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Balun Measurements

From North Hills Signal Processing
 

 

A Balun, as shown in Fig. 1, is a two-winding transformer designed to convert a single ended (i.e. one side grounded) signal to one balanced with respect to ground. The balanced winding may or may not be center-tapped. A center-tap would, ideally, be
at a virtual ground and may be grounded, connected to a dc potential or left floating.

The balun is thus a two-port device, Port 1 being single-ended, Port 2 balanced. The characteristics of each port may be described in terms of s parameters.

Two major applications of baluns are:

1. Impedance matching for maximum power transfer.
2. Conversion of single-ended signals to a balanced configuration to facilitate efficient transmission of communication signals. Balanced systems reduce radiation and pick up, and alleviate the need for costly shielding.

For best performance baluns, must have low transmission or insertion loss and superior return loss.

Product Announcements
North Hills Signal Processing - Balun Transformers - General Purpose (1kHz-125MHz)
A complete line of balun transformers to match 50 and 75 ohm unbalanced circuits to a wide range of balanced impedances. North Hills offers three series with varying frequency ranges to cover a wide... (read more)
North Hills Signal Processing - Balanced Impedance Adaptor
To facilitate high-accuracy impedance measurements, inputs to Impedance Analyzers and LCR Meters are configured as four-terminal Kelvin connections –... (read more)
Anritsu Company - Anritsu's VectorStar-Based 4-Port VNA Solutions
Anritsu Introduces VectorStar-based 4-Port VNA Solutions that Deliver Fast and Accurate S-Parameter Measurements. MN469xA Test Set Brings Inherent Advantages of VectorStar Design to 4-Port... (read more)
North Hills Signal Processing - Balun Transformers - Extended Video (20Hz - 6MHz)
A line of 50 and 75 ohm baluns with an extremely low (20) Hz frequency cut-off. (read more)
North Hills Signal Processing - High Frequency Wideband Transformer 5 MHz–1.2 GHz
Ultra High Frequency 50 ohm to 100 ohm balun provides an easy and straightforward means of measuring circuit characteristics to 1.2 GHz. (read more)
North Hills Signal Processing - Longitudinal Balance Measurement Bridges
Series LBB Longitudinal Balance Bridges are designed measure balance to ground of balanced systems, cables and components per ITU-T Recommendation O.9. (read more)
Topics of Interest
A Balun, as shown in Fig. 1, is a two-winding transformer designed to convert a single ended (i.e. one side grounded) signal to one balanced with respect to ground. The balanced winding may or may not... (Read More)
Fig. 1 shows a two-port balanced network, terminated on both sides, by characteristic impedances Z1 and Z2. Most often Z1 = Z2. Measurement of the important network characteristic, transmission,... (Read More)
Wideband transformers couple signals magnetically from input to output terminals with optimum transmission fidelity over broad frequency ranges. Major objectives in their use are: 1. Impedance... (Read More)
For reasons of convenience and cost, balanced lines are much preferred in data transmission to single- ended wiring, such as coax cables. Depending on the degree of balance, minimal electromagnetic... (Read More)
This application note is designed to help the reader understand how balun transformers can be used in today's RF/Microwave communication applications. There is an increasing demand for balun... (Read More)