POLITEKNIK SULTAN IDRIS SHAH

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

DATA COMMUNICATION (E5124)

___________________________________________________________

EXPERIMENT 1: AMPLITUDE SHIFT KEYING (ASK)

A. OBJECTIVES
 To describe the ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulation and
demodulation
 To examine the noise effect on the connection

B. EQUIPMENT REQUIRED

 Power unit PSU or PSI

 Module holder base
 Individual control Unit SIS1, SIS2, or SIS3 ( or switches S )
 Experiment module MCM31
 Oscilloscope

C. SUMARRY OF THEORY

Amplitude Shift Keying-ASK

In this form of modulation the sine carrier takes 2 amplitude values, determined by
the binary data signal. Usually the modulator transmits the carrier when the data bits
is “1”, it completely removes it when the bit is “0” (fig. 1). There are also ASK shapes
called “multi-level”, where the amplitude of the modulated signal takes more than 2
values.

The demodulation can be coherent or non coherent. In this first case, more complex
as concerns the circuits but more effective as against the noise effect, as product
demodulator multiplies the ASK signal by the locally generated carrier. In the second
case the envelope of Ask signal is detected via diode. In both cases the detector is
followed a low pass filter, which removes the residual carrier components, and a
threshold circuit which squares the data signal (fig. 2).

The main factors characterizing the ASK are:

 It is mainly used for radiotelegraphy

 It requires not complex circuit
 It is much sensible to disturbance (high possibility error)
 Called Fb the bit transmission speed, the minimum spectrum B w of the
modulated signal is higher than Fb.
 The efficiency of transmission, defined as the ratio between F b and Bw, is
lower than 1
 The Baud, defined as the modulation or symbol speed, is equal to the
transmission speed Fb.
 Figure 1: ASK Modulation

Figure 2: ASK Demodulation

ASK MODULATOR

The block diagram of the ASK modulator is shown in figure 3. The sine carrier (1200
or 1800 Hz) is applied to an input of the balanced modulator 1; a data signal
(Indicated with 1) is connected to the other circuit. The circuit usually carriers out
the balanced modulator function, and multiplies the two signals applied across the
inputs. Unbalancing, though, the circuit with switch SW6 (in position ASK/FSK), it
operates as amplitude modulator generating in this way the ASK signal of figure 1.
The last, then, enters the adder used for FSK/QPSK/QAM modulations, and exits via
a separator stage. The 6db attenuator cuts the signal amplitude into half, and is
activated only with the QAM. To block the operation of the balanced modulator 2 in
ASK mode, the data input of the same modulator must be set on ASK (J3=d).
ASK DEMODULATOR

The ASK demodulator consists of the sections represented in figure 4.

 A full wave envelope detector ( ASK DEM )

 A low pass filter
 A threshold circuit ( with output across TP29 ) in case of asynchronous data,
which are not re-timed
 A clock extraction and data re-timing circuit, in case of synchronous data
(Data output on TP31, clock on TP32).
The filter, the clock extraction circuit and the data re-timing one are used to
demodulate also other kind of signals.

Figure 3: ASK Modulator

Figure 4: ASK Demodulator

D. PROCEDURE

1) MCM31-Disconnect all jumpers

2) SIS1/S-Turn all switches OFF
3) SIS2-Insert lesson code:978

Waveform of the ASK Modulator

 Power the module

 Set the circuit in ASK mode, with 24 bit data source and without data coding
(connect J1c-J3d-J4-J5-J6a; set SW2=Normal, SW3= 24 bit, SW4 =1200,
SW6=ASK, SW8=BIT, ATT=min, NOISE=min.
 Set an alternated data sequence 00/11 and push START
 Connect the oscilloscope to TP6 and TP16 to display the data signal and the
ASK signal. Waveforms are obtained similar to those of figure 5.
 Adjust the phase of the carrier (PHASE) to make the zero of the sine wave
correspond to the starting bit intervals.
 Use the 1800Hz frequency as carrier (set SW4=1800)

Waveform of the ASK demodulator

 Keep the last conditions (J1c-J3d-J4-J5-J6a; SW2=Normal, SW3= 24 bit,

SW4=1200, SW6=ASK, SW8=BIT, ATT=min, NOISE=min.
 Set an alternated data sequence 00/11 and push START
 Connect the oscilloscope to TP16 and TP20, to examine the ASK signal before
and after the communication channel.
 Note the effect of the communication channel on the ASK signal. As the
communication channel is limited band (the frequency response if low pass),
the ASK output signal is slightly beveled. The effect is the more evident if a
1800Hz carrier is used (switch SW4). Take the SW4 to the position 1200
again.
 The signal supplied by the ASK demodulator is filtered by a low-pass filter,
which removes the ASK carrier components. At the filter output (TP24) you
get the detected data signal, which shape is affected by the amplitude of the
ASK carrier (and so by the conditions of the communication channel)
 In asynchronous data transmission, when no clock regeneration and data re-
timing is required, it is sufficient to square the signal supplied by the filter.
The output if the squarer (threshold circuit) can be detected across the TP
29. Note the correspondence between the transmitted (TP6) and the received
data (TP29).
 Introduce the line attenuation (ATT), and see that the received data are not
equal to the transmission data anymore. The noise insertion (NOISE) causes
an alternation of the received data too.
Noise effect, Error bit measurement

 Set the circuit in ASK mode, with 64 bit pseudocasual data and the
Manchester data coding (J1d-J3d-J4-J5-J6a; SW2=Normal, SW3=64 bit,
SW4=1200, SW6=ASK, SW8=BIT, SW9=READ, ATT=min, NOISE=min)
 Push the pushbutton RESET
 The value read on the “ERROR COUNTER” display corresponds to the number
of received error bits.
 If the no noise is introduced in line, there would not be error bits. Gradually
increases NOISE and observe the error bit reading.
 The measurement representing the quality of a data transmission connection
is the Bit Error Rate (BER), defined as the ratio between the error bits and
the total received bits. The BER is usually expressed with multiples of 10. E.g.
BER=3.5-5 means 3 wrong bits every 10000 received bits.
 To carry out the BER measurement you can act as follows:
i. Set the deviator to READ and reset the counter pushing RESET
ii. Keep counting activated for a certain laps of time, e.g. 60 seconds. As
in Manchester mode there is a transmission speed of 300 bit/s, in 60
Seconds expire set the deviator to STOP and read the wrong bits.
iii. The ratio between error bits and received bits is the connection error
rate.
 Figure 5: Waveform ASK

E. RESULTS AND CALCULATION

F. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

ASK with Manchester coded

In case of synchronous connection, the receiver must also supply the Data clock, i.e.
a square wave synchronous to the received data and to the wave-fronts
corresponding to the center of the bit interval. The clock extraction (from the
received data) becomes difficult or impossible if the data signal contains long
sequences of ‘0’ or ‘1’, as, in this case the alternate components would lack
components necessary to the regeneration circuit hooking (usually based on PLL).

 Keep the last condition (J1c-J3d-J4-J5-J6a; SW2=Normal, SW3=24 bit,

SW4=1200, SW6=ASK, SW8=BIT, ATT=min, NOISE=min.
 Set an alternated data sequence 00/11 and push START.
 The reception clock regeneration and data re-timing is required in
synchronous transmissions. The reception clock is extracted by the coming
data signal, and is available across (TP32) (CK600). The same clock is used to
retime the same data, which are available across TP31.
 Connect the oscilloscope to TP4 (Transmitted data), TP 31 (Received Data,
after re-timing), TP32 (CK600 , reception clock), and note what follows:
 The reception clock (TP32) is synchronous to the received data
(TP31). There is a clock period every bit. The clock is extracted
properly because the data sequence contains alternates of ‘0’ and ‘1’
sufficient to keep the clock regenerator circuit hooked.
 The received data signal (TP31) is equal (even though delayed) to
the transmitted data signal (TP4).
 Set now a data sequence with few alternates, e.g. all ‘1’ and single ‘0’, and
push START
 It can happen that the reception clock (TP32) is not stable and that the
received data (TP31) are sometimes different from the transmitted ones
(TP4). This is due to a malfunction of the PLL which regenerates the
reception clock.
 The Manchester coding of the data to be transmitted ensures the presence of
alternates on the transmitted signal, facilitating in this way the clock
extraction by the PLL.
 To supply the Manchester coded signals to ASK modulator (disconnect J1c
and connect J1d).
 The received data and the reception clock are now available after the
Manchester decoder (TP9 and TP10)
 Keep the same data sequence of the last case, and see that:
 The clock is now properly regenerated.
 The received data are equal to the transmitted ones.