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Quick Start

Get oriented in three steps. No prior experience with the tool required.

Step 1 — Open SigChain and see the canvas​

When you first open SigChain, you'll see:

  • Top — Application Toolbar
  • Center — Signal chain canvas (empty to start)
  • Bottom — Parameters, Analysis and BOM workbench

The canvas is where your chain lives. The chat is how you build it fast.

Step 2 — Build a chain with the AI assistant​

Click "Chat" on the Application Toolbar, this will open the chat panel. In the chat window type:

Add a LNA, mixer, IF filter, and driver in that order. Connect a LO to the mixer

The AI adds five blocks to the canvas and connects them in order. You'll see:

  • Each block rendered with its corresponding symbol
  • Connections drawn between them automatically
  • The Parameters workbench populating with columns for each block

You can also ask the AI to set parameters:

Set the LNA gain to 18 dB and noise figure to 1.5 dB

Step 3 — Set the system spec and read the analysis​

Open System Specs from the design-spec summary bar and enter:

  • Operating mode: RX
  • RF center: 2440 MHz
  • IF center: 140 MHz
  • LO center: 2300 MHz (calculated automatically for this chain because it includes an LO block)

You should see a frequency spectrum diagram auto populate.

Step 4

Click on Params in the header Application tool bar and enter block parameters:

Mixer Gain: -2 Bandpass Filter Gain: -7 Driver Gain: -3

Step 5

The Analysis panel will populate with:

  • System Totals
  • Cascade Performance
  • Per-stage details for each block in the chain

You should only see Gain fields populated. Metrics that that can't be computed yet show as '-' in the analysis view. This is normal. Fill in the missing values in the Parameters view to resolve them.

Next: Key Concepts explains the terms you'll see throughout the tool.