x band frequency counter schematic needed

[neazoi]

x band frequency counter schematic, using some kind of prescaler possibly
Have you found any such schematic from the internet?
I cannot find any

 

[biff44]

traditional counters use a mixer/downconverter front end, usually a harmonic mixer (with a built in comb generator), which THEN drives a <500 MHz digital counter section. You need some sort of circuitry to figure out which harmonic of the LO you are locking to.

Just recently there are actual digital divide by N chips that will count up that high. I suppose you could use those chips to make a microwave front end counter, followed by a more standard VHF/UHF counter. USe something like HMC363G8.

 

[tony_lth]

You can use divide-by-2, then use Mini-Circuits UFC-6000

 

[neazoi]

You can use divide-by-2, then use Mini-Circuits UFC-6000

A divide by 1000 would be the ideal solution, as you could use a simple 12MHz PIC based counter with direct reading.
All the divide-by-1000 boards I have seen, seem to use very tiny pachages like QFN. I cannot solder QFN on the lab and most importantly I cannot make through hole plating. Especially the last one is what make this quite difficult.

 

[volker_muehlhaus]

and most importantly I cannot make through hole plating.

Here is an easy workaround that I used:

**broken link removed**

 

[neazoi]

Here is an easy workaround that I used:

**broken link removed**

Now, this is interesting. One can connect the upper and lower layers using wires, and then cut them as low as it can be, but this soludion you propose also server as a good heatsinking. Nevertheless on thin Rogers laminate this may be quite difficult to do, it may not though..

See this **broken link removed** This is what I am talking about. A standalone solution that works with any low frequency counter. But the QFN package... ouch!

 

[volker_muehlhaus]

Now, this is interesting. One can connect the upper and lower layers using wires, and then cut them as low as it can be, but this soludion you propose also server as a good heatsinking. Nevertheless on thin Rogers laminate this may be quite difficult to do, it may not though..

I have used it a lot on microwave substrates. The advantage over a wire is that these rivets are very flat on one side.

In my opinion, if you want to build 10GHz stuff, QFN and similar packages are the way to go. It's no that difficult to handle if you have hot air soldering iron and SMD solder paste.

 

[neazoi]

I have used it a lot on microwave substrates. The advantage over a wire is that these rivets are very flat on one side.

In my opinion, if you want to build 10GHz stuff, QFN and similar packages are the way to go. It's no that difficult to handle if you have hot air soldering iron and SMD solder paste.

I have found a more easy to build solution here https://www.changpuak.ch/electronics/prescaler_12GHz.php
But I cannot download the microcontroller code, the site asks for a login

He seems he has used standard FR4. To be honest I do not know why standard FR4 cannot be used in this application, since the only GHz part is actually the part from the connector to one of the pins of the first chip. A higher loss there may not harm the frequency counting scheme.

 

[vfone]

Here is a much simpler one, without using a PLL and micro-controller.

https://www.qsl.net/n9zia/pre1/index.html

 

[neazoi]

Here is a much simpler one, without using a PLL and micro-controller.

https://www.qsl.net/n9zia/pre1/index.html

This one seems more feasible! And easy to solder. I will have a closer look at it.