Tools enable integration of antennas onto PCB designs

The company is offering a free Antenna Transmission Line Calculator tool to help designers calculate the grounded coplanar wave guide trace and optimise antenna performance, based on the key parameters of a PCB design.

Colin Newman, CEO, Antenova explained: “A growing number of manufacturers are creating designs for the Internet of Things and need to integrate antennas into devices which have not been connected until now, however the factors affecting antenna performance are not always well understood. We want to help minimise these challenges for our customers. We are providing resources to explain the fundamentals of antenna integration, to assist them with the process of ‘designing-in’ the antenna. We also provide in depth engineering support for architecture and Gerber reviews, and passive and active OTE testing, using our state-of-the-art anechoic chambers and test equipment, so that our customers can create high performing wireless products and get them to market faster.”

Antenova is offering product designers the following resources online:

• Technical data to enable faster, more successful integration of an antenna. Antenova’s datasheets detail radiation patterns for each antenna and provide suggestions for PCB layouts.
• Antenova has placed CAD and STEP footprint files for all the company’s embedded antennas on the website, for anyone to download as required.
• A series of papers containing facts about antenna performance and design tips, to help antenna selection and PCB design decisions, such as determining distances from other surfaces and ground plane sizes.
• Detailed videos covering the issues around antenna design and implementation, presented by Antenova’s own experienced design engineers.

All of Antenova’s antennas are 'Designed For Integration' i.e. the antennas are designed to perform well in situ on the PCB – and the antennas have pin markers and soldering data to make product assembly easier.

Antenova will present a seminar on antenna integration at Embedded World Nuremberg, Germany, and during 2017, the company will add more free online resources to help designers who are embedding antennas into designs.

Colin Newman added: “We want to make antenna integration straightforward and ‘friction-less’ for all product designers and enable them to work successfully with their RF design. This will be a theme in our marketing during 2017.”