RF Cascade Workbook™- RF Cafe

Component Swapping

User Value Reset Button

There might be minor differences between the current version of RF Cascade Workbook™ and what is shown in these screen captures.

Built-In Chart Types

"System Definition" Page

Block Diagram Icons

Help Page

PayPal logo - RF Cafe

You DO NOT need a PayPal account to order.

Note: I fill orders personally, not via an automated process. Therefore, there could be an hour or more delay. Files are sent as an attachment to the e-mail in your PayPal account.

Assistance:
Because the price for RF Cascade Workbook™ is so low, I cannot provide any level of assistance with setup or operation. After all, you're getting an amazingly feature-filled program for less than an hour of an engineer's billable time. Reported errors, if any, will be addressed ASAP.
Macros:
You must enable macros to run or you cannot use RF Cascade Workbook.
VBA Code: Proprietary VBA code is protected by password, and cannot be accessed.
User Defined Cells: Limits to the input numbers are set by values in cell C46 (Min/Max Components Definition Limits). They can be removed with Data -> Data Validation -> Any Value.
System Requirements: Excel 2007 & Windows 2008 or newer.
These instructions and screenshots were made in Excel 2007, so your screen and menu placements might be a little different. I verified that everything works fine all the way through Excel 2019.
Help:

Here is the complete Help Page from RF Cascade Workbook™.

This product is NOT Shareware, Freeware, or an Evaluation version. Its legal use is contingent upon purchase directly from RF Cafe, as no distributors are authorized. Unauthorized copying, alteration or distribution of this product is prohibited by law. Please visit the RF Cafe website to submit payment for this product. Simply put, you may not use this product if you have not paid for it.

Disclaimer: "RF Cascade Workbook™" is offered AS IS. Your use of this product implies you alone accept responsibility for results obtained through its use, and will hold harmless Kirt Blattenberger, RF Cafe, and all associates for any losses incurred through its use. This product has been tested very thoroughly, and there are no known problems at the time of this release.

A Site License, if purchased allows an unlimited number of users at one (1) location. Users must be officially affiliated with the site during the time of use. That means the license does not follow a user who permanently leaves the site (graduation, new employment, etc.). The license extends to persons whose primary job is normally performed at that location, but works occasionally from home or at a remote location. Hobbyists employed at the same location are welcome and encouraged to use the software. The single location restriction is imposed to limit distribution to local use for companies with multiple physical locations. This software may not be redistributed in any form, nor posted on the Internet or anywhere that it can be publicly accessed. The file(s) may be distributed on a server, via e-mail, etc., as needed for qualified users.

RF Cascade Workbook™ is offered AS IS. Your use of RF Cascade Workbook™ implies you alone accept responsibility for results obtained through its use, and will hold harmless Kirt Blattenberger, RF Cafe, and all legal assigns for any losses incurred through its use. RF Cascade Workbook™ has been tested very thoroughly, and there are no known problems at the time of this release. Discrepancies that affect accurate results, if discovered, will be fixed ASAP and a replacement version will be provided at no cost. Also, any and all User modifications to RF Cascade Workbook™ - other than entering values in the provided Unlocked cells, negates any and all responsibility by RF Cafe for the integrity of the software. Unprotecting a worksheet negates responsibility by RF Cafe.

None known.

For more than two decades, RF Cascade Workbook™ has been the de facto standard for spreadsheet-based RF system cascade analysis. Chances are you have never used a spreadsheet quite like this. Extensive use of VBA code enables complex calculations and automated user interface features that make the experience more like a software program than a spreadsheet. Using RF Cascade Workbook™ is as easy as any other Excel spreadsheet, and it allows you to make modifications to the cells and charts if your expertise is sufficient.

Here are some calculation verification screen captures to give you an idea of what its capabilities are.

This newest version, vL, has been modified to reduce the number of calculations needed, and VBA functions streamlined for faster execution. Also, a Reset button has been added to allow returning all user-defined values to either their default (null) values or to the validation values.

Extensive error trapping and limit testing are incorporated to help prevent mistakes. However, based on user feedback, so of the limits have been removed in vL to allow more flexibility.

RF Cascade Workbook is significantly easier and faster than using the multi-thousand dollar simulators when a quick system analysis is all that is needed. Many hundreds of hours have gone into developing this tool. Please see the RF Cascade Workbook™ intro video below for an overview of features. It is an older version, but fundamentally the same methods apply.

You are welcome to request vL for free if you own any previous version of 2018. However, if you can spare the $45, purchasing it again will help a poor webmaster keep food on the table - especially with the massive inflation since 2021!

Feature Descriptions
Some screenshots are from earlier
versions, but are still valid.

Excel's cell comment feature is use extensively to provide guidance for RF Cascade Workbook™ (RFCW). The contents of all the hints - and more - can be found on the "Help" worksheet (click the tab at the bottom). The "Help" worksheet, cell mouse-over comments, and this web page comprise the totality of documentation for RF Cascade Workbook™. There is no separate document available. RF Cascade Workbook 2005™ User's Guide should also be useful since it extensively documents formulas. Combined, there is a lot of information about not just how to use RFCW, but also how cascaded system analysis works. RF Cafe is also chock full of related information, so one way or the other, you're covered.

The built-in ability of locking cells to prevent unintentional overwriting of formulas is used in RF Cascade Workbook™. The System Definition worksheet is Locked as provided, but I have included a Lock and an Unlock button in case you need to change the state. Most of the time the protection can be left on. Trust me, even after becoming familiar with use, you will still find yourself accidently attempting to type into formula cells, and of course doing so invalidates calculated results. Probably the only time you will need to remove protection is when inserting or deleting columns or rows. I recommend never Unprotecting any worksheet since doing so invalidates the integrity as provided. Be sure to reapply Protection (Lock) if you decide to Unprotect (Unlock). See the RFCW Terms of Use information about liability.

Because of the sophisticated VBA code used, inserting and deleting columns and/or rows is not possible without breaking the calculations.

Since the complete worksheet occupies hundreds of rows, a convenient drop-down menu is provided to move up and down the page. Information necessary for the navigation to function is in the cell behind the menu, so if you accidently overwrite the cells, navigation no longer works (keep Protection turned on).

Charts are pre-configured for plotting all calculated cascade parameters. Auto-scaling of the axes is the default, but you can change all aspects of the chart formats per Excel standard. Select chart to display using drop-down menu.

These four top-level overall system parameters are used for many calculations. Be sure to define them along with the individual stage component parameters.

Build your system block diagram using the provided images or make your own. Click on the "Icons" tab at the bottom of the page to access and copy the desired icon (58x32 pixels), then paste it into the block diagram. Use Excel's standard Objects alignment and spacing tools for a perfect layout.

Enter each stage's nominal and tolerance values. Error checking is provided for exceeding power or gain limits (see below), no negative noise figure (NF), making sure NF is equal to absolute value of a negative gain component, etc. Errors are reported in the "Status" cells. Two rows f user-defined cells are provided for formulas along with a "User Defined" chart that displays the cell data.

This has been removed since some users want to be able to use larger or smaller values.

Enter the lower and upper frequency range for calculating the system response inclusive of filters and frequency conversion stages. 175 equally spaced frequency steps are calculated for all stages (176 points). Depending on your system, you might want to do sweeps across the entire input band of concern, then do narrower sweeps that will provide finer detail within your smaller filter bandwidths.

Note: the Lower frequency cannot be zero (0) because of the logarithmic horizontal chart scale. The smallest value permitted is 10^-12, which is small enough to include 1 Hz even when the Upper frequency is 1 THz.

Every stage can contain a frequency-dependent component which can be an actual filter or a model of the frequency response of an amplifier, cable, coupler, etc. RFCW checks to make sure all required inputs are present and alerts you if they are not. For example, if you select a bandpass filter and do not enter a lower frequency or if you use a Chebyshev and do not enter a ripple value (or if you enter invalid values, like lower frequency greater than upper frequency).

As with the filter specifications, every stage can have a frequency translation. That means there is no limit to the number of frequency conversions your system can have, although from a practical standpoint you will probably never have more than three. RFCW checks to make sure all required inputs are present and alerts you if they are not.

Frequency-Dependent Power Levels (RF Cascade Workbook) - RF Cafe

Frequency-dependent power levels based on filter responses and frequency translations are calculated separately from the other system cascade calculations (NF, IP2, IP3, etc.). Along with the filter response, all nominal stage component gains are included. Results are plotted in the "Frequency Response" ("Signal Power vs. Frequency") chart. These frequency-dependent gains and power levels are not used in any of other cascade calculations (NF, IP2, IP3, etc.). Note that frequency and power levels presented this matrix are actually calculated in cells below Row 944, but are done this way to conveniently place power levels next to their associated frequencies while making data selection for the chart simpler (take my word for it).

For archival purposes only, here are links to previous versions of RF Cascade Workbook:

RF Cascade Workbook™ - version LNow with the ability to automatically swap parameters of any two stages!

Feature Descriptions Some screenshots are from earlier versions, but are still valid.

RF Cascade Workbook™ - version L
Now with the ability to automatically swap parameters of any two stages!

Feature Descriptions
Some screenshots are from earlier
versions, but are still valid.