3 kW linear amplifier with four ART1K6 LDMOS fets

The purpose of the project is to build a linear LDMOS amplifier for HF bands 160-10 m. The amplifier must withstand a continuous power of 1.5 kw. Because of reliability, I have ended up using several separate amplifier modules. Implemented with four modules, only less than 400 W of power is taken from one module. It is possible to get a power of more than 1 kw from each module, so the amplifier will not be overloaded in any situation.

The amp does not have WARC bands, maybe I will add them in the future?

 

 Circuit boards of the RF part

  

 Drilling holes in copper plate

 Fets soldered in a cooling plate

 

 Two RF modules with a heatsink

RF-module

 

 Each module is tested separately

 

Heat sink datasheet

 

 

 Four modules with cooling plates and combiner and divider

 

RF amplifier unit and power switches

Control board

 20230211_103025.jpg

UI at rear panel

 ScreenHunter_221.jpg

 ScreenHunter_222.jpg

Simulation vs. real world

20230127_181123.jpg

 Diplexer looks good!

Why diplexer? The diplexer directs the desired signal to the antenna, but harmonics to the dummy load (the so called harmonic load). In the LDMOS amplifier (push-pull), the third harmonic can be only 10-12 dB weaker than the useful signal, This means if you drive 1.5 kW antenna, and 150 W go to dummy load! 

 20230211_103010.jpg

20 m Diplexer

 

840

More diplexers....

Testing a diplexer with network analyzer

 

SCREN004.jpg

Output without diplexer

 

 SCREN003.jpg

With diplexer.... 3rd harmonic -50 dB@ 2 kW...

SCREN005.jpg

Dummy load spectrum

 

6-band HF diplexer

 

Test at 1,5 kW per band

160 m

80m

 

40 m without filter and with filter

20 m

15 m

 

10 m

 

Need more attenuation for 3rd harmonics at low band.

 

20230211_103101.jpg  

WaveNode SWR sensor added inside of amplifier

Installed Diplexers

Thermal cam tests

 

Diplexer and harmonic load

Harmonic load

 

Effiency

 

 

9 kW 50 V three-phase power supply ESP120

 

Power connectors 

 

 Power switch v1.0

LDMOS power switch

 

LDMOS Control board v1.0

 

Arduino controller on board

 

Control board v3.0

 

TFT-touchscreen UI

 

LDMOS power switch v2.0

 

TRX-relay board

Schema

BOM

Almost ready to use

Added handles, weights approx. 40 kg

The amplifier was in real operation for the first time at the WPX CW 2023 contest. No problems found.

 

 

Latest UI

 

Three phase power supply

Three-phase power supply from three Huawei R4850G2 power supplies connected in parallel. Maximum power about 9 kW.Why three power sources when one or two would be enough? In three phase system, loading one phase would cause a so-called bias load to the power grid.

 

DC output connectors and D15 connector CAN bus for control 

 

 

 

 

Linear + power :)

 

TO BE CONTINUE....