Universal Software Radio Peripheral
Encyclopedia
The Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) products are a family of computer-hosted hardware offered by Ettus Research LLC and its parent company, National Instruments, for making software radios. The USRP product is intended to be a comparatively inexpensive hardware device for software radio. The USRP hardware connects to a host computer through a high-speed USB or Gigabit Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet is a term describing various technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second , as defined by the IEEE 802.3-2008 standard. It came into use beginning in 1999, gradually supplanting Fast Ethernet in wired local networks where it performed...
link. The connection enables host-based software to control the USRP hardware and prepare signals for transmission or reception.
The USRP family was designed for flexibility, allowing developers to make their own daughterboard
Daughterboard
A daughterboard, daughtercard or piggyback board is a circuit board meant to be an extension or "daughter" of a motherboard , or occasionally of another card...
s for specific needs with regard to connectors, different frequency
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
bands, etc. The board schematics for the USRP family hardware are freely available for download.
Open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
drivers and free software to integrate with GNU Radio
GNU Radio
GNU Radio is a free software toolkit for learning about, building, and deploying software-defined radio systems. GNU Radio is released under the GPL version 3 license....
are also available.
The USRP family was developed by a team led by Matt Ettus.
USRP1
The USRP1 consists of:- Four high-speed analog-to-digital converterAnalog-to-digital converterAn analog-to-digital converter is a device that converts a continuous quantity to a discrete time digital representation. An ADC may also provide an isolated measurement...
s, each capable of 64 MS/sSampling rateThe sampling rate, sample rate, or sampling frequency defines the number of samples per unit of time taken from a continuous signal to make a discrete signal. For time-domain signals, the unit for sampling rate is hertz , sometimes noted as Sa/s...
at a resolution of 12-bitBitA bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
, 85dBDecibelThe decibel is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified or implied reference level. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities...
SFDR (AD9862). - Four high-speed digital-to-analog converterDigital-to-analog converterIn electronics, a digital-to-analog converter is a device that converts a digital code to an analog signal . An analog-to-digital converter performs the reverse operation...
s, each capable of 128 MS/s at a resolutionTemporal resolutionTemporal resolution refers to the precision of a measurement with respect to time. Often there is a tradeoff between temporal resolution of a measurement and its spatial resolution. This trade-off can be attributed to the finite speed of light and the fact that it takes a certain period of time...
of 14-bit, 83dB SFDR (AD9862). - An Altera Cyclone EP1C12Q240C8 FPGA.
- A Cypress EZ-USB FX2 High-speed USB 2.0 controller.
- Four extension sockets (2 TX, 2 RX) in order to connect 2–4 daughterboards.
- 64 GPIO pins available through four BasicTX/BasicRX daughterboard modules (16 pins each).
- glue logicGlue logicIn electronics, glue logic is the custom logic circuitry used to interface a number of off-the-shelf integrated circuits.This is often achieved using ordinary 7400- or 4000-series components. In more complex cases, programmable logic devices like a CPLD or FPGA might be used...
.
B100
The B100, introduced in October of 2011, replaces the USRP as the basic Software Defined Radio offering from Ettus Research. The features of the B100 are:- USB 2.0 interface
- XilinxXilinxXilinx, Inc. is a supplier of programmable logic devices. It is known for inventing the field programmable gate array and as the first semiconductor company with a fabless manufacturing model....
SpartanSpartanA Spartan is a person from the Greek city Sparta or the ancient Greek city-state of the same name. In the latter context, the term "Spartan" in its most technical sense refers to a member of the Spartiate caste and under some usages also encompasses the class of mothakes, residents of Sparta who...
3A-1400 FPGA - Compatibility with our entire daughterboard family
- Fully supported by UHD drivers
- Dual 64 MS/s 12-bit ADCADCADC may refer to:In aviation:*ADC Aircraft, a British firm established in March 1920*ADC Airlines, based in Ikeja, Nigeria*Aerospace Defense Command of the U.S...
s - Dual 128 MS/s 14-bit DACDAC- Culture :*Danish Architecture Centre*Deutsche Alternative Charts, a listing of the most popular alternative albums and singles in Germany*David Allan Coe, a country singer- Sports :*Dakota Athletic Conference, an athletic conference....
s - Onboard TCXO for precise frequency control
- 10 MHz and 1 PPS inputs for external references
- Flexible clocking from 10 MHz to 64 MHz
- 8 MHz of RF bandwidth with 16 bit samples
- 16 MHz of RF bandwidth with 8 bit samples
USRP2
The USRP2 was developed after the USRP and was first made available in September 2008. It has reached end of life and has been replaced by the USRP N200 and USRP N210. The USRP2 was not intended to replace the original USRP, which continued to be sold in parallel to the USRP2.The USRP2 contains:
- A Xilinx Spartan 3-2000 FPGA
- Gigabit EthernetGigabit EthernetGigabit Ethernet is a term describing various technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second , as defined by the IEEE 802.3-2008 standard. It came into use beginning in 1999, gradually supplanting Fast Ethernet in wired local networks where it performed...
interface - Two 100 MS/s, 14-bit, analog-to-digital converters. LTC2284, 72.4dB SNR and 85dB SFDR for signals at the Nyquist frequency.
- Two 400 MS/s, 16-bit, digital-to-analog converters. AD9777. 160 MSPS w/o interpolation, up to 400 MSPS with 8x interpolation.
- SDSecure DigitalSecure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
card reader.
USRP N200 and USRP N210
The USRP N200 and USRP N210 replace the USRP2 and were first made available in November 2010. The units improve on the successful USRP2, offering higher performance and increased flexibility. Like the USRP2, the units connect to a host PC through a Gigabit EthernetGigabit Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet is a term describing various technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second , as defined by the IEEE 802.3-2008 standard. It came into use beginning in 1999, gradually supplanting Fast Ethernet in wired local networks where it performed...
link enabling transfer of up to 50 MHz RF bandwidth to / and from the device. Unlike the USRP2, the configuration and firmware are stored in onboard Flash to allow for easy programming over the network.
E1xx Series
The E1xx Series are Software Defined Radios designed for embedded applications. The current devices available in this series are the E100 and E110.E100
- Designed for embedded applications. Runs a full distribution of LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
. - 720 MHz OMAP3 (ARM Cortex-A8ARM Cortex-A8The ARM Cortex-A8 is a processor core designed by ARM Holdings implementing the ARM v7 instruction set architecture. Compared to the ARM11 core, the Cortex-A8 is dual-issue superscalar, achieving roughly twice the instructions executed per clock cycle....
processor & TITITI, Ti, ti or T.I. may refer to:* Acronis True Image, a disk imaging program* Cordyline fruticosa, a plant known as Ti by the Polynesians* Taiwan independence, a political movement* Thermal instability* Thermodynamic integration...
C64x+ DSPDSP- Computing :* Digital signal processing, the study and implementation of signals in digital computing and their processing methods* Digital signal processor, a specialized microprocessor designed specifically for digital signal processing...
) - 512MB RAM
- 4GB microSD Card
- 100 Mbit EthernetEthernetEthernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
connectivity - Motherboard has one RTX daughterboard slot (1 RX + 1 TX connectors)
- Onboard FPGA processing
- FPGA: XilinxXilinxXilinx, Inc. is a supplier of programmable logic devices. It is known for inventing the field programmable gate array and as the first semiconductor company with a fabless manufacturing model....
SpartanSpartanA Spartan is a person from the Greek city Sparta or the ancient Greek city-state of the same name. In the latter context, the term "Spartan" in its most technical sense refers to a member of the Spartiate caste and under some usages also encompasses the class of mothakes, residents of Sparta who...
XC3SD1800A - ADCADCADC may refer to:In aviation:*ADC Aircraft, a British firm established in March 1920*ADC Airlines, based in Ikeja, Nigeria*Aerospace Defense Command of the U.S...
s: 12-bits 64 MS/s - DACDAC- Culture :*Danish Architecture Centre*Deutsche Alternative Charts, a listing of the most popular alternative albums and singles in Germany*David Allan Coe, a country singer- Sports :*Dakota Athletic Conference, an athletic conference....
s: 14-bits 128 MS/s - TCXO Frequency Reference (~2.5ppm)
- Flexible clocking from 10 MHz to 64 MHz
E110
The E110 was released in October, 2011.- Designed for embedded applications. Runs a full distribution of LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
. - 720 MHz OMAP3 (ARM Cortex-A8ARM Cortex-A8The ARM Cortex-A8 is a processor core designed by ARM Holdings implementing the ARM v7 instruction set architecture. Compared to the ARM11 core, the Cortex-A8 is dual-issue superscalar, achieving roughly twice the instructions executed per clock cycle....
processor & TITITI, Ti, ti or T.I. may refer to:* Acronis True Image, a disk imaging program* Cordyline fruticosa, a plant known as Ti by the Polynesians* Taiwan independence, a political movement* Thermal instability* Thermodynamic integration...
C64x+ DSPDSP- Computing :* Digital signal processing, the study and implementation of signals in digital computing and their processing methods* Digital signal processor, a specialized microprocessor designed specifically for digital signal processing...
) - 512MB RAM
- 4GB microSD Card
- 100 Mbit EthernetEthernetEthernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
connectivity - Motherboard has one RTX daughterboard slot (1 RX + 1 TX connectors)
- Onboard FPGA processing
- FPGA: XilinxXilinxXilinx, Inc. is a supplier of programmable logic devices. It is known for inventing the field programmable gate array and as the first semiconductor company with a fabless manufacturing model....
SpartanSpartanA Spartan is a person from the Greek city Sparta or the ancient Greek city-state of the same name. In the latter context, the term "Spartan" in its most technical sense refers to a member of the Spartiate caste and under some usages also encompasses the class of mothakes, residents of Sparta who...
XC3SD3400A - ADCADCADC may refer to:In aviation:*ADC Aircraft, a British firm established in March 1920*ADC Airlines, based in Ikeja, Nigeria*Aerospace Defense Command of the U.S...
s: 12-bits 64 MS/s - DACDAC- Culture :*Danish Architecture Centre*Deutsche Alternative Charts, a listing of the most popular alternative albums and singles in Germany*David Allan Coe, a country singer- Sports :*Dakota Athletic Conference, an athletic conference....
s: 14-bits 128 MS/s - TCXO Frequency Reference (~2.5ppm)
- Flexible clocking from 10 MHz to 64 MHz
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USRP family Daughterboard Modules
- Transmitter daughterboard modules can modulate an output signal to a higher frequency.
- Receiver daughterboard modules can acquire an RF signal and convert it to baseband.
- Transceiver daughterboard modules combine the functionality of a Transmitter and Receiver.
Receivers only support RX (receiving) and consume only one RX port:
- BasicRX, 1–250 MHz Receiver, for use with external RF hardware.
- LFRX, DC to 30 MHz Receiver
- TVRX, 50 MHz to 870 MHz Receiver
- DBSRX, 800 MHz to 2.4 GHz Receiver
- BURX, 300 MHz to 4 GHz Receiver
Transmitters only support TX and consume one TX port:
- BasicTX, 1–250 MHz Transmitter, for use with external RF hardware.
- LFTX, DC to 30 MHz Transmitter.
Transceivers are both TX and RX and consume 2 ports (all come with 70dB AGC unless specified otherwise):
- SBX, 400 MHz–4.4 GHz Transceiver, 100 mW output.
- WBX, 50 MHz–2.2 GHz Transceiver, 100 mW output.
- RFX400, 400–500 MHz Transceiver, 100+mW output, 45dB AGC. Can be changed to cover 200 MHz up to 800 MHz with a hardware mod.
- RFX900, 800–1000 MHz Transceiver, 200+mW output (can be changed into a RFX1800 with basic soldering and flash update).
- RFX1200, 1150–1450 MHz Transceiver, 200+mW output.
- RFX1800, 1.5–2.1 GHz Transceiver, 100+mW output (can be changed into a RFX900 with a flash update).
- RFX2200, 2.0–2.4 GHz Transceiver, 100+mW output.
- RFX2400, 2.3–2.9 GHz Transceiver, 20+mW output (can be changed into a RFX1200 with basic soldering and flash update).
- XCVR2450, Dual-band Transceiver, 100+mW output at 2.4–2.5 GHz and 50+mW output 4.9–5.85 GHz.
Applications
- An APCO25 compatible Transmitter/Receiver and Decoder
- RFID reader
- testing equipment
- a cellular GSM base station
- a GPSGlobal Positioning SystemThe Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
receiver - an FM radio receiver
- an FM radio transmitter
- a digital televisionDigital televisionDigital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
(ATSC) decoder - passive radar
- synthetic aperture radarSynthetic aperture radarSynthetic-aperture radar is a form of radar whose defining characteristic is its use of relative motion between an antenna and its target region to provide distinctive long-term coherent-signal variations that are exploited to obtain finer spatial resolution than is possible with conventional...
- an amateur radio
- a teaching aid
- Digital Audio BroadcastingDigital audio broadcastingDigital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
(DAB/DAB+/DMB) transmitter - Mobile WiMAX receiver with USRP N2x0
External links
- Ettus Research LLC, makers of the USRP platform
- The GNU Radio wiki
- A Wired Article on the USRP platform
- Firas's USRP platform Documentation
- Using the USRP platform for digital communications Tools4SDR