Introduction

The purpose of this document is to describe the test procedures used in Silicon Laboratories for the Si470x/1x/2x/3x/4x evaluation boards (EVB). It is also intended to enable customers to exactly replicate Silicon Laboratories’ test environment so that variances in customers’ and Silicon Laboratories’ measured results can be accurately compared. This document covers AM, FM, and weather band tests for the Si470x/1x/2x/3x/4x receivers and FM tests for Si471x/2x transmitters. The pass/fail criteria for each test are provided in the respective data sheets.

The Si470x/1x/2x/3x/4x evaluation boards and software provide a platform to program, test, and operate the Si470x/1x/2x/3x/4x devices. The system consists of two boards: a baseboard and an RF daughter card. The baseboard provides all necessary support functions, including a USB-based programming interface, digital/analog audio input and output connection points, optional external clock input, and the RF reference clock source. In addition, the baseboard provides an S/PDIF transceiver for converting analog audio input/output to I2S and a codec for converting analog audio input/output to I2S digital input/output. The RF daughter card changes for each device. For devices with receive functionality (Si470x/2x/3x), it contains the tuner, connection points for RF input, and audio amplifier. For devices with transmit functionality, it contains the transmitter, connection points for RF measurement, a trace antenna, and a connection for an external loop antenna. Refer to the individual-EVB User’s Guides for detailed explanations of the EVB hardware and software.