RF (Radio Frequency) connectors are connectors designed to work at radio frequencies and are used for signal transmission of products such as radios, antennas, and coaxial cables. However, there are different types of these connectors.
What is the main part of RF connectors?
What is the Electrical performance of RF connectors?
How important is the mechanical property of the RF connector?
What is the main part of RF connectors?
Impedance: Almost all RF connectors and cables are standardized to 50Ω impedance. The only exception is that 75Ω systems are commonly used in cable TV installations. It is also important that the RF coaxial cable connector has a matching characteristic impedance of the cable. If this is not the case, a discontinuity is introduced and loss may result.
1. VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio): Ideally, it should be unity. Good design and implementation can keep VSWR below 1.2 within the range of interest.
Frequency range: Most radio frequencies now work in the range of 1 to 10 GHz. Therefore, the connector must have a low loss in this area. For cases above 10, GHz-there is a lot of things that work in the 10 to 40 GHz range now-there are newer RF connectors among them to choose from. They are expensive because of the cable itself.
2. Insertion loss: This is the connector loss in the frequency range of interest. The loss is usually between 0.1 and 0.3 decibels. Determining how critical per watt (or fractional watt) is in most designs, even such a small loss must be minimized and included in the link loss budget. It is in the low-noise front end, especially when the signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio are low.
3. Operating cycle: This is usually 500 or 1000 cycles. For threaded connectors, the tightening torque specified by the supplier is an important factor in maintaining performance and reliability.
4. Power: Power handling is determined by the two resistance losses (heating) and insulation breakdown. Although even decades of design are mainly pre-processing tens of watts, today's design community focuses on low-power devices such as mobile phones, picocells, and femtocell base stations, video interfaces, RF, and gadgets. These are in the sub 1W range, so the connector can be much smaller and its power rating is a smaller constraint.
What is the Electrical performance of RF connectors?
The actual electrical performance depends on the performance of the cable, the contact of the cable, the geometric size of the connector, the contact of the inner conductor, and so on. The maximum frequency of the coaxial line must be the maximum usable frequency of the weakest component in the transmission line because it depends on all components rather than one component. For example, the use frequency of a certain RF connector is 10GHZ, the use frequency of the cable connected to it is 5GHZ, and the maximum usable frequency of this component is 5GHZ. The combination of all factors determines the frequency of use of the entire transmission line.
How important is the mechanical property of the RF connector?
The mechanical and electrical characteristics of RF connectors are determined by the processing method of each component in the manufacturing process. The quantity and scale of production must be considered together with the mechanical properties. It is important to consider the following reasons: specific performance does not meet your requirements. This analysis helps to avoid the following errors.
On the other hand, the smaller the size of the RF connector, the more difficult it is to manufacture, the higher the manufacturing cost, the worse the accuracy and error. In future industrial applications, the demand for electronic components with small size, high quality, and low price will continue to grow.
Considering the more and more important position of RF connectors in the information communication industry, more and more manufacturers pursue higher-quality RF connectors. LenoRF has been a Chinese pioneer in RF interconnects for several years. They understand that each application is special. Their knowledgeable staff can find the best solution for any scenario, particularly when a custom product is required. You can get what you what you want at there.
Our company, Zhejiang LenoRF Industry co. LTD, occupies an area of 30 hectares and is equipped with world class equipment to make millimeter wave connectors and phase stable cables. We specialize in coaxial connectors, cable assembly, and passive devices. Our current products are the latest millimeter wave connector and phase stable cable on the market.
