of number of devices
29:14 - How to calculate the output power required at stage one

Key Takeaways

- The main criteria for power amplifier selection are its gain value, output power, and efficiency.
- Power amplifiers can be assembled in two ways: in series or parallel. This affects their gain, output power, efficiency, and linearity.
- The total gain of a series of amplifiers is the sum of the gains of each amplifier.
- The output power of each stage is defined by the maximum power that particular amplifier can provide.
- Linearity is often measured in terms of carrier to intermodulation distortion of the third order.