wavesphere ( also known as ultrawavebubble, deafdumbblindnowdevice, Fn0rDpH0n3 )
wave sphere is an approch do increase the bandwith range, and with that increase the number of devices it affects of ladyada's wavebubble. ( ← the last sentence was no english. we are deeply sorry. )
in our english: we saw this nice thingie from ladyada called wavebubble, and we thouhgt, hmm maybe with some little ( which will hopefully get not major ) modifications ,a lot of effort and true zeal, we can b00st this baby up, to kill not only gsm, but also wlan, bluetooth and what not nice other stuffies, and call the whole devicythingie wavesphere.
… and this is the wiki to it, have phun.
Each step of the project has a parts list, assorted assembly photos/videos and testing procedures. The parts list is as complete as possible, with suggested parts and cost. Many parts can be sampled for free or low cost, but this is starting to become harder and harder. Parts may have to be purchased in larger quantities than necessary, and I always suggest getting twice as many parts as you'll need in case something goes wrong.
Total cost should be ~$25 for PCBs and $100 for parts (if you sample chips) or $135 (buy all parts & use a nice lithium ion battery).
I would highly suggest getting a resistor kit in both 1206 and 0603 from Digikey which, if you dont have yet, will make doing SMT work less painful. Then you can skip on getting individual values.
Corrections, updates and suggestions are very welcome should be posted to the forum.
Tools
There are a few tools that are required for assembly. If you don't have them, now would be a good time to borrow or purchase them. They are very very handy whenever assembling/fixing/modifying electronic devices!
| Soldering iron. Because of the many small parts, a WES-50/WES-51 and the other ~$100 Wellers is minimal equiptment. Get the finest pitch tip you can. Alternately you can use solderpaste and a hotplate. Although eventually you will need to solder something on the other side. A low quality (ahem, $15 radioshack) iron is not suitable. |
| Solder. Rosin core 60/40 or 63/37 0.025”. Get high quality, fine solder. Silver solder is OK too but not necessary. (Kester 23-6337-0007) |
| Solder Paste. Good for soldering the TSSOP parts. Kester 57-3901-5403 | |
| (De)solder braid. For fixing solder bridges. Techspray 1814-5F. |
| Power Supply It can be a thousand dollar arbitrary waveform generator, or a 9V hooked up to an LM317 & potentiometer. Whatever, just make sure you can get ~3-4 V out of it, for testing. |
|
| Multimeter/Oscilloscope A handheld meter, at least, is necessary. A scope will help you even more with debugging & analyzing the circuit. 10MHz is minimal. Most of the frequencies here are either 10MHz and lower or 1GHz and higher, so no point using something -really good- |
| Spectrum Analyzer In theory, this is not necessary to construct, with the PLL. But still an incredibly useful tool for RF work. BK Precision 2650 3.3GHz is not a bad choice. |
| Needle-nose pliers. For bending leads, etc. |
| Tweezers. For holding fine components steady while soldering. Wiha #44501 from digikey is good. |
| Flush/diagonal cutters. Not needed that often, but handy anyways. |
| Board holder. The panavise jr. has been perfect. |
| Good light preferrably with Magnifying glass. Ideal for examining board for solder bridges, etc. Unicorn Electronics |
PCBsDownload the gerbers and/or board files and generate the (tiled) gerbers you want. The files are in Eagle format and are small enough to be opened by the 'freeware' version (Mac/Win/Linux). Then send them off to your favorite board house. I have a seperate page all about this sort of thing.Inspect/Depanelize
In a week, the PCBs arrive. Hooray!
Depanelize them with tin snips, shears, band saw, etc.
Print out the parts lists, placement diagrams, and schematic.
OK now you are ready to go!
| Part # & Datasheets | Name | Description | Distributor | Qty | Cost | Total | Dist. Ger. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery | 3.7V/1.2Ah Lithium Ion or Lithium Polymer battery | Battery Space (for example) | 1 | ~$8 | ~$8 | ||
| Battery Protection Circuitry | Circuitry to keep battery safe (optional but recommended) | Battery Space | 1 | $1.30 | $1.30 | ||
| *LM3622M-4.2 | IC1 | Battery charger chip for 3.7V lithium battery | Digikey Sample | 1 | $2.64 | $2.64 | DigikeyDE |
| Hirose UX60-MB-5ST or *Molex 54819-0572 | J1 | Mini-B USB connector (SMT) | Digikey Mouser Sample | 1 | $0.96 | $0.96 | DigikeyDE |
| 163-2217 | J2 | 1.7mm x 5.2mm SMT DC power jack | Mouser | 1 | $0.77 | $0.77 | |
| STN749 | Q1 | PNP 1A power transistor (SOT223) | Digikey | 1 | $0.79 | $0.79 | DigikeyDE |
| FT232RL | IC2 | USB/ttl interface chip (optional) | Mouser | 1 | $4.10 | $4.10 | |
| SS14 (for example) | D1 | Schottky Diode (at least 1A/20V) | Mouser Digikey | 1 | $0.30 | $0.30 | DigikeyDE |
| LTST-S320GKT | LED1 | LED (1206) any really, but the recommended one is right-angle mount | Digikey | 1 | $0.16 | $0.16 | DigikeyDE |
| UWX1C470MCL1GB | C1 | Input power filter capacitor (47uF/16V minimum) | Mouser | 1 | $0.18 | $0.18 | |
| B45197A1157K409 (tantalum) UWT0J221MCL1GB (electrolytic) | C2 | Battery filter capacitor (100uF/6.3V minimum) | Digikey Mouser | 1 | $0.28 | $0.28 | DigikeyDE tantal DigikeyDE electrolyt |
| 0.1uF 1206 ceramic capacitor | C3- C7 | High frequency bypass capacitor (~.1uF 16V minimum) | Mouser | 5 | $0.08 | $0.40 | |
| 0.22 1/4W resistor in 1206 pkg | R1 | Changer current sense resistor 0.22ohm allows ~450mA charge current which is the USB max. | Digikey Mouser | 1 | $0.32 | $0.32 | DigikeyDE |
| 2K 1/4W resistor in 1206 pkg | R2 | LED choke resistor (~1K depending on LED and brightness) | Mouser | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | |
| Total | $12-$20 |
* Can be sampled for free at low quantitiesParts List - AAA Battery Pack
| Part # & Datasheets | Name | Description | Distributor | Qty | Cost | Total | Distr. Ger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J-188-1 | SW1 | Alternate action push button switch | Digikey | 1 | $0.95 | $0.95 | DigikeyDE |
| *TPS79333 | IC1 | 3.3V/200mA LDO regulator | Digikey Mouser | 1 | $0.53 | $0.53 | |
| *LM2733x | IC2 | 5 (or 7V) DC/DC converter | Digikey | 1 | $2.58 | $2.58 | |
| *LT1301CS8 | IC3 | 12V DC/DC converter | Digikey Linear | 1 | $4.75 | $4.75 | |
| *LT1173CS8 | IC4 | 25V+ DC/DC converter | Digikey Linear | 1 | $4.88 | $4.88 | |
| CDRH6D28NP-150NC | L1 | 15uH power inductor | Digikey | 1 | $1.03 | $1.03 | DigikeyDE |
| CDRH6D28NP-330NC | L2, L3 | 33uH power inductor | Digikey | 2 | $1.03 | $2.06 | DigikeyDE |
| 0.1uF 1206 ceramic capacitor | C2, C3 C7, C9, C11, C13, C16, C17 | 0.1uF ceramic filter capacitor | Mouser | 8 | $0.08 | $0.64 | |
| 1.0uF 1206 ceramic capacitor | C4, C6, C12, C15, C19 | 1.0uF ceramic filter capacitor | Mouser | 5 | $0.18 | $0.90 | |
| UWX0J101MCL1GB | C1 | 100uF 6.3V input filter capacitor | Mouser | 1 | $0.17 | $0.17 | |
| UWX0G101MCL1GB | C5 | 100uF/4V filter capacitor | Mouser | 1 | $0.17 | $0.17 | |
| TPSC107K010R0100 | C10 | 100uF/10V low ESR tantalum capacitor | Digikey | 1 | $1.18 | $1.18 | DigikeyDE |
| TPSC686K016R0200 | C14 | 68uF/16V low ESR tantalum capacitor | Digikey | 1 | $1.44 | $1.44 | DigikeyDE |
| B45197A6226K409 | C18 | 22uF/35V low ESR tantalum capacitor | Digikey | 1 | $1.40 | $1.40 | DigikeyDE |
| 160pF 1206 ceramic capacitor | C20 | feed foward capacitor for 5V regulator (do not place) | Digikey | 1 | |||
| 1206 5% resistors | R1, R2 | Chosen value resistors for low battery detect: R1/(R1+R2)*Vlow = 1.1 | Digikey/Mouser | 2 | $0.08 | $0.16 | |
| 120K 1206 5% resistor | R3 | Boost voltage reference resistor for 5V | Digikey/Mouser | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | |
| 12K 1206 5% resistor | R4 | Boost voltage reference resistor for 5V | Digikey/Mouser | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | |
| ~2K 5% resistor in 1206 pkg | R5 | LED choke resistor (~1-2K depending on LED and brightness) | Digikey/Mouser | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | DigikeyDE |
| 50K 1206 resistor | R6 | Boost voltage reference resistor for 24V | Digikey/Mouser | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | |
| 1Meg 1206 resistor | R7 | Boost voltage reference resistor for 24V | Digikey/Mouser | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | DigikeyDE |
| SS14 (for example) | D1-D3 | Schottky Diode (at least 1A/20V) | Mouser Digikey | 3 | $0.30 | $0.90 | DigikeyDE |
| Total | $11-$26 |
* Can be sampled for free at low quantitiesPower supply assembly
| Part # & Datasheets | Name | Description | Distributor | Qty | Cost | Total | Dist. Ger. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *ATmega88-20AU | IC5 | 8-bit microcontroller, an atmega48 is fine if take out the self-tuning stuff or dont want a bootloader. Atmega8 is probably OK too. | Digikey Sample | 1 | $3.76 | $3.76 | DigikeyDE |
| *AD8402ARZ10 | IC6 | Dual digital 10K potentiomenter | Digikey Sample | 1 | $3.78 | $3.78 | DigikeyDE |
| *LMC555 (or any CMOS 555 equiv) | IC7 | CMOS 555 | Digikey Mouser Sample | 1 | $0.65 | $0.65 | DigikeyDE |
| *LM358D | IC8, IC9 | Dual rail/rail high voltage op-amp | Digikey Mouser\\ Sample | 1 | $0.22 | $0.22 | DigikeyDE |
| MMBT3906 | Q1 | PNP SOT-23 transistor | Digikey Mouser | 1 | $0.05 | $0.05 | DigikeyDE |
| JP2 | 2×3 male reprogramming header | Digikey Mouser | 1 | ||||
| JP1 | F/M matching header for serial comm | Digikey Mouser | 1 | ||||
| LTST-S320GKT | LED2 | LED (1206) any really, but the recommended one is right-angle mount | Digikey | 1 | $0.16 | $0.16 | DigikeyDE |
| 0.1uF ceramic 1206 capacitor | C21, C24, C25, C31, C32, C35 | 0.1uF Bypass cap | Mouser | 4 | $0.08 | $0.32 | |
| C1206C475Z4VAC7800 | C22, C23, C33, C34 | 4.7uF 1206 ceramic capacitor | Digikey\\ Mouser | 4 | $0.30 | $1.20 | |
| 68ohm 5% 1206 resistor | R12 | Current source set resistor, reduce for higher freq. | Digikey | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | DigikeyDE |
| 1K 5% 1206 resistor | L5, L6 | Use inductors to reduce PWM noise | Digikey | 2 | $0.08 | $0.16 | DigikeyDE |
| 10K 5% 1206 resistor | R10, R14, R16, R17, R18 | various 10K's | Digikey | 5 | $0.08 | $0.40 | DigikeyDE |
| 20K 5% 1206 resistor | R11 | Sets bias for current source | Digikey | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | DigikeyDE |
| 39K 5% 1206 resistor | R13 | Sets gain for VCO1 adjust as necessary | Digikey | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | |
| 47K 5% 1206 resistor | R15 | Sets gain for VCO2 adjust as necessary | Digikey | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | |
| 1206 resistor | R8 | placement optional: to set max gain for VCO1 | Digikey | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | |
| 1206 resistor | R9 | placement optional: to set max gain for VCO2 | Digikey | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | |
| Total | $3-$10 |
| Part # & Datasheets | Name | Description | Distributor | Qty | Cost | Total | Dist. Ger. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROS-2500 | VCO1 | Voltage Controlled Oscillator (1.6-2.5GHz) | Minicircuits | 1 | $22 | $22 | |
| ROS-1700W | VCO2 | Voltage Controlled Oscillator (770MHz-1.7GHz) | Minicircuits | 1 | $25 | $25 | |
| SS14 (for example) | D5, D6 | optional Schottky Diode (at least 1A/20V) | Mouser Digikey | 2 | $0.30 | $0.60 | DigikeyDE |
| MIC2506 | IC10 | 7V dual power switch | Digikey | 1 | $3.11 | $3.11 | DigikeyDE |
| MIC2514 | IC11, IC12 | 12V power switch | Digikey | 2 | $2.23 | $4.46 | DigikeyDE |
| 1206 Ferrite bead | L9, L10, | Noise reducing ferrites | Digikey | 2 | $0.12 | $0.24 | DigikeyDE |
| 0.1uF 1206 capacitor | C51, C53 | Bypass capacitors | Mouser | 2 | $0.08 | $0.16 | |
| 1.0uF 1206 capacitor | C50, C52 | Bypass capacitors | Mouser | 2 | $0.18 | $0.36 | |
| Total | ~$56 |
| Part # & Datasheets | Name | Description | Distributor | Qty | Cost | Total | Dist. Ger. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *LMX2433TM | IC16 | Dual 3.6/1.7GHz PLL | Digikey\\ Sample | 1 | $4.20 | $4.20 | DigikeyDE |
| *LP2985IM5-2.5 | IC15 | 2.5V regulator | Digikey Sample | 1 | $1.00 | $1.00 | DigikeyDE |
| ABMM-10.000MHZ-B2-T | X1 | 10.000MHz Crystal | Digikey Mouser | 1 | $1.03 | $1.03 | DigikeyDE |
| 3.9pF 0603 | C60 | Stabilizer for gain stage | Digikey | 1 | $0.06 | $0.06 | DigikeyDE |
| 5.6pF 0603 | C61 | Stabilizer for gain stage | Digikey | 1 | $0.06 | $0.06 | |
| 20pF ceramic 0603 capacitor | C81, C82 | 20pF crystal resonant capacitors (you can also use 22pF) | Digikey | 2 | $0.10 | $0.20 | DigikeyDE |
| 100pF 0603 | C71, C72, C74, C78-C80 | Filter capacitors | Digikey | 5 | $0.06 | $0.30 | DigikeyDE |
| 0.01uF 0603 | C27, C70, C73, C75 | Filter capacitors | Digikey | 4 | $0.06 | $0.24 | DigikeyDE |
| 0.1uF 1206 | C25 | Filter capacitors | Mouser | 1 | $0.08 | $0.08 | |
| 0.1uF 0603 | C76 | Filter capacitors | Digikey | 1 | $0.06 | $0.06 | DigikeyDE |
| 1.0uF 1206 | C26 | Filter capacitors | Mouser | 1 | $0.18 | $0.18 | DigikeyDE |
| 1.0uF 0603 | C50-C53, C63, C77 | Filter capacitors | Digikey | 4 | $0.05 | $0.20 | DigikeyDE |
| 18ohm 0603 | R20-R22, R29 | Power supply filters | Digikey | 4 | $0.08 | $0.32 | DigikeyDE |
| 50 ohm 0603 | R33, R34 | PLL feed resistors | Digikey | 2 | $0.08 | $0.16 | DigikeyDE |
| 10K 0603 | R40, R42 | PLL output current sinks | Digikey | 2 | $0.06 | $0.12 | DigikeyDE |
| 10K 1206 | R41, R43 | PLL output current sinks | Digikey | 2 | $0.06 | $0.12 | DigikeyDE |
| Total | $3-$9 |
| Part # & Datasheets | Name | Description | Distributor | Qty | Cost | Total | Dist. Ger. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *SXA-389B | Q2, Q3 | SOT89 MMIC gainstage | RFMW\\ sample | 2 | $3.59 | $7.18 | |
| 22nH 0603 wirewound | L7 | RF choke for ~2GHz | Digikey | 1 | $0.40 | $0.40 | DigikeyDE |
| 33nH 0603 wirewound | L8 | RF choke for ~1GHz | Digikey | 1 | $0.42 | $0.42 | DigikeyDE |
| 1206 Ferrite bead | R27, R28 | Noise reducing ferrites | Digikey | 2 | $0.12 | $0.24 | |
| 18 ohm 0603 resistor | R23-R26 | Tee network attenuator | Digikey | 4 | $0.07 | $0.28 | DigikeyDE |
| 68 ohm 0603 resistor | R32 | Tee attenuator (may have to adjust) | Digikey | 1 | $0.07 | $0.07 | |
| 68pF 0603 capacitor | C40, C42 | Blocking capacitor for ~2Ghz | Digikey | 2 | $0.03 | $0.08 | DigikeyDE |
| 100pF 0603 capacitor | C41, C43 | Blocking capacitor for ~1GHz | Digikey | 2 | $0.03 | $0.08 | DigikeyDE |
| 1000pF 0603 capacitor | C44, C47 | Bypass capacitors | Digikey | 2 | $0.03 | $0.06 | DigikeyDE |
| 0.1uF 0603 capacitor | C46, C49, | Bypass capacitors | Digikey | 2 | $0.15 | $0.30 | DigikeyDE |
| 22pF 0603 capacitor | C45 | Filter capacitor for ~2GHz | Digikey | 1 | $0.04 | $0.04 | DigikeyDE |
| 68pf 0603 capacitor | C48 | Filter capacitor for ~1GHz | Digikey | 1 | $0.03 | $0.03 | DigikeyDE |
| Total: | $2-$10 |
| Part # & Datasheets | Description | Distributor | Qty | Cost | Total | Dist. Ger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMA or RP-SMA edge launch | If using external antennas | Digikey SparkFun | 2 | $2.00 | $4.00 | DigikeyDE |
| 4-40 x 1/4” aluminium M/F standoff | Assembly standoff | McMaster-Carr | 4 | $0.73 | ||
| 4-40 x 3/8 ” aluminium F/F standoff | Assembly standoff | McMaster-Carr | 4 | $0.27 | ||
| 4-40 x 1/4” machine | Assembly screws | Digikey | 8 |
| Part # & Datasheets | Description | Distributor | Cost | Dist. Ger. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANT-868-CW- QW | 1/4 wave whip antenna for GSM 850 band (RP-SMA, straight) | Digikey | $6.78 | DigikeyDE |
| ANT-868-CW-HW | 1/2 wave dipole whip antenna for GSM 850 band (RP-SMA, straight) | Digikey | $7.64 | |
| ANT-868-CW-HWR-RPS | 1/2 wave dipole whip antenna for GSM 850 band (RP-SMA, rotating) | Digikey | $8.98 | |
| 1/2 wave dipole antenna for 1.9GHz (RP-SMA, rotating) | Hyperlinktech\\ Sharper Concepts | $9.00 | ||
| 900 Mhz | Helical antenna for 900mhz bands (SMA, straight) | Saelig | $8 | |
| Stubby 900Mhz | Helical antenna for 900mhz bands (SMA, straight) | Saelig | $3 | |
| Dual 900/1800 | Helical antenna for 900mhz and 1800Mhz bands (SMA, straight) | Saelig | $6 | |
| "Quad band antenna" | Helical antenna for all GSM cell bands (SMA, right angle) | SparkFun | $4.95 | |
| 1/4 wave 2.4GHz antenna | Digikey pretty much everywhere | ~$5 | DigikeyDE |