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Maxim Integrated Products has released MAX5881, the industry's first 12-bit, 4.3 Gsps digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that can directly synthesize multichannel QAM signals in the 50 MHz to 1000 MHz cable downstream band.

Offering excellent spurious, noise, and adjacent-channel performance, this device meets the requirements of DOCSIS 3.0 for up to four contiguous channels per RF port. In addition to enabling a fully digital cable upconversion solution, the MAX5881 simplifies the RF portion of the design, thus achieving a lower cost per QAM channel than analog solutions, said Maxim. This simplification eliminates the need for many of the components used in the traditional analog solution, such as an upconversion modulator or mixer, a downconversion mixer, fixed and agile frequency synthesizers, amplifiers, and filters. Providing higher density, lower power, and lower cost per channel than the traditional analog approach, the MAX5881 solution is iaimed at DOCSIS 3.0-compliant edge QAM devices and cable modem termination systems (CMTS).

The MAX5881 operates from 3.3 V and 1.8 V supplies, and consumes 1.2 W at 4.0 Gsps. Fully specified over the commercial temperature range, it is offered in a compact, 11 mm x 11 mm, RoHS-compliant, 169-ball CSBGA package.