Digitally controlled microwave attenuators with computer interface
Cundao Lu
Make microwave attenuators 6 times easier to use, with a computer interface!
The project aims to design and implement a control
unit for multiple microwave attenuators, specifically the
MHC425A, which are commonly used in Fiber Optic &
Broadband Telecom.
The unit should be capable of controlling and
monitoring the attenuators both in manual and
computer mode. This will facilitate the user to do
research and experiments with attenuators and make
long distance control on the computers possible .
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The design is implemented with an Arduino nano as the microprocessor on a customized PCB, with a LCD display, 6 attenuation level adjusting knobs and 3 command switches (set / reset and mode switch).
It features 6 digital outputs with 6 bits, achieved by 6 Daisy Chained 8 bit shift registers. The output of the unit are biased to be the input of the attenuators which take 6 digital inputs each to achieve the desired attenuation levels, ranging from 0 to 31.5dB with 0.5dB resolution.
The physical construction is made of laser-cut acrylic boards to mount the processing board and the manual controls.
