Date of Award
6-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2026
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
First Advisor
Kurt Schab
Abstract
This project presents the design, construction, and testing of a low-cost Frequency- Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar system inspired by the MIT Coffee-Can Radar. The system was developed as a modular educational radar platform intended to demonstrate fundamental radar concepts while incorporating updated RF components, custom printed circuit board designs, and improved system-level testing. The radar architecture includes a triangle-wave modulator, voltage-controlled oscillator, attenuator, power amplifier, RF splitter, transmit and receive antennas, low-noise amplifier, mixer, SMA interconnects, and video amplifier.
The project focused on validating individual subsystems, characterizing the chirped RF output, tuning the antennas near the 2.4 GHz operating range, and assembling the system within a target budget of less than $1500. This thesis documents the radar theory, design decisions, hardware implementation, testing methodology, results, cost analysis, and assembly guidance for future development.
Recommended Citation
Chau, Francis; Galindez, Alfred; and Petersen, Austin, "RF Target Identification with Custom Radar Systems" (2026). Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses. 123.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/elec_senior/123
