ECE 106.

1
Digital Communications
Laboratory

Vol.2 DATEX
Activity 9, 11, 12, & 13

Submitted by:
Nel John Rosario
Johaira Maute

Experiment 9: Signal-to-noise ratio and eye diagrams

Part A: Adding noise to a signal
Step 1-13

Step 14-15:

Figure 9.1 Adder modules output signal when

it is connected to the -20dB output of the
Noise Generator module

Figure 9.2 Adder modules output signal when

it is connected to the -6dB output of the
Noise Generator module

Step 16-17

Figure 9.3 Adder modules output signal

when it is connected to the 0dB output of the
Noise Generator module
Question 1: Based on its appearance, what type of noise is the Noise Generator
module modeling?
The Noise Generator module is modeling the white type of noise.

Question 2: Which of the Noise Generators outputs provides the most amount of
noise?
The 0dB output provides the most amount of noise.
Part B Band-limiting the noisy signal
Step 18-20

Step 21-22

Figure 9.4 Baseband LPFs output when it is

connected to the -20dB output of the
Noise Generator module

Figure 9.5 Baseband LPFs output when it is

connected to the -6dB output of the
Noise Generator module

Step 23-24

Figure 9.6 Baseband LPFs output when it is

connected to the 0dB output of the Noise
Generator module
Question 3: Why doesnt the digital data signal look as noisy now as it did before?
It is because the Baseband LPF on the Channel module models a channel with a
low frequency response wherein sinewaves are removed in the output.

Part C Determining signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

Table 9.1 (For Step 25-35)
Signal voltage
Noise voltage
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
SNR (in decibels)
Signal plus noise voltage
Alternate SNR
Alternate SNR (in decibels)

3.143 V
79.50 mV
39.53
31.93 dB
3.158 V
39.72
31.98 dB

Question 4: What is the signal-to-noise ratio (the ratio not the decibel) actually telling
you?
It tells us how many times the signals RMS voltage is bigger compared to the
noises RMS voltage.
Question 5: Why are the two signal-to-noise ratios almost identical even though theyve
been calculated in a different way?
It is because the two SNR are so high.
Question 6: What would you expect to happen to the signal-to-noise ratio figures if the
Noise Generator modules -6dB or 0dB outputs are used?
There is a decrease in the SNR.
Question 7: What other change to the signal-to-noise figures would you expect to see if
you used the Noise Generator modules other outputs?
There is an increase in the error between the SNR and alternate SNR figures.

Table 9.2 (For Step 36-45)

Signal voltage
Noise voltage
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
SNR (in decibels)
Signal plus noise voltage
Alternate SNR
Alternate SNR (in decibels)

3.143 V
661.23 mV
4.75
13.54 dB
2.834 V
4.29
12.64 dB

Part D: Eye Diagrams

For Step 46-59:
Question 8: What is the relationship between the level of noise that the channel
introduces to the digital data signal and the size of the Eye Diagrams eyes?
The greater the level of noise that the channel introduces to the signal, the
smaller the size of the Eye Diagram.
For Step 60-65:
Question 9: What is the relationship between the digital data signals bit-clock and the
size of the Eye Diagrams eyes?
The higher the frequency of the digital data signals bit-clock, the smaller the size
of the Eye Diagram.

Experiment 11: ASK demodulation using product detection

Part A: Generating an ASK signal (Step 1-11)

Figure 11.1 - The digital data

Part B: Demodulating an ASK signal using product detection (Step 12-16)

Question 1: Why is the recovered digital signal not a perfect copy of the original?
It is because some of the recovered messages higher frequency harmonics is
removed by the product detectors low-pass filter, which causes the distortion in the
signal.
Question 2: What can be used to clean-up the recovered digital signal?
A comparator.
Part C: Carrier Synchronization
Step 17-21:

Figure 11.2 The blue wave

represents the effect of adjusting the
phase adjust control of the Phase
Shifter module to the left

Figure 11.3 The blue wave represents the effect of adjusting the phase adjust control
of the Phase Shifter module to the right
Question 3: Given the recovered digital signals messages amplitude, what is the
phase difference between the two carriers?
The two carriers has a 0 phase difference or very close to it.
Question 4: Why arent the carriers in phase as predicted?
It is because the ASK signals carrier at the demodulators input is out of phase
with the original carrier prior to modulators.
Step 23-24

Figure 11.4 The blue wave

represents the effect of adjusting the
phase adjust control of the Phase
Shifter module until the recovered
message is the smallest
Question 5: Given the size of the recovered messages amplitude, what is the phase
difference between the two carriers?
The two carriers has a 90 phase difference or very close to it. Therefore, there is
a total cancellation between the two messages because of their 180 phase difference.
Step 25

Figure 11.5 The blue wave

represents the effect of adjusting the
phase adjust control of the Phase
Shifter module until the recovered
message is largest and inverted
Question 6: Given the size and shape of the recovered messages amplitude, what is
the phase difference between the two carriers?
The two carriers has a 180 phase difference or very close to it.

Step 26-29

Figure 11.6 Effects of Carrier

Frequency Error
Question 7: Why doesnt the product
detector recover a stable copy of the original message when the function generator is
set to the correct frequency?
It is because of the small error between the carriers.
Step 30

Figure 11.7 Changing the function

generators frequency by one Hertz
Question 8: Why doesnt fine-tuning the function generators output frequency allow
the product detector to recover a stable copy of the original message?
Because frequency errors between the multipliers two messages, even the
tiniest values, would lead to the recovery of an unstable copy of the original message.

Step 31-32

Figure 11.8 - Changing the function

Figure 11.9 - Changing the function
generators frequency to 98 kHz
generators frequency to 102 kHz
Question 9: What does the recovered message now look like?
The recovered message looks like an ASK signal.
Question 10: Why is the recovered signals carrier 2kHz?
Because in the multipliers output, one sinewave will be at 2kHz and all the rest
are above the filters cut-off.
Question 11: Why is there nothing out of the product detector during the time that the
original digital data is logic-0?
When the original digital data is logic-0, there is nothing being multiplied with the
local carrier so the product detectors output is null also.

Experiment 12: FSK generation (using the switching method) and

demodulation
Part A: Setting up the switch control signals
Step 1-13

Figure 12.1 A sample digital data

signal (black) and its inverted copy
(blue)

Part B: Implementing the switching method of FSK generation

Step 14-17

Figure 12.2 The digital data signal

(black) with the FSK signal on the
Dual Analog Switch modules output
(blue) when the scopes Timebase is
1 ms/div
Question 1: Whats the name for the Dual Analog Switch modules output frequency
that corresponds with logic-1s in the digital data?
Mark frequency corresponds with logic-1s.
Question 2: Whats the name for the Dual Analog Switch modules output frequency
that corresponds with logic-0s in the digital data?
Space frequency corresponds with logic-0s.
Question 3: Based on your observations of the FSK signal, which of the two is the
higher frequency? Explain your answer.
Mark frequency is higher because the period of its cycles is shorter than the
period of the space frequency.
Part C: A look at the spectral composition of FSK signals
Step 18-27

Figure 12.3 The C2 identifies the 2kHz

sinewaves in the FSK signal

Figure 12.4 The C2 identifies the 4kHz

sinewaves in the FSK signal

Question 4: Notice that theres a region between these sinewaves and on either side of
them that is reasonably flat at about -20dB (or at about one tenth the voltage of the
sinewaves). What is this telling you about the FSK signal?
The FSK signal contains smaller sinewaves at frequencies near 2kHz and 4kHz.
Question 5: Notice also that there are bumps in the spectrum at about 2kHz intervals
starting at about 7kHz. What is this telling you about the FSK signal?
The FSK signal consists of sinewaves at frequencies beyond 4kHz.
Step 28-31

Figure 12.5 The digital data signal

(black) with the FSK signal on the
Dual Analog Switch modules output
(blue) when the scopes Timebase is
500 us/div
Question 6: Why are there sharp changes in voltage on the Adder modules output
when the digital data changes state?
When the digital data signal changes state, the mark and the space frequencies
are at different voltages which causes the sharp changes in voltage on the Adder
modules output.
Question 7: Removing the sharp change in voltage at the transition points between the
space and mark frequencies would reduce the severity of these discontinuities which
would in turn reduce the complexity and bandwidth of the FSK signal. Can you think of a
way of achieving this?
To remove the sharp change in voltage at the transition points between the space
and mark frequencies, they should both be integer multiples of the digital data signals
bit-clock.

Part D: Demodulating an FSK signal using filtering and an envelope detector

Step 32-38

Figure 12.6 The resulting FSK signal

(blue) when the Tuneable Low-Pass
Filter modules cutoff frequency is
slowly reduced until the FSK signals
higher frequency component is
removed (or at least minimized)
Question 8: Which of the FSK signals two sinewaves is the filter letting through?
The filter allows the mark frequency to pass through.
Question 9: What does the filtered FSK signal look like.
The filtered FSK signal looks like an ASK signal.
Question 10: The two signals are not a great likeness. Why is the recovered data
signal so distorted?
The recovered signal is distorted because the mark frequency is not high enough
to develop an envelope that the Diode and RC LPF combination can capture effectively.

Experiment 13: Principles of Gaussian FSK (GFSK)

Part A: Generating a conventional FSK signal and examining its spectral composition

Step 1-15

Figure 13.1 The digital data signal

(black) and the FSK signal (blue)
Table 13.1 (For Step 16-17)
FSK signals space frequency

FSK signals mark frequency

3.725 kHz

13.725 kHz

For Step 18-29:

Question 1: Notice that the FSK signals spectrum more closely resembles Figure 2b
than 2a in the preliminary discussion. What is telling you about the FSK signal?
FSK signal consists of hundreds and possibly thousands of other sinewaves
most of which have amplitudes smaller than the mark and space frequencies.
Part B: Generating a GFSK signal and comparing its spectral composition to that
of FSK
Step 30-34

Figure 13.2 The resulting GFSK

signal (blue)
Question 2: Is there a difference in
the time domain between the FSK
signal generated earlier and the GFSK signal presently being modeled?

Theres no difference.
For Step 35-38:
Question 3: Is there a difference in the frequency domain between the FSK signal
generated earlier and the GFSK signal presently being modeled? If so, in what way?
Yes. The GFSK signals spectrum is considerably less complex than FSK beyond
about 20kHz.
Part C: The effects of band-limiting the original digital data on the recovered
digital data
Step 39-46

Figure 13.3 The resulting GFSK

signal (blue) when the Tuneable LowPass Filter modules cutoff frequency
is slowly reduced until the GFSK
signals higher frequency component
is removed
Question 4: Which of the GFSK signals two sinewaves is the filter letting through?
The filter allows the space frequency to pass through.
Question 5: What does the filtered GFSK signal now look like?
The filtered GFSK signal looks like an ASK signal.
For Step 47-49:
Question 6: How is it possible to remove a large part of an FSK signals spectrum (to

turn it into GFSK) yet still be able to recover the original data signal?
In order to be able to recover the original data signal while a large part of an FSK
signals spectrum is removed, appropriate filtering must be done. The cut-off frequency
cannot be too low and a Gaussian LPF should be used. The Gaussian LPF minimizes
the spectral composition of the signal while its shape is maintained.