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ImpedanceTransformation:TransmissionLinesElectronicsTextbook

ImpedanceTransformation
Chapter14TransmissionLines

Standingwavesattheresonantfrequencypointsofanopenor
shortcircuitedtransmissionlineproduceunusualeffects.Whenthe
signalfrequencyissuchthatexactly1/2waveorsomemultiple
thereofmatchesthelineslength,thesourceseestheload
impedanceasitis.Thefollowingpairofillustrationsshowsanopen
circuitedlineoperatingat1/2(Figurebelow)
and1wavelength(Figurebelow)frequencies:

Sourceseesopen,sameasendofhalfwavelengthline.

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Sourceseesopen,sameasendoffullwavelength(2xhalf
wavelengthline).
Ineithercase,thelinehasvoltageantinodesatbothends,and
currentnodesatbothends.Thatistosay,thereismaximumvoltage
andminimumcurrentateitherendoftheline,whichcorrespondsto
theconditionofanopencircuit.Thefactthatthisconditionexistsat
bothendsofthelinetellsusthatthelinefaithfullyreproducesits
terminatingimpedanceatthesourceend,sothatthesourcesees
anopencircuitwhereitconnectstothetransmissionline,justasifit
weredirectlyopencircuited.
Thesameistrueifthetransmissionlineisterminatedbyashort:at
signalfrequenciescorrespondingto1/2wavelength(Figurebelow)
orsomemultiple(Figurebelow)thereof,thesource
seesashortcircuit,withminimumvoltageandmaximumcurrent
presentattheconnectionpointsbetweensourceandtransmission
line:

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Sourceseesshort,sameasendofhalfwavelengthline.

Sourceseesshort,sameasendoffullwavelengthline(2xhalf
wavelength).
However,ifthesignalfrequencyissuchthatthelineresonatesat1/4
wavelengthorsomemultiplethereof,thesourcewillseetheexact
oppositeoftheterminationimpedance.Thatis,ifthelineisopen
circuited,thesourcewillseeashortcircuitatthepointwhereit
connectstothelineandifthelineisshortcircuited,thesourcewill
seeanopencircuit:(Figurebelow)
Lineopencircuitedsourceseesashortcircuit:atquarter
wavelengthline(Figurebelow),
atthreequarterwavelengthline(Figurebelow)

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Sourceseesshort,reflectedfromopenatendofquarterwavelength
line.

Sourceseesshort,reflectedfromopenatendofthreequarter
wavelengthline.
Lineshortcircuitedsourceseesanopencircuit:atquarter
wavelengthline(Figurebelow),
atthreequarterwavelengthline(Figurebelow)

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Sourceseesopen,reflectedfromshortatendofquarterwavelength
line.

Sourceseesopen,reflectedfromshortatendofthreequarter
wavelengthline.
Atthesefrequencies,thetransmissionlineisactuallyfunctioningas
animpedancetransformer,transforminganinfiniteimpedanceinto
zeroimpedance,orviceversa.Ofcourse,thisonlyoccursat
resonantpointsresultinginastandingwaveof1/4cycle(thelines
fundamental,resonantfrequency)orsomeoddmultiple(3/4,5/4,7/4,
9/4...),butifthesignalfrequencyisknownandunchanging,this
phenomenonmaybeusedtomatchotherwiseunmatched
impedancestoeachother.
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impedancestoeachother.
Takeforinstancetheexamplecircuitfromthelastsectionwherea75
sourceconnectstoa75transmissionline,terminatingina100
loadimpedance.FromthenumericalfiguresobtainedviaSPICE,lets
determinewhatimpedancethesourceseesatitsendofthe
transmissionlineatthelinesresonantfrequencies:quarter
wavelength(Figurebelow),
halfwavelength(Figurebelow),
threequarterwavelength(Figurebelow)
fullwavelength(Figurebelow)

Sourcesees100reflectedfrom100loadatendofquarter
wavelengthline.

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Sourcesees100reflectedfrom100loadatendofhalf
wavelengthline.

Sourcesees56.25reflectedfrom100loadatendofthree
quarterwavelengthline(sameasquarterwavelength).

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Sourcesees56.25reflectedfrom100loadatendoffull
wavelengthline(sameashalfwavelength).
Asimpleequationrelateslineimpedance(Z0),loadimpedance
(Zload),andinputimpedance(Zinput)foranunmatchedtransmission
lineoperatingatanoddharmonicofitsfundamentalfrequency:

Onepracticalapplicationofthisprinciplewouldbetomatcha300
loadtoa75signalsourceatafrequencyof50MHz.Allweneedto
doiscalculatethepropertransmissionlineimpedance(Z0),and
lengthsothatexactly1/4ofawavewillstandonthelineata
frequencyof50MHz.
First,calculatingthelineimpedance:takingthe75wedesirethe
sourcetoseeatthesourceendofthetransmissionline,and
multiplyingbythe300loadresistance,weobtainafigureof22,500.
Takingthesquarerootof22,500yields150foracharacteristicline
impedance.
Now,tocalculatethenecessarylinelength:assumingthatourcable
hasavelocityfactorof0.85,andusingaspeedoflightfigureof
186,000milespersecond,thevelocityofpropagationwillbe158,100
milespersecond.Takingthisvelocityanddividingbythesignal
frequencygivesusawavelengthof0.003162miles,or16.695feet.
Sinceweonlyneedonequarterofthislengthforthecabletosupport
aquarterwave,therequisitecablelengthis4.1738feet.
Hereisaschematicdiagramforthecircuit,showingnodenumbers
fortheSPICEanalysiswereabouttorun:(Figurebelow)

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Quarterwavesectionof150transmissionlinematches75
sourceto300load.
WecanspecifythecablelengthinSPICEintermsoftimedelayfrom
beginningtoend.Sincethefrequencyis50MHz,thesignalperiod
willbethereciprocalofthat,or20nanoseconds(20ns).Onequarter
ofthattime(5ns)willbethetimedelayofatransmissionlineone
quarterwavelengthlong:
Transmissionline
v110ac1sin
rsource1275
t12030z0=150td=5n
rload30300
.aclin150meg50meg
.printacv(1,2)v(1)v(2)v(3)
.end

freqv(1,2)v(1)v(2)v(3)
5.000E+075.000E011.000E+005.000E011.000E+00

Atafrequencyof50MHz,our1voltsignalsourcedropshalfofits
voltageacrosstheseries75impedance(v(1,2))andtheother
halfofitsvoltageacrosstheinputterminalsofthetransmissionline
(v(2)).Thismeansthesourcethinksitispoweringa75load.The
actualloadimpedance,however,receivesafull1volt,asindicatedby
the1.000figureatv(3).With0.5voltdroppedacross75,the
sourceisdissipating3.333mWofpower:thesameasdissipatedby
1voltacrossthe300load,indicatingaperfectmatchof
impedance,accordingtotheMaximumPowerTransferTheorem.The
1/4wavelength,150,transmissionlinesegmenthassuccessfully
matchedthe300loadtothe75source.
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matchedthe300loadtothe75source.
Bearinmind,ofcourse,thatthisonlyworksfor50MHzanditsodd
numberedharmonics.Foranyothersignalfrequencytoreceivethe
samebenefitofmatchedimpedances,the150linewouldhaveto
lengthenedorshortenedaccordinglysothatitwasexactly1/4
wavelengthlong.
Strangelyenough,theexactsamelinecanalsomatcha75loadto
a300source,demonstratinghowthisphenomenonofimpedance
transformationisfundamentallydifferentinprinciplefromthatofa
conventional,twowindingtransformer:
Transmissionline
v110ac1sin
rsource12300
t12030z0=150td=5n
rload3075
.aclin150meg50meg
.printacv(1,2)v(1)v(2)v(3)
.end

freqv(1,2)v(1)v(2)v(3)
5.000E+075.000E011.000E+005.000E012.500E01

Here,weseethe1voltsourcevoltageequallysplitbetweenthe300
sourceimpedance(v(1,2))andthelinesinput(v(2)),indicating
thattheloadappearsasa300impedancefromthesources
perspectivewhereitconnectstothetransmissionline.This0.5volt
dropacrossthesources300internalimpedanceyieldsapower
figureof833.33W,thesameasthe0.25voltsacrossthe75load,
asindicatedbyvoltagefigurev(3).Onceagain,theimpedance

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