Radar project, video amplifier is not working

Status
Not open for further replies.

rmmstn

Newbie level 6
Joined
May 3, 2017
Messages
12
Helped
1
Reputation
2
Reaction score
1
Trophy points
3
Activity points
159
Hi,

Currently, I am working on a radar project which is given me and it can be found from mit opensource.(I am also attaching the schematic here). However, when I build this circuit, Im having a trouble with video amplifier stage. First of all, when I give +12volt from the ic's 4th node, my ic is getting very very hot so I disconnect it not to be burned. I checked its datasheet, it is showing for -+5.25v voltage range, too. I couldnt get how it is seen convenient to give +12v. What am I missing? Whenever I pass about 5.5v, the chip gets warmer. Also, how can I design an alternative? I need to know Rin and Rout for video amplifier right?. How can I find it out? (Input is coming to this circuit from a microwave circuit with -28dBm power)

If you can help, you may kind of save a life.
Thank you
 

Attachments

  • Adsız.png
    103.3 KB · Views: 203
  • proj_schematic.pdf
    409.5 KB · Views: 152

MAX414 is rated for 12V absolute MAX. Suggested maximum is 10V. The chip might be damaged. But I have to ask, why would you be applying video to the audio input of a laptop?
 

Video amplifier has two stages there as you can see. One is filter which I need to use to prevent pc alias. According to my investigations, sound card of the laptop is 22kHz so I need to put it not to send something above that. The other one is gain stage which I need to use to see better monitoring results on pc, I believe. The signal will be sent as an analog signal then it will be converted to digital one by pc to be processed as a .vaw file. Matlab will be used for that. Thus, I think sending it from audio port wont give any problem. That is what I know actually. Chip is coming from far away, what can I do ? Do you have any suggestions?
 

I wouldn't expect 12 V to damage the device since manufacturers are usually conservative in their specifications. But the fact that it got "very very hot" is not a good sign. I would just use an oscilloscope and monitor the output of each stage. Maybe use a lower supply voltage for your testing. If you don't get the expected output at each stage, then the device is probably no good.
 
Reactions: rmmstn

    rmmstn

    Points: 2
    Helpful Answer Positive Rating
Since I cannot get a nice respond from the chip I talked about, I have decided to build a new one on my own, and if we assume the output will go to the audio port of the computer, what should I take as the input impedance of the audio port, what do you think? On the internet, Im seeing very different values but there might a value which is fixed because headsets are compatible with these ports and I think that they are designed accordingly.
 

Hi, I also worked on the coffee can radar project, and I experienced the same issue - the chip would get very hot. So as far as I know, don't worry you're not doing anything wrong. Just a few observations we made - the chip only got hot when we put in new batteries. 10-30 minutes later the chip's temperature would reduce to normal. We think this is because the chip is not supposed to run quite at 12 V and after a while the batteries' voltage decreased a bit. After it cooled down, it all worked as intended - we got range and Doppler working. As for recording, it gave us a lot of issues as well. We ended up using the audio to USB adapter that you can buy from here. Let me know if you need any further help.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…