1 ATWINC3400A Gain Stages

The following are three stages of amplification in the ATWINC3400A transmitter:

1. Digital Gain (DG)
2. Pre-Power Amplifier (PPA)
3. Power Amplifier (PA)

• DG Stage:
  • The DG stage is the one the user can adjust to set the desired output power. The DG values are configured with the negative sign.
  • The DG gain allows the user to adjust the output power to the desired output to meet standard specifications (IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth 5.0) and to meet the required regulatory specification.
  • For Wi-Fi, the DG gain is controlled across all channels, 1 to 14, and across all data rates for b, g and n modes of transmissions.
  • For Bluetooth Low Energy, the DG gain is controlled across all channels, 0 to 39.
  • Each DG step is equivalent to approximately a 1 dB change in RF output power. For example, if DG is -7 for a given data rate and channel, and if there is a need to increase transmit power, DG must be configured with a value of -6 or higher.
• PPA and PA Stage:
  • For Wi-Fi, the PPA and PA gains are fixed at 15 and 18, respectively.
  • For Bluetooth Low Energy, both the PPA and PA gains are fixed at 6.
  • No changes must be made to the PPA and PA gain values.