Anyone know what this is?  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Kraythorne
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 06:57:25 pm
content: Hi guys, I acquired this and I'm hoping I can use it for something. Does anyone recognise what it's out of or where to find schematic or data sheet?

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 07:23:03 pm
content: It seems to be some type of military frequency multiplier.More importantly, take careful note of theBerylliumwarning sticker! You could do yourself serious harm if you turn any of the Beryllium ceramic into dust.P.S It looks as if it has some significant power amplification if it includes Beryllium encased semiconductors (enhances thermal conductivity).

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 07:36:52 pm
content: It's likely part of some RF transceiver, likely military yes, or aerospace stuff.There is an input marked "NRZ", which I could guess is a modulation input (NRZ modulation), so it's likely made to transmit data. As to finding a manual for this, good luck.And yes, Beryllium was commonly used for insulation purposes in semiconductor packages, especially in RF stuff. I think it has largely been replaced by Alumina. Beryllium is very toxic.

author: Neganur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 07:48:01 pm
content: The connectors look busted. Don't ruin your cables.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 07:51:44 pm
content: Yes you can use the box.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 08:22:31 pm
content: Most of the cover screws are long gone ... not a good sign.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 08:33:50 pm
content: That Broad Arrow symbol means that it was British Military Property. The -99- in the part number will tell you what country it was made for. 00 is the US and I'm guessing that 99 is Britain (I checked and it is). Have you tried to look up the part number yet? NRZ is Non-Return-to-Zero encoding so that is some sort of digital input port, so my guess is that selects the frequency multiplication factor. 5820 class means that it is part of "Radio and Television Communication Equipment, Except Airborne"

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 08:41:10 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on January 08, 2022, 07:51:44 pmWhatever circuit board is inside of it is most likely conformal coated and that coating is almost impossible to remove so it's unlikely that you'll be able to salvage any parts out of it but usually, there are some cool looking parts inside!

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2022, 09:21:14 pm
content: Pop the cover. Inquiring minds want to know.Nsn comes back to a family of ground based video links.

author: Kraythorne
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2022, 12:45:03 am
content: The screws are not actually missing, I had a look inside and haven't yet replaced then all, but nothing really serviceable in there. There looks like a couple of oscillators one marked 2999 the other 3000 and something (I forget).Would be interesting to power it up and get B the specs, but don't know where to start yet.

author: Kraythorne
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2022, 12:36:30 pm
content: So this is what's inside.Any thoughts?I'm thinking of taking out the pcb and tracing the schematic (as best I can).

author: Old Goat
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2022, 04:55:01 pm
content: Quote from: SiliconWizard on January 08, 2022, 07:36:52 pmIt is, but you have to grind/file it for that to be a problem.For the OP, do a search for the NSN (it's shown on your second picture), and that ought to give some useful data. You'll likely have to do some data mining to find what you want though. My guess is is that it's a comm amp, based on the "NRZ" label. NRZ can stand for "not-return to zero", a data code method. It may be an encoder, a decoder, or maybe an amp.Let us know what you come up with, if you do?

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2022, 08:45:54 pm
content: Surprisingly DuckDuckGo actually found more information than Google. NSN 5280-99-652-8228 is listed asAMPLIFIER-FREQUENCY MULTIPLIERand part number: PT5562-1-620501 created in 1991. Alternative references are 5820996528228 and 996528228, though they haven't yielded much more information.This was originally manufactured by QINETIQ LTD and STC Telecommunications. By coincidence I worked for Nortel around 26-ish years ago not long after they'd bought out part of STC. I believe the site I worked on still made some older defence related products like high power traveling wave tubes but wouldn't have been involved with this.DuckDuckGo also foundthiswhich sadly doesn't appear to contain the correct NSN within, but does have many similar ones. Some concerted searching of this UK government site may yield something.

author: TurboTom
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2022, 10:20:26 pm
content: I'ld say the round cans are circulators to tell from the three connectors with one of each linked to two 100 Ohms resistors in parallel. This arrangement prevents RF power from flowing back out of the input and into the output of the amplifier stage. The upper left SMA is the RF input. Then the signal is amplified in the single stage RF amplifier (the white ceramics/gold terminals transistor is probably the part contining the BeO). The amplified RF is coupled (through the second circulator) to the input of the golden box which may very well be a frequency doubler with a filter section attached to it (to be adjusted with the four, red-laquered screws), maybe with the option to modulate the signal by means of a variable doubler diode bias voltage/current. This would explain the effort to place the circulator / isolator between the amplifier output and the doubler input. The "brick" that follows, labeled "isolator" may well be another circulator for the doubled input frequency.To tell from the termination resistors at the first two circulators, I'ld expect the input frequency to be in the upper UHF range, maybe somewhere between 500MHz and 1GHz but most likely not above. The output will be consequently higher than 1GHz. If this module is useful for a hobby application as-is, is questionable. I guess individual components could be of interest to HAM operators. It may be interesting to characterize the module but this would at least require a decent RF signal generator and a spectrum analyzer.Cheers,Thomas

author: Kraythorne
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2022, 01:00:45 am
content: Thanks guys.What are your thoughts on powering the device?For example, what might each of the rs232 pins be for?I have a range of signal generators and a spectrum analyser, but I'm relatively new to this (all the gear, no idea). I'm OK with tube amplifiers and vintage radios, but this is next level stuff for me. Great fun though!