I’s and Q’s and negative frequencies, oh my! Today we discuss mixers and frequency conversion, in particular, quadrature mixers and Tayloe detectors: what they are, how they work, why you might want one, and what do we use all this I and Q stuff for anyhow?
Additional references:
| Description | Reference |
|---|---|
| Introduction to RF mixers | Basics of RF Mixers in Radio Receivers, Alan Wolke (W2AEW) |
| Mixer theory and switching mixer operation | Downconversion Mixers, Gino Giusi, Ph.D |
| Introduction to IQ signals and phasor diagrams | Basics of IQ Signals and IQ modulation & demodulation – a tutorial, Alan Wolke (W2AEW) |
| IQ signal processing fundamentals, Euler’s identities | A Quadrature Signals Tutorial: Complex, But Not Complicated, Richard Lyons |
| IQ phase relationships at positive and negative frequencies | IQ Modulation, Keysight Technologies |
| The Tayloe quadrature detector | Ultra Low Noise, High Performance, Zero IF Quadrature Product Detector and Preamplifier, Dan Tayloe |
Is there a noticeable non-linearity in the quadrature conversion because there is some hysteresis in the turn-on and turn-off voltages? I know I had to deal with this once when using an opto-isolator where the difference was substantial. I’m not sure about the behaviour of the gates.
No, the multiplexer is quite linear, which is important as that is a very desirable trait for a mixer. There’s a very detailed analysis done of the Tayloe mixer in this thesis paper.
(Note: Mixers are inherently non-linear devices, so by “linear” above, I mean that when the switch is closed the output matches the input very closely; obviously there are no perfect switches.)
First of all thank you so much for the video. This video helped me learn advanced concepts with the help of hardware. This is the way to go! Thanks for providing it free.
In addition, I am writing this comment to ask for the schematic of the circuit you used for this tutorial so it can be replicated in my lab. Just for me to learn the basics and tweak with your set up. Thank you