Cable line driver aids set-top box designs

The AD8328 is a low-cost digitally controlled variable-gain amplifier optimised for upstream coaxial line driving applications such as cable modems and digital set-top boxes.

Designers can now use the AD8328 line driver from Analog Devices for their DOCSIS, EuroDOCSIS, or OpenCable designs.

The AD8328 is a low cost, digitally controlled, variable-gain amplifier (VGA) optimised for upstream coaxial line driving applications such as cable modems and digital set-top boxes.

The AD8328 offers an industry standard pin out in the 20-lead QSOP and, for the first time ever, the new 20-lead 4 x 4mm LFCSP package-which has the added benefits of better thermal characteristics than the QSOP package and a migration path to a lead-free package.

The AD8328 has a gain range of 59dB - programmable in 1dB steps using an 8bit serial word - and accepts a differential or single-ended input.

Its output is specified for driving a 75ohm load through a 2:1 transformer.

The worst-case distortion performance of the AD8328 is -54dBc at 65MHz across temperature with an output level of 60dBmV.

Operating from a single +5V supply, the AD8328 has a transmit disable mode that reduces quiescent current to 2.6mA, and a sleep mode that further reduces the current to a mere 200uA.

The AD8328 is being released in a 20-lead QSOP package, and is currently sampling in a 20-lead 4 x 4mm LFCSP for release shortly.

The AD8328 works over the industrial temperature range, -40 to +85C, and is priced at $1.99 per unit in 1000-piece quantities.

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