Metanoia’s Diora is a plug-in card based on the MT3812 RFIC that can be used as the 5G Sub-6GHz RF part of Metanoia’s complete 5G sub-6GHz RU reference platform, named Jura Reference Design. Jura Reference Design is also leveraging a RU Digital main board, named Cobra Reference Design, based on Metanoia’s MT2812 and NXP®’s LS1046 Network Processor.
Together with the baseband processor board, Diora can be used as an ideal test platform for both cutting-edge application development and out-of-the-box evaluation. The deliverables include a board (Diora) and associated Hardware Development Kit (HDK) and Software Development Kit (SDK). This accelerates time to market for OEMs and ODMs by leveraging reference design, software, and Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) interoperability.
In MT2812 based reference design, one MT3812 is used to support 2T2R for bandwidth up to 100 MHz or lower frequencies (e.g. 50 MHz). A QSS connector is used for connecting to baseband board. Diora consists of the following components:
Evaluation Board
- Plug-in card hosting MT3812 Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) with 3.5 GHz front-end module (FEM)
- Up to 24 dBm transmit power with on-board power amplifier
- Two cascaded configurable receive low-noise amplifiers
- Optional Digital Pre-Distorsion (DPD) observation path
- Plug-in connector for connection to DFE platform (e.g. based on LA12xx or MT2812)
- Multiple test-points and support for high / low band FEM
- Integrated complete RF front-end with a single QSS baseband connector
- Additional SMA-like connectors to bypass QSS and directly interface to baseband
- Includes a default FEM with possibility of bypassing it and using external FEM
- Default Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) supports 3.3 to 4.2 GHz band and default Power Amplifier (PA) supports n78 3.3 to 3.6 GHz band
MT3812 RFIC
- Cost-effective tri-band 2T/2R direct conversion sub-6GHz MIMO RF transceiver
- Lowband: 2.5 – 3.0 GHz (China and South Korea)
- Midband: 3.3 – 4.2 GHz (worldwide)
- Highband: 4.2 – 5.0 GHz (USA, China and Japan)
- Integrated PLL and Local Oscillator (LO)
- Configurable baseband and RF gains on transmit and receive paths
- 20 – 200 MHz analog baseband filters on transmit and receive paths
- Separate DPD observation path with up to 400 MHz bandwidth
- RF RSSI and low-latency gain update for software AGC loop
- Optional SPI or low-latency high-speed LVDS control interface
- Dedicated input for fast Time Division Duplex (TDD) TX-RX switching
- Auxiliary ADC for external measurements or calibrations
- Built-in loopback paths for self-calibration
- Comprehensive support of different kind of calibrations
- High linearity and low noise floor transmit chain
- Low noise and high dynamic range receive chain
- Lowest power per channel for 200 MHz Sub-6GHz RF transceiver
- Low bill of materials due to limited number of external components needed
- Small PCB footprint per channel
Calibration Supported
- RC-Calibration (aka Bandwidth calibration) for TX and RX
- PLL frequency and phase noise calibration
- RX DC offset calibration
- RX I/Q mismatch compensation
- TX LO leakage and I/Q error calibration
- Auxiliary ADC
HDK, SDK and Value-Added Services
- MT3812 Datasheet
- Hardware Design Specification
- Reference schematics and layout files
- EVB-R3812RACB reference design documents, BOM and components list
- MT3812 Performances Testing Report
- Integration guides for existing 3rd party reference systems
- Core software driver for rapid integration
- Sample application for integration with ATE testbench
- Software calibration and diagnostic procedures for system RD
- Integration supported to existing RU systems based on NXP’s LA12xx and Metanoia’s MT2812
- Support for advanced signal conditioning techniques such as DPD/CFR
Advantages of using HDK
- Leverage key elements of a validated board design
- Improve time to market without risk of having to redesign
- Minimal changes required and those could be supported by Metanoia engineers
- Reduce the overall design cycle and possibility of making errors
Potential Applications
- Radio Unit (RU)
- gNodeB (gNB)
- Small Cell
- Customer Premise Equipment (CPE)
- Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)