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BladeRF: Difference between revisions
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==Preparing the FPGA== | ==Preparing the FPGA== | ||
Upon attaching a new bladeRF, the <tt>bladeRF-cli</tt> REPL will confirm that no firmware is present: | Upon attaching a new bladeRF, only one LED will come on, and the <tt>bladeRF-cli</tt> REPL will confirm that no firmware is present: | ||
<pre> | <pre> | ||
bladeRF> version | bladeRF> version | ||
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Firmware version: 2.3.2 | Firmware version: 2.3.2 | ||
FPGA version: Unknown (FPGA not loaded) | FPGA version: Unknown (FPGA not loaded) | ||
bladeRF> | |||
</pre> | |||
Load the appropriate FPGA bitstream with <tt>load fpga</tt> or <tt>bladeRF-cli -l</tt>: | |||
<pre> | |||
bladeRF> load fpga hostedxA4-latest.rbf | |||
Loading fpga from hostedxA4-latest.rbf... | |||
Done. | |||
bladeRF> | |||
</pre> | |||
The load will require several seconds. Once done, all LEDs will come on, and the <tt>info</tt> command will function: | |||
<pre> | |||
bladeRF> version | |||
bladeRF-cli version: 1.7.1-git-896d2431 | |||
libbladeRF version: 2.2.0-git-896d2431 | |||
Firmware version: 2.3.2 | |||
FPGA version: 0.10.2 (configured by USB host) | |||
bladeRF> info | |||
Board: Nuand bladeRF 2.0 (bladerf2) | |||
Serial #: bd2d6ad6e48f4403bf3768ab63ed88a4 | |||
VCTCXO DAC calibration: 0x1fff | |||
FPGA size: 49 KLE | |||
FPGA loaded: yes | |||
Flash size: 32 Mbit | |||
USB bus: 2 | |||
USB address: 2 | |||
USB speed: SuperSpeed | |||
Backend: libusb | |||
Instance: 0 | |||
bladeRF> | bladeRF> | ||
</pre> | </pre> | ||
Revision as of 22:18, 6 July 2019
The FPGA-based bladeRF SDR is offered by Nuand of San Francisco. The line includes:
| Model | Price |
|---|---|
| bladeRF 2.0 micro xA9 | $720 |
| bladeRF 2.0 micro xA4 | $480 |
| bladeRF x115 | $650 |
| bladeRF x40 | $420 |
The underlying FPGAs are not fully utilized by the radio software itself, and can thus be extended by the user. Additional products include the XB-200 LF/MF/HF/VHF transverter for lower-range work, the XB-300 amplifier/LNA, and the XB-100 GPIO expansion board. These only work with the x115/x40.
The libbladeRF repository contains the sources necessary for working with bladeRF. Clone this repository with the --recursive option to acquire submodules. FPGA blobs can be acquired at Nuand's site. No kernel driver is necessary; libbladeRF works directly with USB devices using libusb.
Preparing the FPGA
Upon attaching a new bladeRF, only one LED will come on, and the bladeRF-cli REPL will confirm that no firmware is present:
bladeRF> version bladeRF-cli version: 1.7.1-git-896d2431 libbladeRF version: 2.2.0-git-896d2431 Firmware version: 2.3.2 FPGA version: Unknown (FPGA not loaded) bladeRF>
Load the appropriate FPGA bitstream with load fpga or bladeRF-cli -l:
bladeRF> load fpga hostedxA4-latest.rbf Loading fpga from hostedxA4-latest.rbf... Done. bladeRF>
The load will require several seconds. Once done, all LEDs will come on, and the info command will function:
bladeRF> version bladeRF-cli version: 1.7.1-git-896d2431 libbladeRF version: 2.2.0-git-896d2431 Firmware version: 2.3.2 FPGA version: 0.10.2 (configured by USB host) bladeRF> info Board: Nuand bladeRF 2.0 (bladerf2) Serial #: bd2d6ad6e48f4403bf3768ab63ed88a4 VCTCXO DAC calibration: 0x1fff FPGA size: 49 KLE FPGA loaded: yes Flash size: 32 Mbit USB bus: 2 USB address: 2 USB speed: SuperSpeed Backend: libusb Instance: 0 bladeRF>
