The Radiofrequency Coil and Electronics Lab is a fully equipped shop (approximately 1200 sq feet) with oscilloscopes, signal generators, and a variety of other essential test and measurement equipment. The lab has a small machine shop, with table, chop, and band saws and a drill press. It also has bench space, and wet-lab space with fume hood in addition to a full stock of electronic parts, manuals, and data books. The heart of the coil lab are the network analyzers including:
- Two Agilent E5061A network analyzers
- One Rohde & Schwarz ZVL network/spectrum analyzer with optional hardware and software that allows for noise figure measurements
- One Rohde & Schwarz FSH3 portable spectrum/network analyzer
- One HP 8752A network analyzer
In addition, the lab is equipped with power supplies, and a full size test bore/RF shield to simulate the electrical environment of the MRI patient bore. We have also constructed an MRI patient table simulator, providing necessary bias voltages and connector/plug assemblies, that allows for full 32 channel receiver chain circuitry testing from the coil through the preamp and table connectors. In addition to this full table simulator, we have a similar assembly to test a single coil plug.
Software
The lab has a variety of computer software packages that are used to design and simulate Gradient and RF coils as well as other mechanical design projects. The key pieces are a full version of the SolidWorks CAD software and the Remcom xFDTD 3D electromagnetics simulation software, in addition to countless in-house codes for various types of simulation and image analysis.
Machine Shop
UCAIR has a small machine shop for coil parts fabrication that will be used for construction of the inner ear Tx and Rx RF coils for this project. The School of Medicine machine shop is located in the INC building and is fully equipped and available for major machining projects. In addition we have access to the Physics and Mechanical Engineering machine shops which provide a variety of expertise and facilities including 3D printers and water jet cutters.