Electronics What chip is used in this widely available generic LNA?

[Swamp Thing]

Has anyone reverse engineered one of these generic LNA boards that you can buy from scores of online sources these days? What is the device used? I will be using this in some DIY projects so it would be nice to have an "official" datasheet as a baseline reference. For example, what is the P1db? Is it likely to be unconditionally stable under mismatch conditions?

 

[Tom.G]

Probably a Field Effect Transistor.
There are numbers printed on it. Use a magnifying glass or microscope to read it, then look it up on-line.

 

[Averagesupernova]

I would assume someplace there is documentation that tells you specifically. Probably not the exact board you have but they are all likely doing something similar.

 

[Baluncore]

There is plenty of data with the evaluation module advertisements, but no part number.
Either read the text on the chip, or recognise the style of the evaluation PCB.
Maybe the rotated chip, and the text on the PCB = XR-601 is a clue.

Some foreign companies often replicate an evaluation board, designed by a Western manufacturer. A common target is ADI, since they provide Gerber files for their evaluation boards.

Maybe there is a foreign built LNA chip, a clone that does not quite meet the specs, being dumped as a cheap module that cannot be sold in any other way, without a liability.

 

[berkeman]

For example, what is the P1db?

Sorry, where do you see that?

Is it likely to be unconditionally stable under mismatch conditions?

Why in the world would you try to use an RF amp under mismatched conditions?

 

[Swamp Thing]

The markings have been erased from the device on this
board.

I have an RF amplifier board of another kind which also doesn't have numbers on the devices, but luckily in that case someone had a unit with the numbers on and posted a video on YouTube with part numbers, schematic etc. I found the video by searching for the item title as posted on Amazon by various vendors. I am hoping to turn up something similar for the board in question.

Sorry, where do you see that?

P1dB -- one dB compression point. The power level at which the gain drops by 1 dB due to saturation -- an indicator of the max power output it would deliver.

Why in the world would you try to use an RF amp under mismatched conditions?

Could well happen when I connect an experimental receiving antenna to the input. Or an experimental mixer or something.

Maybe the ... XR-601 is a clue.

Kenwood makes an unrelated product called XR-601-1 which dominates the search results. If I search with "-kenwood", still no luck.