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Do RF modules eliminate the need for RF Engineers?

Chris_Pinter

Do we need RF engineers now that radio modules are available?

 

Is designing a radio today as easy as plopping down an RF module onto a board and expecting it to work, assume it will pass FCC testing?   Or do we still need to consider RF testing, communication theory, conditions that promote unintentional radiation?  

 

What about propagation theory and antenna radiation?   Are these topics still relevant?

 

I believe many engineers who do not have a strong background in RF theory would hope this to be true.   As an RF engineering consultant I am seeing many small and medium sized companies (5 to 50 employees) using a condensed product development process in order to get product to market on time.  Often times I see the development process go from design to certification testing with verification testing focused on software and application testing with very little sound scientific RF testing and only limited RF propagation testing.

 

This has become a problem as product development engineers rely on the RF module manufacture to solve all of their RF problems.  To be honest this is not practical, The RF module manufacture has provided the module to reduce the emissions and provide a simple solution to creating an RF link.  The layout and placement of the module and antenna are critical and will affect the performance of circuits.

 

Testing is still very important to the success of the project and its ability to pass certification and perform as expected within the worst case conditions of the environment.

 

What do you think?

 

 

Chris Pinter

 

http://www.element-14.com/community/people/Chris_Pinter

Parents

  • I think the RF modules open up the posibility of a Non-RF engineer getting that project out the door at a fixed known cost with expectation off passing emisssions regulations etc. Unless you are doing a custom layout or have a very specific requirement I think it's very hard for an RF engineer to give you real benefits in the the short to medium run. No doubt the bets are off in big comercial runs but I doubt they buy from E14 or ask the likes of us at that point image

     

    Surely this is very similar to the prevelence of SBCs in the custom market place. It's simply not viable to optimise the design with the complexity of these products when the "good enough" modules will get you there. for a hard pressed design team you can then focus on the truely unique elements of your design such as maybe S/W????

  • in reply to Problemchild

    "I think the RF modules open up the posibility of a Non-RF engineer getting that project out the door at a fixed known cost with expectation off passing emisssions regulations etc. Unless you are doing a custom layout or have a very specific requirement I think it's very hard for an RF engineer to give you real benefits in the the short to medium run."

     

    I agree in many cases.  The RF engineer can get you a few more dB, but you have so little link margin that a few dB matters, you may have other problems.  If the volumes are high, though, there may be good reason to squeeze every out every bit of link budget possible.

     

    Even with modules, there may be problems that go beyond link margin, such as intermod or in-band interference from digital noise.  The modules are good, though, because they get you started, esp if you just want a minimum viable product to get feedback about what people are willing to pay for.

  • in reply to gervasi

    Yes if you are designing in the comfortable "mid regions" of the technology then the benefit is minimal.In fact it's good design practice to think about that problem until you can implement it in that good middle ground where stuff just works. Marginal designs are not really good practice for what ever reason (some times cool but rarely where you want to be).  Again this is more about designingto get a job done and get paid than desiging for the beauty of the design ...Then again we all lament that the "fun's gone out of it" so may be we should take the occasional risk ????!

  • in reply to Problemchild

    "Then again we all lament that the "fun's gone out of it" so may be we should take the occasional risk"

     

    It's easier than ever to order a handful of different boards and try them all out.  Batch PCB places offer Rogers and multi-layer boards on quick turns at low cost. 

  • in reply to gervasi

    Yeah this is true maybe this is why E14 is doing so well selling modules etc to Hobbyists

    Only problem is that electronics can easily become a matter of expensive "Lego" if you take the module idea too far which is some times an issue with Arduinos etc (Yes that is a generalisation!)

  • in reply to Problemchild

    Yes,  there is a lot of different types of modules in the market.  My post was originally focused on the IC modules so that professional have an easier time developing the front end and IC interface.  The market now has RF embedded in the mico-CPU as a standard.  It is consider another communication port like USB and Ethernet.

     

    The challenges of RF today generally are related to manufacturing process, system design and network bandwidth considerations.  The "Engineering" of RF is moving from a heavy Physics understanding towards an application development.

     

    Chris Pinter

    www.pinterec.ca

Reply
  • in reply to Problemchild

    Yes,  there is a lot of different types of modules in the market.  My post was originally focused on the IC modules so that professional have an easier time developing the front end and IC interface.  The market now has RF embedded in the mico-CPU as a standard.  It is consider another communication port like USB and Ethernet.

     

    The challenges of RF today generally are related to manufacturing process, system design and network bandwidth considerations.  The "Engineering" of RF is moving from a heavy Physics understanding towards an application development.

     

    Chris Pinter

    www.pinterec.ca

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