SP6T Wideband RF Switch Can Operate Within a Frequency Range of 5 to 3000MHz
The RF switch features a 3-bit control channel, 3V to 5V operations, decent isolation, low insertion noise, and an Asus Tinker Board add-on.
Electronics engineer Aditya Mukherjee has developed a wideband RF switch that can handle a frequency range between 5MHz and 3000MHz. The design came about as he needed to use six different antennas at six different locations to act as a Bluetooth/Wi-Fi antenna for an Asus Tinker Board application. To make it easier, Mukherjee created the SP6T Wideband RF Switch, which he states have one common port that connects to the RF port on the Tinker Board, along with six selectable ports to connect the antennas.
Powering the RF switch is done via a 10-pin FRC connector that is plugged into the Tinker Board’s GPIO header, which is also used as a port selector. Selecting an individual port is done by setting a particular bit pattern in the three-bit control channel (excluding 000 and 111), which has a response time of about five microseconds. Although Mukherjee decided to use a Tinker Board with the wideband RF switch, any similar board (including a modified Raspberry Pi) will work with the switch.
On the features side, Mukherjee's SP6T Wideband RF Switch has excellent insertion loss and decent isolation performance. It’s also compatible with 3.3V logic, has no DC blocking, has a 2000V HBM ESD rating on all ports, 3V to 5V operation, and is a low-power device with a ≈100μA current draw.
Mukherjee offers a complete walkthrough on his SP6T Wideband RF Switch, complete with schematics and files, on his project page for those interested in recreating his design.