Taoglas’ WLA.01 2.4GHz loop antenna is a high efficiency, miniature SMD, edge mounted ceramic antenna for tight space requirements in Wi-Fi, WLAN, Zigbee, Bluetooth and 802.11 applications. It uses the main PCB as its ground plane, thereby increasing antenna efficiency, and is tuned for different PCB sizes by simply changing the value of the matching circuit. At 3,2 x 1,6 x 0,5 mm, the WLA.01 is one of the smallest antennas available worldwide, and is delivered on tape and reel.
Many module manufacturers specify peak gain limits for any antennas that are to be connected to that module. Those peak gain limits are based on free-space conditions. In practice, the peak gain of an antenna tested in free space can degrade by at least 1 or 2 dBi when put inside a device. Ideally, therefore, designers should go for a slightly higher peak gain antenna than mentioned on the module specification to compensate for this effect.
Upon testing of any of its antennas with a device and a selection of appropriate layout, integration technique or cable, Taoglas can make sure any of its antennas’ peak gain will be below the peak gain limits. It can then issue a specification and/or report for the selected antenna in the device that will clearly show it complying with the peak gain limits, so designers can be assured they are meeting regulatory requirements for that module.
For example, a module manufacturer may state that the antenna must have less than 2 dBi peak gain, but it is not necessary to select an embedded antenna that has a peak gain of less than 2 dBi in free space, as this would result in a less optimised solution. Taoglas recommends going for a slightly higher free-space peak gain of 3 dBi or more if available. Once that antenna gets integrated into the device, performance will degrade below this 2 dBi peak gain due to the effects of the ground plane, surrounding components and device housing.
For more information contact Andrew Hutton, RF Design, +27 (0)21 555 8400, andrew@rfdesign.co.za, www.rfdesign.co.za
| Tel: | +27 21 555 8400 |
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| www: | www.rfdesign.co.za |
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