BBox 5G | mmWave Beamformer for Antenna & Protocol Designers | TMYTEK
TMYTEK BBox 5G is a mmWave Beamformer with a detachable standard array antenna AA kit. Antenna designers can also dock in their own design antenna to do beamforming

BBox™ 5G

mmWave NR Beamforming Development Tool

Let you focus on 5G antenna array design and mmWave application development

What is BBox™ 5G?

A mmWave analog beamformer

BBox™ 5G comprises RF components such as transmit/receive (​T/R) switch, power amplifier (PA), low noise amplifier (​LNA) and phase shifters as well as TMYTEK‘s standard antenna for 5G beam steering. Furthermore, beam shaping and beam synthesis can be easily implemented in one device.

An Integration of software and hardware

TMYTEK's in -house designed software interface offers both GUI and API control.Our patented software algorithm offers better accuracy and easier control on the beam angles for 5G R&D.

A highly compatible beamforming solution

BBox™ has several successful integrated solutions: 5G New Radio Millimeter-wave (NR mmWave) beamforming Over-the-Air (OTA) communication, fast mmWave scanning channel sounding system, and mmWave radar applications.

Why BBox?

Ready-to-use mmWave device for 5G NR application

It has a detachable antenna kit so antenna array designers can easily replace it with their own design.

BBox is a highly integrated front-end module (FEM) device, perfect for 5G NR mmWave system integration.

It comes with complete software/hardware integration and easy-to-access programming, ideal for beam synthesis algorithm developers

Key Features

  • Operating Frequency: 26.5 to 29.5 GHz
  • Antenna designed for 5G n257 band
  • Up to 16 controllable RF channels, each channel providing:
  • 360 ̊ phase shifter coverage with 5 ̊ per step
  • 15 dB attenuation range with 0.5 dB per step
  • T/R half duplex operation
  • Software control via RJ-45 Ethernet or SPI interface
  • CE/FCC/UKCA/ICES certified
Internal Structure
BBox 5G’s structure
TMYTEK’s standard 4x4 array antenna and 4 RF channels with PAs, LNAs, PSs, gain phase controls and TR switches

Beamformer Series

BBox One 5G with antenna, 28 and 39 GHz

BBox One 5G

BBox Lite 5G with antenna, 28 and 39 GHz

BBox Lite 5G

BBoard, an affordable beamformer, 28 and 39 GHz

BBoard  

26 GHz28 GHz39 GHz28 GHz39 GHz28 GHz39 GHz
Frequency24.25 - 27.5 GHz26.5 - 29.5 GHz37.0 - 40.0 GHz26.5 - 29.5 GHz37.0 - 40.0 GHz26.5 - 29.5 GHz37.0 - 40.0 GHz
RF Channels4 x 41 x 41 x 4
Phi-A Tx/Rx Gain8 - 12 / 0 - 4 dB8 - 10 / 0 - 2 dB1 - 3 / -1 - 1 dB16 / 12 dB15 / 10 dB15 / 11 dB14 / 9 dB
Phi-A Phase Shifting Range360 deg360 deg360 deg360 deg360 deg360 deg360 deg
System Tx/Rx Gain38 / 30 dB38 / 30 dB24 / 27 dB34 / 30 dB31 / 26 dB------
Beam Steering Range (V)±45 deg±45 deg±40 degFixedFixed------
Beam Steering Range (H)±45 deg±45 deg±40 deg±45 deg±45 deg------
Dimensions (mm)152.5 x 82 x 82119.4 x 102 x 101105.6 x 98 x 37
Datasheet

BBox 5G Introduction

Front of BBox One with array antenna.
Antenna
Front of BBox One without array antenna.
SMPM Connector
Antenna is detachable
Back of BBox one with DC IN port,  SPI port,  LAN port, Type-C port and power button.
Power
RF COM
LAN
SPI
Type-C
Front of BBox Lite with 4 RF channels antenna.
RF4
RF3
RF2
RF1
Front of BBox Lite with 4 RF channels antenna. Back of BBox Lite with SPI port, RF COM port,  LAN port, Type-C port and power button.
SPI
RF COM
Power
LAN
Type-C

BBox One 5G

BBox Lite 5G

GUI that engineers can turn on/off each channel and control gain and phase.

Software Ready

API

Compatible with Python/MATLAB/LabVIEW/C++/C#.

GUI

  • Simple beam steering control​
  • Individual channel control​
  • Customized antenna setting

New: WEB-TLK is available now! Control TMYTEK hardware effortlessly through your web browser.

The structure of BBox one with an array antenna design attached

Development Tool for 5G mmWave Antenna Designer

BBox™ 5G is composed of two separable components, the AA Kit and PhiA box. Antenna designers can detach and replace the AA Kit with their antenna array design to produce a unique phased array FEM.
Lead more possibilities for antenna designers; for further details, see the Array Antenna R&D Solution.
Learn More
One of the BBox and UD Box application example. Base station emulator being upgraded

Development Tool for 5G mmWave System/Communication Designer

Baseband developers implement advanced algorithms for 5G NR mmWave such as beam tracking and beam control. The air interface is mandatory to radiate controllable beam patterns. With multiple BBox™, multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technology with beamforming is possible.

TMYTEK BBox and UD Box provide the discrete architecture of the communication system and integration with OAI. It provides flexibilities for users to develop customized requirements for a variety of research topics, such as SU-MIMO and MU-MIMO with commercial user equipment.

Learn More
Case Study - mmWave Beamforming and Massive MIMO >
UD Box Series - RF Up and Down Converter >
One of the BBox and UD Box application example. Two sets of BBox 5G and UD Box single channel attached with one SDR (software-defined radio) Two UD Boxes can be synced by 100 MHz Synchronization.

A Complete Solution for Algorithm Developers

BBox™ is a complete software/hardware integrated device from firmware, API, to beamformer FEM. 5G protocol developers can verify the beam tracking algorithm and protocols by connecting BBox™ to a baseband instrument. BBox™ allows engineers to precisely control the gain and phase, making it ideal for the research and development of beamforming algorithms and protocols.
With the integration of OAI, it expands the research topics for those who care about communication throughput. It allows users to develop the software on both the gNB and UE sides.
Learn More
Case Study - 5G Channel Sounders >
UD Box Series - RF Up and Down Converter >
Shu Cheng Yu

Testimonial: Enhancing 5G/6G Wireless Communication Security with the BBox

TMYTEK BBox greatly simplifies the prototype implementation in our wireless research. The programmable mmWave beamformer, including the GUI and programming API, offers flexible yet intuitive tools for different experimental settings.

Shucheng Yu, Ph.D., FIEEE

Associate Professor, ECE Department, Stevens Institute of Technology

Equipment Configuration

BBox One + ​UD Box(Dual Channel) + BS Emulator
BBox One + ​UD Box(Dual Channel) + BS Emulator

Related Video

Information & Documentation

What’s included
  • BBox One / Lite 5G with Antenna
  • Adapter & Adapter cable
  • Ethernet Cable
  • User Guide
  • Test Report
  • Certificate

FAQ

Does the API support Linux environment ?
Yes, you can refer to our github link for more details. https://github.com/tmytek/bbox-api
Is BBox integrated with openairinterface ?
Yes, we provide api that can be used in the Linux environment and easy to integrate with OAI project.
What's the beam switching speed ?
2ms if using LAN as control interface, however it's achievable if using SPI interface with different control host such as FPGA.
Can BBox™ perform algorithm analysis?
It can verify beam tracking or beam management algorithms by connecting BBox to a baseband instrument.
Is software provided for the control of BBox™?
We have GUI and API available for developers to control channel amplitude and phase. Our GUI is called the TMXLAB Kit which integrates most of our products into a single user interface. On the other hand, API is ready-made to help production line automation and research environment for more extensive controls.
Is BBox™ a transmitter (Tx) or a receiver (Rx)?
BBox is half-duplexed. It can operate as a transmitter or as a receiver. The T/R switch can be configured in the GUI or API.
What is the pitch between each patch antenna on AA Kit?
Pitch is 5 mm.
What is the advantage of using BBox™ for mmWave phased array antenna development?
The antenna (AA Kit) on BBox™ can be separated from its main body (ΦA Box) and the output of BBox™ is calibrated so each output port is in phase with the other output ports. This helps designers quickly iterate design changes and adapt to different test systems.
What is the antenna polarization of BBox™?
Our BBox™ antenna is single and vertically-polarized.
What is the frequency band of BBox™? Is it only for the 5G FR2 n261 band?
AA Kit is our standard antenna array which is designed for the n261 band. Our ΦA box covers the frequency range from 25 to 31 GHz. You can either design your antenna or we can customize one for you with an NRE charge.
What is the main functional difference between BBox One and BBox Lite?
There are six main differences and they are (1) number of channels, (2) AA Kit design, (3) channel gain, (4) total gain, (5) scan angle and (6) dimensions.
What is the difference between 4x4 and 8x8 AA Kits? How does 8x8 AA Kit patch antenna mapping to 16 channel BBox One?
The 8x8 AA Kit has a higher gain, narrower beam and smaller scan range when compared to the 4x4 AA Kit. Each group of four antenna patches on the 8x8 AA Kit maps to one channel on the BBox™ One. On the other hand, 4x4 AA Kit has one-on-one mapping.
What is the recommended factory calibration period?
We recommend a factory re-calibration and checkup once per year under normal usage conditions. If the module is used aggressively, this schedule may be shortened.
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