W1719EP SystemVue RF System Design Kit

• Spectrasys – A spectral domain RF System Architecture simulator that offers compelling simulation and interactive graphical use model advantages over circuit tools, math-based block sets for time-domain simulators, vendor “calculator” apps, and spreadsheets. Choose from dozens of pre-programmed measurements and interact directly with graphs.
• RF Link – A fast, automated dataflow modeling tool that allows system-level Dataflow simulations to use frequency-domain Spectrasys block diagrams directly, without modification. Account for multiple stages of up & down-conversion, spectral inversion, multiple I/O ports, baseband or modulated carrier ports, thermal and phase noise spectral densities, as well as frequency and power-dependence within the band.
• ADS X-parameter* support – Use circuit-level nonlinear X-parameters at the system-level, for fast, bottom-up verification of ADS designs or measured devices from vendors. Accounts for complex impedance loading, harmonics, bias, power and frequency dependence. Enable the new Volterra modeling to make 1-tone X-parameter data more accurate for multi-tone large-signal simulations.
• GoldenGate “Fast Circuit-Envelope” models – Verify Wireless SoC/RFIC transceivers up to 1,000-100,000 faster at the system level than with Spice, accounting for frequency translation, frequency and power dependence, and memory effects. Fast enough to run coded LTE BER/Throughput simulations or demodulate live on a Keysight 89600B VSA.
• WhatIF – An RF Frequency Planning utility for multi-band, wireless front-ends.

The W1719 RF System Design Kit provides an innovative simulator and Use Model for RF system architects, as well as Baseband and PHY-level designers who interact with RF circuits and systems. The W1719 is an option to the SystemVue environment that bridges design flow gaps for two groups of designers:

• RF System Architects: The W1719 helps create better RF systems, lowers project risk, and saves time and prototyping costs by quickly diagnosing RF/Analog effects that are difficult or impossible to characterize with spreadsheets and other analysis techniques. As an RF architecture tool, it also closes the verification loop by connecting implementation-based models from Advanced Design System (ADS) and GoldenGate to Baseband algorithms, Reference IP, and test equipment, for superior RF-DSP partitioning and model-based verification.
• Baseband Algorithm and System-level PHY Architects: The W1719 provides an easy-to-use RF design flow bridge that is accurate, fast, and doesn’t compromise the versatility of SystemVue as a multi-language modeling environment. It enables baseband and system-level designers to take advantage of the accuracy of models based on real transistor-level implementations, but without needing full RF domain knowledge, tools, and licenses. They can simply use the RF models with confidence in the dataflow domain, and exchange results with colleagues across disciplines using a common toolset.

The W1719 provides the RF accuracy, troubleshooting diagnostics, and lightning fast modeling links from enterprise RF design flows required by system architects need to reduce excess design margins for today’s challenging wireless and defense systems, without introducing additional project risk. It is essential for physical layer systems requiring high linearity, wide bandwidth, and deep algorithmic complexity.

Figure 1. The W1719 now brings RF modulation effects inside the RF system architecture tool, allowing wideband comms designers to identify sources of errors, such as nonlinearity, phase noise, and filter flatness.

Figure 2. The W1719 brings fast nonlinear X-parameters (ADS) and Fast Circuit Envelope models (GoldenGate) into the dataflow environment, for system-level verification of the full physical layer, including baseband algorithms.

Figure 3. The W1719 RF System Design Kit is an optional add-on to SystemVue that enables deeper insights and RF design flow connectivity than would be possible using only a dataflow simulator.

Spectrasys – Block-level RF simulator for RF Architects

RF System Design Kit saves time for RF system architects by accounting for analog effects while providing one-click graphical diagnosis of RF system performance. Key to this is the Spectrasys simulator.

Spectrasys overcomes key limitations of spreadsheets, math and DSP engines, circuit simulators, and their limited model sets, which miss these analog effects entirely, or make problems very difficult to isolate and diagnose. This enables RF system designers to identify and correct poor architecture choices early in the design, before commitments are made to the frequency plan, board area, layout, bill of materials, and performance.

With more than 100 pre-defined system measurements, and dozens of power and voltage-based behavioral models, designers do not need to spend time writing homegrown code, when they can use a dedicated, graphical tool designed for the RF system design task. High-quality designs can be produced quickly, saving prototyping cycles, costly troubleshooting, and project risk.

Figure 4. Spectrasys accounts for complex mismatch, bi-directional propagation, nonlinearities, frequency response, leakage terms, continuous spectrums from DC to millimeter waves, and tracks individual signal and noise contributors. These can be inspected interactively in seconds, directly from the graphs.

WhatIF – RF Frequency Planner

The W1719 also provides the “WhatIF” frequency planning tool. WhatIF helps wireless system architects choose a set of Intermediate Frequencies (IFs) that maximize system performance with a minimum of filtering and design margin for multi-band RF receivers. It reduces the frequency planning task from weeks of analysis down to an afternoon using an interactive, graphical approach. It accounts for tuned bandwidths, spurs and intermodulated frequencies.

Figure 5. The WhatIF frequency planning tool quickly shows the best choices of IF frequencies for best spur-free performance and with lower system complexity.

Comparison with Genesys Spectrasys

Of the capabilities of the W1719, the basic Spectrasys simulator and WhatIF utility are also available as options to the Keysight Genesys environment. If you primarily design analog/RF circuits, are able to approximate performance using CW tones, or have a low percentage of signal processing content, you may want to look at the Genesys versions of Spectrasys and WhatIF. Genesys configurations can be found in the Genesys Product Structure and Options Summary.

If your communications or defense systems contain both RF and signal processing content, require modulation analysis, such as EVM, BER, spectral regrowth, or phased array beamforming, or you need to connect to test equipment, wireless standards references, or interactive baseband modeling, then W1719 RF System Design Kit within SystemVue is the clear choice.

Configurations

The W1719 RF System Design Kit can be added to any SystemVue Environment.

The W1719 is already included in these bundles:

• W1464 SystemVue RF System Architect
• W1465 SystemVue System Architect
• W1467 SystemVue Array Architect

Many power amplifier designers interested in this product will also be interested in the W1716 SystemVue Digital Pre-Distortion Builder.