DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING

ECE 4203: COMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING LAB II

SEMESTER 2, 2017/2018

EXPERIMENT NO. 3
FSK Modulation

NAME: _____________________________________ MATRIC NO: ___________________

DATE: ______________________________ SECTION: __________________________

FSK MODULATION

Objective
• To describe the FSK modulation and demodulation (Frequency Shift Keying)
• To carry out a FSK connection
• To examine the noise effect on the connection

Material
• Power unit PSU
• Module holder base
• Individual Control Unit SIS1
• Experiment module MCM31
• Oscilloscope

THEORETICAL NOTIONS
Frequency Shift Keying – FSK

In this modulation the sine carrier takes 2 frequency values, determined by the binary data signal
(fig.1). The modulator can be carried out in different ways; among the most used we can mention:
 a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO)
 a system transmitting one of the 2 frequencies, as function of the data signal
 a frequency divider controlled by the data signal.

The most used demodulation technique is the one using a PLL circuit (fig.2). The FSK signal across
the PLL input takes two frequency values. The error voltage supplied by the phase comparator
follows such variations, and so, it constitutes the NRZ binary representation (high and low level) of
the FSK input signal. The PLL demodulator is followed by a low pass filter, which removes the
residual carrier components, and a squarer circuit which forms the proper data signal.

The main factors characterizing the FSK are:

applications of the data transmission modems (ITU-T V21, ITU-T V23, BELL 103, BELL 113,
BELL 202), in digital radio transmission, in the cellular telephone system ETACS (information
transmission across the Control Channel)
 it requires circuits of average complexity
 high probability of error, but lower than the ASK
 called Fb the bit transmission speed, the minimum spectrum Bw of the modulated signal is
higher than Fb
 the transmission efficiency, defined as the ratio between Fb and Bw, is lower than 1
 the Baud or Baud rate, defined as modulation speed or symbol speed, is equal to the
transmission speed Fb.

2
 Figure 1: FSK Modulation

Figure 2: FSK Demodulation with PLL

FSK Modulator

The block diagram of the FSK modulator is shown in fig.3. The FSK signal is generated by means of
2 ASK modulators, which outputs are combined together with an adder.

The two sine carriers at 1200 and 1800 Hz are applied separately to the 2 modulators. The data reach
one of the two modulators in direct form, the other in negated form.

In this way a modulator supplies a sine wave when the datum is "1", the second when the datum is
"0". The FSK signal is obtained by adding the two outputs (fig.3).
The 6dB-attenuator makes the signal amplitude half, and is activated.

3
 Figure 3: FSK Modulator

FSK Demodulator

The FSK demodulator consists in the sections shown in fig.4:

 an FM detector made with PLL circuit
 a low pass filter
 a squarer circuit (with output in TP29) in case of asynchronous data, which are not retimed)
 a circuit for clock extraction and data re-timing, in case of synchronous data (data output on
TP31, clock on TP32).
The filter, the clock extraction circuit and the data re-timing circuit are used to demodulate also other
kinds of signals.

Figure 4: FSK Demodulator

4
PROCEDURE

Wave-forms of the FSK Modulator

 MCM 31 – Disconnect all jumpers

 SIS1 – Turn all switches OFF
 Power the module
 set the circuit in FSK mode, with 24-bit data source and without data coding (connect J1c-J3a-
J4-J5-J6b, set SW2=Normal, Sw3=24 bit, SW4=1800, SW5=1200/00, SW6=FSK, SW8=BIT,
ATT=min, NOISE=min)
 set an alternated data sequence 00/11 and push START
 connect the oscilloscope to TP6 and TP16 and examine the data signal and the FSK signal.
Adjust the phase (PHASE) of the 1200Hz carrier to get continuity of FSK signal in the passage
between the two frequencies (this kind of modulation is known as Minimum Frequency Shift
Keying). Note the two different frequencies are generated at bits “1” and “0”, 1800Hz and
1200Hz in this case.

Q1 What can you detect across TP 16?

5
Q2 How is the FSK signal obtained?

Waveforms of the FSK demodulator

 Keep the last conditions (connect J1c-J3a-J4-J5-J6b, set SW2=Normal, Sw3=24 bit,
SW4=1800, SW5=1200/00, SW6=FSK, 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 FSK signal before and after the
communication Channel (Fig. 5)
 note the effect of the communication channel on the FSK signal. As the communication
channel is limited band (the frequency response is low pass), the output FSK signal is slightly
attenuated by the component with higher frequency (1800 Hz).
Q3 What kind of signal can you detect across TP 23?

6
 Figure 5: FSK Waveforms

 The signal supplied by the FSK demodulator is filtered by low pass filter, which removes the
residuals of the FSK frequencies. The detected data signal is obtained across the filter output
(TP24, fig. 5)
 in asynchronous data transmission, i.e. when in reception the clock regeneration and the data
re-timing are not required, it is sufficient to square the signal supplied by the filter. The square
output (threshold circuit) is detectable across TP29. On the oscilloscope note the
correspondence between the transmitted data (TP6) and the received data (TP29).
 Introduce line attenuation (ATT), and note that the received data are not affected by the
amplitude variations of the FSK signal. By inserting the noise (NOISE), too, you cause all
alteration on the received data.

7
Q4 Why is the FSK less sensitive than the ASK to the signal amplitude variations?

 Take the line attenuation and line noise minimum

Turn ON switch S15

Q5 The data in TP29 are not correct. Why?