Adaptive Impedance Matching

Students: James Weaver, Jessie Lopez

Faculty Mentor: Mohamed Salem

Engineering

College of Science, Technology, and Business

This project focuses on the development of a real-time adaptive impedance matching system for RF and microwave applications. The system utilizes a BladeRF software-defined radio (SDR) to transmit a signal and measure reflected power via a directional coupler. GNU Radio processes the reflected signal to calculate return loss and forwards the data via a USB-to-UART bridge to a microcontroller, which executes a feedback control algorithm and adjusts two digital-to-analog converters (DACs) via I2C. These in turn tune varactor diodes to dynamically optimize impedance matching. This closed-loop system is designed for continuous, real-time operation, improving transmission efficiency and minimizing power loss in RF systems.