In this fun and interactive workshop, participants will learn the basic theory of modern digital radios as well as the RF circuits and systems used to build them. After an introductory session on digital radios, participants will select an RF building block to design and build. There will be short mini-classes (run in parallel) on each component: double balanced mixer, microstrip filters, low noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, baluns, patch antenna, etc. The radios will operate in the ISM 920 Mhz band. After the mini-classes, each participant will design their RF component using NI AWR software, including full layout and EM simulation. In the afternoon, the designs will be transferred to PCB via a simple “PCB in a bag” method and each circuit built and tested using a simple VNA. The workshop will conclude with a full radio test of at transmitter and receiver.

Dr. David Ricketts received his PhD in engineering and applied sciences from Harvard University and his BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Prior to joining academia, he spent eight years in industry developing more than 40 integrated circuits in mixed-signal, RF and power management applications. Ricketts' research crosses the fields of physics, materials science and circuit design, investigating the ultimate capabilities of microelectronic devices and how these devices are harnessed by differing circuit topologies to produce the highest performing systems.  He teaches Radio System Design and offers the complete course online at www.rickettslab.org/radiosystemdesign.