Author Topic: Correctly calculating impedance of a biconical antenna and impedance matching  (Read 28859 times)

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Offline dazz1

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I understand the limitations of following the work of an under-grad project.  I earned 3 degrees so been there, done that, more than once.  I don't have experience making baluns so I am climbing that learning curve.

My old professor's old professor used to say, it ain't true if it ain't measured. 

I want to be able to measure the performance of any balun I make to close loop on the design process.  At present, I don't have the instrumentation to measure a balanced source/load.  In addition to measuring the performance of a balun, it would be useful for measuring dipole antenna, like a biconic. 
Dazz

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Offline T3sl4co1l

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Ahhh, got it.  I've no indication of peoples' level of knowledge here other than what's immediately mentioned (or occasionally remembered from prior conversation) so I tend to include such details in case they are relevant, and conversely are superfluous when not, which is fine.

So what's missing?  Make a resistance bridge, perhaps?

Like I said, I would test it by wiring up terminations and measuring pairs of ports.  Prove that the gain between ports is as it's supposed to be (one port (normal mode) goes into +/-1/2 at CM/DM ports; CM/DM go into +/-1/2 (normal) at the balanced ports), CM is easy enough to measure (set up a 0° splitter into the balanced ports), and, that doesn't completely constrain what DM gain/phase can be but it greatly narrows it down.  Just going through the permutations of ports should be illuminating.  Preferably this would be done as a vector measurement, but even doing magnitude on the spec or even scope is something.

You could further test the balance by making a 180° splitter; this could be as simple as a 0° splitter into an inverter (1:1 transformer), plus a TL to balance the delay.  You could for example take two equal lengths of coax, wire one to the splitter (compensation delay, nothing else), and wire the other to the splitter but cut it in half in the middle to swap +/-, and stack ferrite cores all along it (or wind it around a core).  The outputs of which can be tested with a resistor divider from one port to the other, the midpoint of which should read zero (zero CM = zero phase/amplitude error in the balun; there could still be a differential gain error where both vary proportionally but this can be constrained by measuring each port normal-mode).

Or you could construct two DM/CM splitters and verify their cascaded balance.  See: measuring one antenna by building two and measuring their combined transfer function.

Tim
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Offline dazz1

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So what's missing?  Make a resistance bridge, perhaps?

Or you could construct two DM/CM splitters and verify their cascaded balance.  See: measuring one antenna by building two and measuring their combined transfer function.

Tim

I am not sure but the  DM circuit by @Jay_Diddy_B looks like it could have potential.  CM mode would be useful.  Phase difference would be a bonus.  If possible, lossless and frequency independent.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/diy-dm-cm-seperator-for-emc-lisn-mate/msg3117742/#msg3117742

I really need a DIY instrument grade balun.  Measuring balanced loads should be a routine task with "standard" methods.

I am nearing completion of two identical biconic antenna you can see at this link:  https://www.eevblog.com/forum/rf-microwave/diy-rf-emc-biconic-antenna/msg4369435/#msg4369435
I have made two specifically so I can calibrate them back-to-back.    The antenna break down to parts for easy storage in a cheap Aliexpress gun case I haven't purchased yet.  By far the most difficult part to make is the cone shaped sockets at the apex of the cones.    These needed the accuracy and capability of a milling machine to make.

I acquired an old Electro Metrics EMC-30 receiver you can see here:  https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/electro-metrics-em-30-emc-receiver/msg4832825/#msg4832825
It was designed to drive one or two 6-way antenna switches under GPIB control.  I am building a 6-way solid state antenna switch unit based on an Aliexpress board fitted with obsolete HMC252 ic. 
I have the parts and my version of the PCBs for the Xyphro GPIB USB adapter here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/open-source-gpib-adapter/msg4902662/#msg4902662

So this is a collection of projects that are progressing in parallel.


« Last Edit: July 26, 2023, 09:51:36 pm by dazz1 »
Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
I have been continuing my quest to design/build a balun for the biconic antenna.
I found this reference:
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/assets/7018-06840/application-notes/5950-3000.pdf
which basically says you need a calibrated balun in order to measure a DUT balun.    That approach leaves unanswered the question of how was the first balun calibrated.

So if making an instrument grade balun to test and calibrate a DUT balun is not practical, then another approach is required.
The other option would be a differential probe.  There are a number of expensive commercial solutions, and some nice DIY probes.  This is one of the better ones I have seen:

The gain can be increased by amending the voltage divider.

One of the key performance measures for a balun is balance.  Unless the balun is truly balanced, it will distort the measured antenna beam pattern.  So maybe a better option is to use two separate single ended amplifiers, one on each leg of the balun output.  If the amplifiers are exactly matched, any imbalance in the balun would be easy to see on the X-Y mode of an oscilloscope.

Dazz

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Offline ahbushnell

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I thought it was a multiplication symbol lol

I think I traced their references on their formula, and one was behind a pay wall, and it sounded too complicated to pay for, or maybe you had to contact a university to make a photocopy for you or something, and you needed to be in a university (feels familiar)

And I could never find anything on the gap other then some emperical studies from some universities. No formula I found includes it.

If you google around it seems that some where less then 2mm is good. Having too wide a gap seems to mess it up. But its just VSWR and  Gain plots with different gap sizes.

if someone is in a university, feel free to send me a special PM lol
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1701411/

i am not paying for papa and kings old ass publication, their probably in the ground by now, and im probobly never gonna attempt solving somethign that has a legrende polynomial, henkel function and a complex auxiliary function in it

Go to a University library and you probably can get the paper.  Might have to pay for a copier. 

 

Offline dazz1

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Hi
I connected up an ethernet  balun betwen a balanced 50ohm load and the unbalanced DUT port of a balanced bridge on the spectrum analyzer.  Measurements of the wire indicate this should not be closely matched to the 50ohm test load (a pair of SMD 100R resistors).
I have hit a problem with this setup.  I get a measure of VSWR s11 but I don't know how much loss is in the balun.

Attached is the return loss of the balun.  The toroid is supposed to be connected as a 1:1 Marchand balun  but I made a mistake and it is wired as a transformer with a primary/secondary.  It provides a reference against which I can compare proper baluns with.
« Last Edit: October 14, 2023, 09:36:23 am by dazz1 »
Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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OK so I reconfigured the Ethernet toroid and coil as a transmission line. Everything is the same except for the connection of the twisted pair.
This produced a significant improvement in return loss.

This is still wound with the 0.1mm enamel wire for Ethernet, which I calculate has an impedance of somewhere in the range of 75R to 100R.
There should be significant room for improvement.
Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
I have tried a completely different approach.
I had a spare toroid so I tried a 1:1 Guanella-balun.  The results are attached.

At first I tried just fitting a 50R test load onto the end of the wound coax, but I realised that that the current was hermetically sealed inside the coax.  I then created a test board with the 50R load exposed so any common mode current could reach the outside of the coax shield.   The humps and bumps are entirely due to resonance along the length of the cable. These bumps are present even with a straight length of coax is terminated with a 50R matched load.   The return loss is high enough to reach the limits of the balanced RF bridge. 
 
I am speculating that some readers might be wondering if I should be using a VNA and the reason is simply that they have unbalanced ports. 

In theory, the matched current flowing within the coax should not see any impedance from the toroid.  The counter-would split coil should produce a net average zero magnetic field within the toroid.  So in a perfect world, there would be zero loss through the balun.
In the real world, nothing is perfect but when I compare the return loss plots for:
a straight piece of coax terminated with 50R and
the same piece of coax, wound to form a Guanella-balun, and terminated with 50R

I don't see any difference in the return loss plots.  I am going to try and measure insertion loss through the balun, with my modest selection of test equipment.




« Last Edit: October 15, 2023, 09:37:54 am by dazz1 »
Dazz

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Offline A.Z.

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Hi
I found this image :
http://www.gtemcell.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/DSC02335.jpg
of a matching network. 
I am guessing that there is some feature hidden under the heat shrink that is key to making this work.
Just curious to know how this might work.

looks like a Guanella 4:1, see this one (for HF)

https://www.m0pzt.com/blog/4to1-current-balun/

if so notice that in such a config, the CM impedance is almost halved with respect to the one presented by the 1:1

Regarding core material, a decent starting point to choose it may be

https://toroids.info/

HTH

« Last Edit: October 16, 2023, 05:34:28 am by A.Z. »
 

Offline dazz1

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Hi
I make no claims about knowing much about baluns.  This is all a bit of a voyage of discovery for me.

The ferrite I am using is this one:Fair-Rite Products Corp. 5961001701  type 61.
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/fair-rite-products-corp/5961001701/8594128
I just happen to have a pair in my parts inventory.

I did a test today.  The objective was to measure coax insertion loss through the toroid.
I connected a coax cable (identical to the one wound through the toroid) from the TG output to the RF input of the Spectrum Analyser. 
I normalised the plot.

Then I swapped in the cable wound through the toroid.
The plot was absolutely identical to the normalized plot.

So this proves that differential current flowing within the coax is completely unaffected by the path it follows through the ferrite coils, or not.
In theory, the inside of the coax is like being inside a Faraday shield.  You would expect any differential currents within the coax to be immune to anything outside.   What did surprise me is just how close to theoretical perfection the plot was.
I am not saying this is a good test, but it is one that I could do. 

It seems that I have wound a common choke rather than a balun.
My biconic antenna should have an impedance of about 50ohm. so I definitely don't want a 4:1 balun.  It would be a bad match.
The thing I have wound lets internal coax differential  currents flow without any affect.

Dazz

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Offline T3sl4co1l

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To test common mode impedance, try grounding the opposite end of the coax.  That is, tie the signal pin to ground and let the shield float; a 1:1 inverting autoformer.  Put a termination on the far side and measure return loss, which will be the additional shunt impedance of the common mode.  Also compare to impedance or mu', mu'' curves of the core.

Tim
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Offline dazz1

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Hi
I am thinking of taking a more direct comparative path to measuring impedance s21.

The attached shows my proposed test rig.  The plan to apply the signal to the coax shield of the Device Under Test (DUT), leaving the center conductor floating.
The return path would be a sheet of aluminium.

To conduct the test, I would fit the straight cable and normalize the spectrum analyzer.
The fit the cable plus toroid choke and measure the difference between the results.

The test would compare the impedance of the a DUT cable shield only,  This should be near zero.
and then it the DUT cable with balun.  The difference would be the balun impedance.  The difference should be better than -25dB.

For a one-off test with minimal junk box materials rig, that should be sufficient.

Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
I made a fixture to measure coax choke performance.

The fixture is made from aluminium clad composite.  This is a plastic core between two layers of aluminium.
Two sma connectors are electrically bonded to the aluminium both sides.
Two sma connectors are electrically isolated.  I milled away the aluminium both sides to reveal the black plastic core.
I used pieces of pcb to connect the signal pin to the shield of each pair.  The pcb stops the sma connectors spinning when tightened.

To use the fixture, I connected to the spectrum analyzer TG output and RF input.  I linked the common mode sma connectors with a short length of coax, and normalised the spectrum analyser. 
I then connected the choke in place of the short coax to measure the difference, being the attenuation by the choke.

The plot characterizes the choke.   The choke seems to be quite well behaved.  There are no resonant spikes and dips.    I have not done anything to try to make it perform better.  Not sure if I need to.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2023, 09:03:57 am by dazz1 »
Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
I decided to experiment today.
I double stacked the ferrite cores.  I used two cores, one stacked on the other, then wound 10 turns (same as before).
The results are attached.

In band, the added core does  improve performance.
Out of band, there is definitely resonance.  The well behaved flat response is not there.
Resonance causes phase shift and that will create imbalance in the signal received from two ends of a biconic antenna.

It would be reasonable to conclude that the added inductance is offset by the added inter-winding capacitance.  Definitely a case of more is less. 

Next I will try reducing the number of turns to see if I can keep a flat frequency response with high attenuation.

Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
I reduced the turns count to 8 and got the attached results.

The obvious resonance has gone and the response is reasonably flat for the first 100MHz.  Beyond that not so good.

I'd prefer to stay with a single core because I already have a pair.  If I go for a stacked core solution, I will need another pair of ferrite toroids.
Dazz

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Offline T3sl4co1l

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Interesting, does the resonant frequency correspond to any dimensions in circuit, winding length perhaps? :)

Tim
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Offline dazz1

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Hi
I haven't got that scientific about it to identify the primary cause of anything.

There appears to be a compromise. 
   Increasing inductance = greater resonance.
   Decreasing inductance = greater imbalance.
  The double stack ferrite makes it harder to wind tight turns on the coils = greater leakage inductance which will increase differential insertion loss.

So the answer is that there is probably no right answer, just some answers better than others.

Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
I tried a larger toroid made of mysterium.  I wound 10 turns.
The performance is shown in the plots.

The first plot (PNG1) goes out to 500MHz.  It shows the balun common mode impedance.  It gets a bit lumpy out of band but usable.


The second plot (PNG2) goes out to 100MHz.  It also shows the balun common mode impedance.    This is significantly better than all previous tests. There is more attenuation at lower frequencies.  The response is flat from 10MHz to 90MHz consistent with no resonance within those frequencies.

The last plot (PNG3 ) shows the insertion loss.  Flat and less than 1dB out to 500MHz.

I suspect the 100MHz resonance is due to the length of unwound cable. 

So,
  • double stacking cores is, in this case, inferior to a larger single core.
  • I started with tiny ferrites  but bigger is better.
  • More ferrite is better than more turns.
Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
I added 2x 10dB attenuators at the input/output of the coax choke test fixture to dampen any resonance due to surplus cable lengths.  The aim being to see if the instrumentation was shaping the frequency response.
The attached plots show no major difference.  Therefore the shape of the plots is mainly due to the balun and the associated surplus cable.  The coax between the fixture and the SA is not a significant influence on the measured results.

Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
The coax I am using to wind turns on the ferrite core is a constant length and longer than required for each balun.

I tested the coax alone without a core.  I used pegs to minimise the area enclosed by the single turn of coax.  This was to minimise signals received as a loop antenna and to minimise loop inductance.

The attached plot show that the cable alone has a frequency response that is a long way from flat. 

This coax alone has a significant effect on the frequency response when the coax is wound over a ferrite.   The result is that when I wind the final version of the balun, the coax will be as long as it needs to be, that is shorter than all of the prototypes.
The coax cable I am using is good up to about 100MHz.   A shorter cable should have a higher frequency bandwidth.

Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
Just reduced the turns on the large mysterium ferrite from 10 to 8 turns.
Not a lot of change compared to the 10 turn version.  As before, above 100MHz, the frequency response is dominated by the coax.



Dazz

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Offline T3sl4co1l

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I imagine the floor (consistently -30dB) is due to radiation from the wire itself, or the turns.  Being in the 1.5kohm range isn't too bad, considering.

All that should be changing with turns is the LF cutoff, and the floor once core loss is less than radiation resistance (parallel equivalent).

Tim
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Offline dazz1

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Hi
All of the testing indicates that the length of coax where the signal is on the shield, and not the centre conductor, defines the upper frequency response/limit.
I want to get the upper frequency limit to around 300MHz. 

Testing results indicate I need to reduce the length of the coax cable that I wind around the core to about 1/3rd of it's current length.    To achieve this I will need to use the smaller size core.
I don't have a cable assembly that long (short) so I need to sort that.

Dazz

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Offline dazz1

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Hi
To test  whether a 300MHz bandwidth of the balun is achievable, I used a (too) short coax cable assembly to wind too few turns on the smaller ferrite.

The outcome is that the balun has a reasonably flat response out past 500MHz.  The resonance at about 175MHz is not due to the balun.   
If I use a longer cable to get more turns, the attenuation is expected to improve. 

So this option is still looking viable out to 300MHz.
Dazz

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Offline T3sl4co1l

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Pretty poor though (10dB?). Got any clip-on ferrites?  This is probably the range where you need a single-turn winding on a loooong core.  Alternately, make a new cable with beads all up on it before crimping the connectors.

Tim
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