
E
MAX 2402 Evaluation K it
2
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_________________________Quic k S tart
The MAX2402 EV kit is fully assembled and factory test-
ed. 
Do not turn on the power until all connections
are made.
T est Equipment Required
Signal Source, sine-wave generator with range up to
1000MHz (example: HP8656B)
Signal Source, function generator with range up to
10MHz
Spectrum Analyzer with range up to 4GHz (example:
TEK2755AP)
Power Supply capable of 5V, 300mA output with 
current limit
Connec tions and S ignal Conditions
1) Verify that all shunts are across jumpers W1–W4.
2) Connect an SMA cable from the 1000MHz signal
source to the LO+ SMA input (or LO- SMA input) on
the EV kit. Place a shorting termination on LO-. If dif-
ferential drive is desired, connect the SMA cables
from the signal source to a balun with sufficient
bandwidth, and connect cables from the balun 0°
and 180° ports to the LO+ and LO- inputs.
3) Connect an SMA cable from the spectrum analyzer
to the OUT SMA on the EV kit. 
4) Connect the power supply to the appropriate V
CC
and GND terminals on the EV kit.
5) Place a shorting termination on the MOD SMA con-
nector to put the mixer in a fully on position.
6) Set LO power to 0dBm and frequency to 900MHz on
the signal source. Do not apply a signal to the DUT
yet, if you have control of this function. 
7) Set the spectrum analyzer’s dynamic range for a top
limit of 30dBm, and set the frequency range for an
appropriate setting to view the output. 
8) Set the power supply to 5.0V and set the current limit
to 300mA. Apply power.
Analysis
1) There is a 121
 surface-mount resistor on the EV kit
which is parallel with the 50
 termination of the
spectrum analyzer. This sets the load of the power
amplifier at 35
, which is a close match to the
power-amplifier’s output impedance. As a result, the
spectrum analyzer will display an output power level
which is 1.5dB below the actual transmitted power.
As long as this resistor is on the EV kit, 1.5dB must
be added to any displayed power levels to get accu-
rate information.
The 121
 can be removed if so desired with about a
0.7dB reduction in transmitted power due to the load
mismatch. The output power (with 1.5dB added to
the displayed power) should be at least 20dBm.
(Note:  Before signal is applied to the LO port there
may be a parasitic oscillation on the EV board. This
is caused by parasitic feedback from the power-
amplifier output to the LO port and cable. When sig-
nal is applied to the LO port, this oscillation will
abate.)
2) The output power can be observed for the 800MHz
to 1000MHz LO input range and over the prescribed
input power levels. (Near 800MHz, it may be neces-
sary to adjust BADJ  to higher than 2V to maintain
stability.)
3) To observe the effects of the VGC voltage on output
power, connect an adjustable supply to the VGC test
point on the EV kit and remove the VGC jumper (W3).
This supply can now be adjusted and the output
power can be observed as a function of VGC volt-
age. The VGC range is 0V to V
CC
. The output power
should be at a minimum when the VGC is adjusted
below 0.8V. The output power should be at a maxi-
mum when the VGC is adjusted above (V
CC
 - 0.5V).
4) The BADJ  pin is used to control the bias level of the
final stages of the PA. The adjustment range on the
BADJ  is 0V to V
CC
, with 0V representing the most
bias current and 5V the least. More bias current will
result in more output power, less efficiency, and less
distortion. The intended configuration for this pin is a
single resistor pull-up or pull-down to V
CC
 or GND,
respectively. The value of this resistor will determine
the bias voltage at the BADJ  pin. See Table 1 in the
MAX2402 data sheet for a guide to resistor use at
the BADJ  input.
The MAX2402 BADJ  input is self biasing to about
V
CC
/2 and can be left open. At low BADJ  voltage
settings and lower frequencies within the 800MHz to
1000MHz range, the power-supply current may
increase unacceptably or the circuit may oscillate.
At these lower frequencies, more than 20dBm of
power can easily be obtained with BADJ  set at 3V or
above (see the BADJ  Input section of the MAX2402
data sheet).
Removing the V
CC
 jumper (W1) on the EV kit will
connect BADJ  to GND, while removing the GND
jumper (W2) will connect BADJ  to V
CC
. Removing
both will cause BADJ  to rely on its internal bias.