ELECTRONICS REFERENCE SHEET ELectRowics Nueust (2) 1%0 Helical © Resonator Design Chart onan Helical resonatort. Coils, from left to right: f. fo= 78 Me, Qu = 720; fu = 101 Me, Qy = 840; Je J. = 218 Me, Q. = 1,000. Shield inside diameter Coasrial resonators with helical inner conductors may be used. in subminiatwre equip- ment for the uhf range. This nomograph will aid designers in application By W, W. MACALPINE and R. 0. SCHILDKNECHT, ‘THREE OF the four types of elec- in applications such as these: as coil and shield are sketched in trical resonators listed will be preselector filters and interstage Fig. 1A. Some idea of the size familiar to engineers and physi- tuning elements in the r-f end of a helical resonator for a given cists; all four are used in many of vhf receivers, especially when frequency and unloaded Q can be applications, The four types are: the tuning frequeney range gained from Fig. 1B. This chart inductance-capacitance tuned eir- not greater than 10 to 20 per- is drawn only for the approxi- cuits; a cavity consisting of a cent; as interstage filters in ie mate frequency range where the coil in a shield, one end of the amplifiers, sueh as at 70 Me; and helical type gives optimum per~ coil being short-circuited to the as resonant elements in oscil- formance shield and the other end open, ators and transmitters when the Figure 2 gives design informa except possibly for a small trim- tuning range is limited to 20 per- tion that is generally accurate to ming capacitor; reentrant cav- cent or less. within = 10 pereent. Drawn ities, such as a quarter-wave see- «Experimental helical reso- from formulas, it is subject to tion of coaxial transmission line; nators have been built for fre the conditions listed. The un- and cavity resonators of the quencies ranging from less than loaded Q of a resonator consist- waveguide type. The frequency 2 Mc, in a shield 7 inches in di- ing of a copper coil on a low-loss range in which these resonators ameter, to 1,000 Me in a shield form, mounted in a copper shield fare useful progresses from low of 0.7 inch in diameter. Unloaded (whether the coil is self-resonant to ultra high in the order in Q ranged from 400 to 2,000 ac- or tuned by a lossless capacitor), which they are listed. cording to size and frequency. is ‘Least familiar is the second Some of these are used in equip- type, the helical resonator. It is ment now in commercial use. sopjo ® coll operating at its lowest self- Such resonators have prospective where /, = resonance frequency resonance or a quarter-wave see- use in subminiature equipment in megacyeles per second, and D tion of transmission line having for the uhf range, inside diameter of the shield relatively high characteristic im- A group of helical resonator in inches. If the shield is of pedance and low axial velocity. coils and a cylindrical shield suit- square cross section, assume D ‘These helical resonators have able for enclosing any one of to be 1.2 times the width of the been used over the past few years them are shown inthe photo. The side of the square. ConditionsELECTRONICS REFERENCE SHEET (a) under which Eq. 1 holds are 0.45 | 1; 04 5 times skin depth; and B= b + D/2 where B = inside length of shield, b = axial length of coil, @ = mean diameter of turns 4, = diameter of conductor, and + = center-to-center spacing of turns. ‘The total number of turns, winding pitch (reciprocal of turns per inch) and characteris- tic impedance, for air dielectric between coil and shield, are N= 1,900/f-D turns 2) /n = DY,/2,800 inches (8) Z, = 98,000/f,D ohms “ with these conditions: d/D 0.5 for Eq. 2, 8 and 4; b/d for Eq. 2; and b/d = 1.5 for Ea. 8 and 4. Equations in terms of general values of these ratios are given in Ref. 1. ‘The electrical length, the fringing capacitance at the open- circuited end of the coil and the length of conductor in the wind- ing are approximately: electrical length = 94 percent of axial quarter wavelength = 84.6 elec- trical degrees; fringing capaci- tance = 0.15 D wut; and con- ductor length = 28 percent of free-space wavelength, FIG. 1—Outline of helical resonator (A), and size of resonator (B) for given frequency and unloaded Q Alignment on the chart, Fig. 2, is illustrated by the dashed lines and by examples. Two points on the left-hand region of the chart show the approximate limits of greatest usefulness of the helical type resonator, These points cor- respond to the two dashed lines bordering the plotted region on Fig. 1B. The upper limit lies within the region where a straight coaxial type should be ‘compared to the helical type. AS the frequency and Q increase be- yond this limit, the straight co- axial type requires less volume ‘than the helical type. Shape will influence the choice, the straight type being longer and more slender than the helical. An ex- client helical resonator can be built having less than three turns. The lower limit point lies within the region where an L-C tuned circuit design should be compared to the helical reso- nator. If the helical type is made much smaller than indicated by ‘the lower limit, the wire size will become so small that the Q will drop below that indicated by the chart. Example 1: A 10 Me resonator with unloaded Q of 1,000 is re- quired. By the dashed lines of Fig. 2 or by formulas, D = 6.3 (B) inches inside diameter of shield and N = 80 turns, Using 4/D 0.55, the coil mean diameter is @ = 8.5 inches, Reasonable val- ues aren = 6 turns per inch and b = 5 inches coil length. Shield length B = 8.2 inches. Conductor @ diameter d, can be any value be- tween 0.064 and 0.102 inch (No. 1 to No. 10, B& S gauge) Example Tl: A filter coil for’ 70 Me is to have an unloaded Q of at least 850 and is to be mounted in a square cross tion shield. From the chart, Fig. 2, a round shield would require D =2 inches. The inside of the square shield would be D/1.2 or 1.65 inches on a side. Use 1! by 1 (outside) brass tubing with 0.051 inch wall. (The inside sur face of the shield and the coil conductor are plated.) The re- quired number of turns is 14. A coil form of Teflon has 0.90 inch diameter, with winding grooves rolled in. The winding is of 0.064 inch diameter con- Guctor and the coil is two inches Jong. Measurement on this reso- nator indicates unloaded Q of nearly 1,000, which is higher than predicted. The measure- ment is made by determining the bandwidth with extremely weak coupling to the measuring gear. Example TI: A resonator is 142ELECTRONICS REFERENCE SHEET - to be tunable from 148 to 174 = 84.6 (174/240) = 61.5 deg. By in Ref. 2. Use optimum ratio of Me by 2 miniature adjustable computation like that above, this conductor radii, b/a = 8.6. De ‘trimming capacitor at the open- requires C = 1.4 waf. Similarly, rate the Q by 10 pereent to al- cireuited end (see Fig. 8A). Let at 148 Mc, @ = 52 deg and C= low for surface imperfections the shield be square cross sec- 2.4 wu f, When the fringing ca- (as has been done in the Q for- tion, 1 inch on each side (equiva- pacitance is deducted, the re- mula for the helical type). Then, lent to a cylindrical shield 1.20 quired trimmer range is a little with f, in megaeycles and inner inches diameter). The resonance wider than 1.2 to 2.2 auf. The diameter of outer conductor, D, frequency will be 240 Mc when unloaded Q computed by Eq.1 is in inches: Q, = (0.9) (84) the capacitor is omitted. By 790 at 174 Mc and 730 at 148 Me. (0.5) (2.54) D.f,) = 96 Df. Fig. 2, the coil has seven Example IV: Design a reso- Then, for Q, = 2,000 and f, = turns on a? inch diameter form, nator for 400 Mc with unloaded 400 Me, the outer conductor di- with one inch winding length. Qf 2,000. By formulas or chart, ameter is D, = 1 inch. The ‘The chart gives Z, = 850 ohms. D = 2 inches and N = 2.4 turns. length is almost quarter wave- The capacitor values are com- Coil mean or pitch diameter can length, plus a little for clearance puted by transmission-line equa- be 1 inch and the winding pitch at the open-cireuited end, or tions, Under design equations, 0.75 inch center-to-center of about & inches. The volume of electrical length of the resonator turns, Coil length is 18 inches either type of resonator is pro- is about @ = 84.6 deg. Reactance and shield length 2.8 or 8 inches. portional to diameter squared looking into a short-circuited Measurement of insertion loss times length. Thus the appro. line is: X = Z, tan @ = 950 tan and loaded Q with a load matched mate volume ratio is: (tran 84.6 deg = 8,750 ohms. to the generator through the mission line)/(helical) = 4, This is equal to the negative resonator indicates that an un- _ However, the shape factor is one of the reactance of the fringing loaded Q of about 2,000 has been by eight inches for the trans capacitance, which is: C = 10° achieved. For comparison, @ mission-line type against two by 2=fX = 10/2 (240) (3,750) coaxial transmission-line reso- three inches for the helical type, ww, at 174 Mc, @ nator can be designed as shown which may favor one or the other i eo Baa segue ren tims noes ceils neue vntonagy Fete " ¥ te 0 aor ef 2.00 o om titt sco | pee wren wir 9 2 FIG. 2—Design chart jor quarter-wave helical resonators. Dashed lines indicate example of chart’s use 146 jectronies