PS-UHD
RITM SDR USRP hardware and software complex is a unique solution with full software compatibility with SDR devices manufactured by National Instruments. This compatibility is implemented at the processor level (MPM — Module Peripheral Manager) and FPGA (UHD — USRP Hardware Driver), which allows you to use the standard USRP client part without modifications.
Despite the software identity, the devices differ at the hardware level: RITM SDR USRP has its own characteristics of amplification and attenuation paths, port configuration, etc. Nevertheless, external application software identifies the complex as USRP E320.
This approach allows engineers who have experience and script libraries for the USRP ecosystem, «out of the box» Integrate SDR USRP RITM into existing workflows. This eliminates the need to adapt the model architecture or retrain personnel, ensuring a seamless transition to a new domestic hardware base.
E320 compatibility mode
USRP E320 is a popular and affordable SDR from National Instruments, which over the years has gained popularity among engineers from all over the world. It is possible to compare the characteristics of the RITM SDR USRP and E320:
| Characteristics | E320 | RITM SDR USRP |
|---|---|---|
Housing |
Passive cooling |
Active and passive cooling |
Management |
Possibility of remote administration |
Possibility of remote administration |
Operating modes |
Standalone (embedded) or host-oriented (streaming over a network) |
Standalone (embedded) or host-oriented (streaming over a network) |
Frequency range |
from 70 MHz to 6 GHz |
from 75 MHz to 6 GHz |
Instantaneous bandwidth |
Up to 56 MHz |
Up to 450 MHz on TX and up to 200 MHz on RX (in compatibility mode limited to 56 MHz) |
Filtering |
Receiving (RX) and transmitting (TX) filter block |
Based on embedded IP cores |
System on a Chip (SoC) |
Xilinx Zynq-7045 |
Zynq UltraScale+ |
Processor (CPU) |
Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 800 MHz, 1 GB of DDR3 RAM |
4 × ARM-A53 + 2 × ARM-R5, 4 GB DDR4 |
FPGA (FPGA) |
Xilinx 7 series, 2 GB of DDR3 RAM |
Zynq UltraScale+ XCZU15EG, 2 GB DDR4 |
SFP+ interface |
1 port (1 GbE, 10 GbE, Aurora) |
2× SFP+ (12.5 Gbps per line) |
Network interface |
1 port |
2× Ethernet 1 Gbit/s |
Frequency synchronization |
Input of the reference generator (Clock reference) |
Input of the reference generator (Clock reference) |
Time synchronization |
PPS Input |
PPS Input (pulse per second) |
Built-in module |
GPSDO |
GPSDO |
USB interfaces |
1 USB Type A port (host), 1 micro-USB port (console, JTAG) |
4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 micro-USB ports (PS, PL UART) |
TPM |
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) v1.2 |
Missing |
System control |
Watchdog timer |
Watchdog timer |
OS |
Open Embedded Linux |
GNU Linux with patches from Xilinx + buildroot |
Programming Interface (API) |
USRP Hardware Driver™ (UHD) version 3.14.0 or higher |
USRP Hardware Driver™ (UHD) version 4.8.0 |
FPGA development environment |
RF Network on Chip (RFNoC™) |
RF Network on Chip (RFNoC™) |
Software for design |
Xilinx Vivado 2017.4 |
Xilinx Vivado 2024.1.2 |
Software support |
GNU Radio, Python UHD, Matlab UHD, LabView |
GNU Radio, Python API, Matlab API, LabView, Engee |
As can be seen from the comparison table, the RITM SDR USRP surpasses the USRP E320 in FPGA, CPU and peripheral power, but at the same time has the same extensive configuration and control capabilities.
Since the compatibility mode guarantees the ability to work with RITM SDR USRP as with USRP E320, you can use the technical information from the official website Ettus Research. An example of sharing RITM SDR USRP and Engee you can find in the article Getting started with RITM SDR USRP. New and more advanced examples of the application of RITM SDR USRP can be found in community Engee.