Low Cost Embedded Accurate 6 GHz RF Frequency Counter

Abstract: Speed, portability and quality. These are all attributes that manufacturers are striving to achieve. The demand for speed is making wireless frequencies increase with a steady pace. The demand for portability is filling the world with high speed wireless devices that are expecting their data fast and without errors. The demand for quality is met by making efficient ways of testing products before reaching the market to ensure faulty devices never reaches the consumer. A common way of testing product is to build a fixture containing means of connecting to the different interfaces of the device and running tests on them to assure proper functionality. Since wireless products are becoming more and more popular, carrier wave frequencies and wireless output power are things in need of testing. The scope of this thesis has been to, with easily accessible, commercial components, implement a prototype design of a low cost, accurate frequency counter capable of measuring frequencies of signals up to 6 GHz. The project includes the construction of a 4 layer printed circuit board to implement a prescaler to bring the high frequencies down to more manageable frequencies. The prescaler includes the means of attenuating strong signals and amplifying weak signals in order to ensure the capability of covering as many use cases as possible from measuring a wireless signal received from an antenna to measuring a high power signal ready to be transmitted. The divided signal is then processed by a microcontroller and the input frequency is calculated. The prototype can be supplied via a USB connection. All the specification requirements were met and this thesis provides a stable base to further develop a low cost, embedded, accurate 6 GHz RF frequency counter.