It’s common to find both signals operating within a single circuit, with components designed to convert a signal from one form to another. These discrete signals, however, mean digital circuits are easier to design than analog circuits, though they are usually more expensive.
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Digital signals may attempt to replicate the smooth waves of analog signals, but these digital waves will always consist of discrete steps rather than smooth curves. When looking at this type of signal over time, the waves created by the change in signals is square, rather than continuous. It’s common to see these digital signals operating with two values, but the signal can only be one of those two values at any one time. The number of values in this set can be very large, but it is not infinite.
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These signals are described in more detail below: Analog signals are inherently different from digital signals, and each category requires different components to handle their signals. The signals described above fall within the category of analog signals, though RF and microwave signals are significantly higher than most standard analog signals used in traditional PCB designs. They are also used to communicate very high bandwidth signals. These are the same microwaves used to cook our food in microwave ovens. The upper limit of these signals is around 30 GHz.
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Within this field, an RF signal frequency typically ranges from 50 MHz to 1 GHz.
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However, grasping the basics of RF and microwave frequencies is the first step to understanding RF PCB design and microwave PCB design. These signals vary in frequency, and the differences in frequency define the differences in components between RF and microwave PCBs and other PCB types. The simplest way to describe RF and microwave PCBs is that they contain components that carry RF or microwave signals. To ensure these high-frequency RF and microwave circuits are successful, suppliers must consider several RF and microwave design techniques for PCBs. With higher frequencies, however, come more design challenges.
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Formerly too costly to make for anything outside of the military and aerospace industries, RF and microwave circuits are now integral parts in a wide range of commercial and professional products, specifically wireless communication devices like cell phones, satellite broadcasters and wireless networks. RF and microwave circuits are now some of the most common PCB designs across the electronics industry, recognized for their abilities to capture higher frequencies than normal circuits.