Sigma VDA-100A Distribution Amp

Video Distribution Amplifier | 10 MHz Reference Distribution | KF5OBS /IP http://jaunty-electronics.com/blog/2015/03/video-distribution-amplifier-...
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Posted on March 17, 2015 by KF5OBS 1 Comment
Three Sigma VDA-100 Video Distribution

Amplifiers (DA) have been sitting on my shelf for a
while. The DAs have been waiting to be
repurposed for something useful. When Jackson
Labs sent me a custom variant of the FireFly-IIA
GPS-Locked double ovenized 10 MHZ reference
oscillator, I decided to repurpose one of the
VDA-100 as a 10 MHz reference distribution
amplifier.
Having a 10 MHz reference in the lab is a good start.

But if you have to feed more than one device with the
10 MHz reference signal, some means of distributing
the 10 MHz reference signal is needed. The quickest
and cheapest approach is just to daisy chain all
instruments using BNC T-connectors. This method can
cause rapid signal degradation due to mismatches and
reflections rather quickly. The cleaner but still pretty
inexpensive approach is to use a simple RF splitter.
Unfortunately, this may not work for too many devices
as the signal level might dip below the needed value
for each instrument. The best approach is to use a
professional distribution amplifier to isolate the
reference input ports of the instruments and to provide KF5OBS
a consistent amplitude. 91 videos
6K
1 of 9 7/1/2018, 5:38 PM
fm tx using 74hct04 inverter

ci ne612 circuit
Sigma VDA-100A | Front
CI ne612 circuit
lnb circuit
Buying a professional 10 MHz Distribution Amplifier *@rawbandwidth com
(DA) is pretty expensive. Luckily, old analog video
DAs, such as the Sigma VDA-100, can be bought on
eBay for little money. With a bandwidth of ~30 MHz paul constantine on Yaesu FT-8800
they work just fine for 10 MHz reference distribution. Extended TX (MARS/CAPS) Mod
The only real catch is that they are designed for an JC. on Yaesu FT-8800 Extended TX
impedance of 75 Ohms, a common value for video (MARS/CAPS) Mod
systems. But there are some ways around it, more N0ZGO on No Tune NE602 / NE612 FM
about that later. Demodulator
shohel on C-Band DRO LNB Teardown
ionut on Crystal controlled listening device
Sigma VDA-100A | Back
The Sigma VDA-100A offers 6 buffered outputs. Two

looped-through inputs allow multiple of these amplifiers
to be daisy chained together. The ones I bought of
eBay even came with a convenient 19″ tray designed
to hold three of these Video Distribution Amplifiers.
The gain can be adjusted from the front using a small
screwdriver. Some models of the VDA-100 have signal
taps on the front-panel to check both the input and
output signal for quality.
2 of 9 7/1/2018, 5:38 PM
VDA-100A | Open PCB View (Top)
The PCB inside of the Sigma VDA-100 looks extremely

clean and well designed. This comes as no surprise as
professional broadcast equipment is usually designed
this way. There are 6 x 75 Ohm output resistors, R24
through R31. Since they are responsible for setting the
output impedance, simply replacing them with 50 Ohm
(or 49.9 Ohm) 1 % resistors should convert this DA for
use with 50 Ohm systems.
VDA-100A | Open PCB View (Bottom)
Please note that the input ports are high-impedance

ports, NOT 75 Ohms. One can either leave it as it is
and accept an impedance mismatch or – the way I did
it – solder a 75 Ohm shunt resistor across the input
port. This modification is not pictured as I took the
pictures for illustration purposes much later from a
second VDA-100A. One important thing to know is that
most analog video DAs do not have the bandwidth to
carry a 10 MHz square wave signal. Only sine wave
signals are suitable for this setup. In case you are
using a reference that puts out a square wave, you
need to convert it to a sine wave. This can be done by
using an inline low pass or band pass filter. Back when
I was using a different Jackson Labs GPS-Locked
TCXO with square wave output, I used a Mini Circuits
BBP-10.7+ to get a clean sine wave.
3 of 9 7/1/2018, 5:38 PM
50 / 75 Ohm Impedance Matching Pads & 10.7 MHz Band Pass
For my setup I decided to leave the output ports at 75

Ohms impedance. Why? Because I had tons of high
quality 75 Ohm impedance cable left over from a
former broadcast transmitter side. And from a former
project I had a stash of Mini Circuits BMP-5075R+
BNC 75 Ohm to 50 Ohm impedance matching pads
left over. But if you are on a tight budget I suggest you
replace the output resistors R24 through R31 instead
and run 50 Ohm impedance coax to your equipment.
In my case I used 75 Ohm impedance cable and
plugged it through a Mini Circuits BMP-5075R+ each
into my instruments. Note that some instruments have
a 10 MHz input and 10 MHz output port. For
professional equipment, the 10 MHz output is often a
buffered output of the 10 MHz input. Therefore you can
use this to daisy chain some equipment that’s
physically located close to each other. In my setup I
never daisy chained more than 3 devices and I always
check the signal quality using my Tektronix
MDO4104B-6.
4 of 9 7/1/2018, 5:38 PM
75 Ohm vs. 50 Ohm BNC Connectors
The picture above shows the difference between a 75

Ohm impedance BNC connector (left side) and a 50
Ohm impedance BNC connector (right side). The cable
on the right side is a professional 75 Ohm impedance
coax cable used in broadcast TV installations. The
cable is designed to carry HD SDI (Serial Digital
Interface) signals at a data rate of 1.485 Gbit/s.
Recycling these high-quality cable leftovers saved me
lots of time that I would otherwise have to spend
crimping new cables.
Sigma VDA-100A | Installed in 19″ Tray
The three VDA-100A that I bought of eBay happened

to come with a convenient 19″ tray. Installing the
Jackson Labs FireFly-IIA proved rather easy. It was a
perfect job for 25 mm x M3 standoffs and a bit of epoxy
glue.
5 of 9 7/1/2018, 5:38 PM
25mm x M3 Standoff
Of course I could have drilled holes in the bottom of

the tray but the epoxy glue is not only pretty stable but
it’s also easy to use. To get the dimensions just right, I
mounted the FireFly-IIA with M3 nuts on the standoffs,
applied epoxy glue very liberally to the standoffs and
let it sit overnight. Before I glued everything in place I
used some sandpaper to roughen the surface up and
provide a better grip for the epoxy glue. It worked very
well and the installation was surprisingly tough.
Full 10 MHz Reference Distribution Amplifier Setup
My final setup is pictured above. The FireFly-IIA is

sitting on the right. It’s connected to a GPS antenna via
MCX to BNC adapter. A serial data port is also
available for configuration and NMEA position data
output. A 50 Ohm MCX to BNC jumper connects the
FireFly-IIA to a 50 Ohm to 75 Ohm minimum loss pad.
From there a 75 Ohm jumper takes the reference
signal into the amplifier. Of course I could have
adjusted the input impedance of the VDA-100 to 50
Ohms and connected the FireFly-IIA directly. But I
wanted to make sure that there is at least some
isolation between the DA and the FireFly-IIA. And a
matching pad provides at least some small amount of
6 of 9 7/1/2018, 5:38 PM
isolation. This will become an important fact when

several of these DAs are daisy chained. Additionally it
is less confusing if all ports of the DA have the same
impedance.
The green output cable is connected to my Tektronix

MDO4104B-6. Using the gain adjust potentiometer on
the front of the VDA- and the MDO4104B-6 I adjusted
the output signal to about 1.5 Vpp into a 50 Ohm load
via 75 Ohm to 50 Ohm matching pad. This level
provided the maximum level without visible signal
distortion. A quick test with all my test equipment
confirmed that this level was sufficient.
HP8657D Signal Generator and EIP548A Frequency Counter

Synchronized
The above picture shows my HP 8657D signal

generator and a EIP 548A frequency counter
synchronized to the same reference signal. The
frequency dialed into the HP 8657D is 1023.456789
MHz. The EIP frequency counter shows this value
exactly.
7 of 9 7/1/2018, 5:38 PM
HP8657D Signal Generator and MCA3027 Frequency Counter

Synchronized
But just accuracy down to the 1 Hz digit wasn’t

convincing enough for me. My Tektronix MCA3027
measures down to a 0.1 mHz digit. Synchronized via
10 MHz reference, it shows 3.3 mHz more than the
selected frequency on the HP 8657D. Now that’s
impressive! So if you’re looking for an inexpensive 10
MHz reference distribution amplifier, an old analog
analog video DA may just be the way to go.
This setup works well for me but your requirements

and specifications may vary. My primary suggestion
would be to not mix 75 Ohm and 50 Ohm systems the
way I did unless you have a good reason (e.g.
availability of suitable coax) to do otherwise. The best
way would probably be to replace the 75 Ohm resistors
with 50 or 49.9 Ohm type 1% precision resistors.
Links and Sources:
[1] Jackson Labs, FireFly-IIA: http://www.jackson-

labs.com/
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Categories: Electronics, Radio Frequency (RF)
Dino on March 19, 2015 at 8:37 pm said: Reply
Nice job as usual Sebastian. Another option for
8 of 9 7/1/2018, 5:38 PM
a nice distribution amp is the kit put out by TAPR

(www.tapr.org/kits_tadd-1.html). I use three of them to
bring either my Z3801A GPS or Rb standard signals to
all the boxes on the bench. 73 – Dino KL0S
« Tektronix RSA 306 | GPS Receiver and Clock

Reference
First PCB Manufacturing Run with Dirty PCBs »
9 of 9 7/1/2018, 5:38 PM

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Video Distribution Amplifier | 10 MHz Reference Distribution | KF5OBS /IP http://jaunty-electronics.com/blog/2015/03/video-distribution-amplifier-...

Posted on March 17, 2015 by KF5OBS 1 Comment

Three Sigma VDA-100 Video Distribution

Having a 10 MHz reference in the lab is a good start.

fm tx using 74hct04 inverter

Sigma VDA-100A | Back

The Sigma VDA-100A offers 6 buffered outputs. Two

VDA-100A | Open PCB View (Top)

The PCB inside of the Sigma VDA-100 looks extremely

VDA-100A | Open PCB View (Bottom)

Please note that the input ports are high-impedance

50 / 75 Ohm Impedance Matching Pads & 10.7 MHz Band Pass

For my setup I decided to leave the output ports at 75

75 Ohm vs. 50 Ohm BNC Connectors

The picture above shows the difference between a 75

Sigma VDA-100A | Installed in 19″ Tray

The three VDA-100A that I bought of eBay happened

Of course I could have drilled holes in the bottom of

Full 10 MHz Reference Distribution Amplifier Setup

My final setup is pictured above. The FireFly-IIA is

isolation. This will become an important fact when

The green output cable is connected to my Tektronix

HP8657D Signal Generator and EIP548A Frequency Counter

The above picture shows my HP 8657D signal

HP8657D Signal Generator and MCA3027 Frequency Counter

But just accuracy down to the 1 Hz digit wasn’t

This setup works well for me but your requirements

Links and Sources:

[1] Jackson Labs, FireFly-IIA: http://www.jackson-

Share 0 submit Tweet

Categories: Electronics, Radio Frequency (RF)

Dino on March 19, 2015 at 8:37 pm said: Reply

Nice job as usual Sebastian. Another option for

a nice distribution amp is the kit put out by TAPR

« Tektronix RSA 306 | GPS Receiver and Clock

First PCB Manufacturing Run with Dirty PCBs »

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