Abstract: This reference design is a complete RF front-end solution designed to meet the WLAN IEEE® 802.11b/g standard. Using the MAX2830 RF transceiver, the design is capable of accommodating full range of 802.11g OFDM data rates (6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54Mbps) and 802.11b QPSK data rates (1, 2, 5.5, and 11Mbps). This solution offers high performance, small size, and low BOM cost.
Platform Design for Multiple Form-Factors such as Card Bus and Compact Flash
Figure 2. Block diagram of the WLAN reference design.
Lab Measurements
Power Consumption Summary
Operating conditions: VCC = 2.85V; VBAT = 3.3V; fRF = 2.437GHz; RXTX and active-low SHDN set according to operating mode; active-low CS = high; SCLK = DIN = low; transmitter and receiver in maximum gain. There were no input signals at RF inputs. Baseband outputs are open. 100mVRMSdifferential, 54Mbps IEEE 802.11gOFDM signals were applied to I and Q baseband inputs of transmitter in transmit mode.
Figure 5. Rx I/Q constellation diagram at PIN = -65dBm, 54Mbps 64QAM. The EVM is only 4.2%, which is better than the 9% requirement for sensitivity.
Detailed Description
This reference design is suitable for the full range of 802.11g OFDM data rates (6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, and 54Mbps) and 802.11bQPSK data rates (1, 2, 5.5, and 11Mbps) at corresponding sensitivity levels. Using the MAX2830 chipset eliminates the need for external SAW filters, a RF switch, and a PA. Only a RF filter, RF balun, and a small number of passive components are required to form a complete 11b/g WLAN RF front-end solution that delivers high performance in a small PCB form-factor.
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Tested Circuit 
