Software Defined Radio Transmitter Demo Board

Hello everyone.

We are a senior design group from Oregon State University.
Our webpage is:
http://classes.engr.oregonstate.edu/...441/groups/g1/
(soon to be updated with Part Numbers and source code)

We've nearly ordered all of our parts: Spartan 3 (demo board), RF
Oscillator, High Signal Level Upconverting Mixer, I/Q Modulator,
Amplifier, Voltage Regulators, DACs, and Transmitters.

Our goal is to transmit signals using either 16QAM or BPSK Modulation.

Our plan is to
* model functions using vhdl
* build a prototype circuit
* synthesize our code onto fpga
* analyze results using various scopes

Currently working on a more accurate block diagram showing component
connection. feel free to respond with questions/comments/concerns.

Why not use the GNU radio and USRP?
http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuradio/

All the tools are free, the usrp is only about $500, and it has two transmit
and two receive.

-Clark

<zhangweidai@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1139266177.622935.100410@z14g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...
> Hello everyone.
>
> We are a senior design group from Oregon State University.
> Our webpage is:
> http://classes.engr.oregonstate.edu/...441/groups/g1/
> (soon to be updated with Part Numbers and source code)
>
> We've nearly ordered all of our parts: Spartan 3 (demo board), RF
> Oscillator, High Signal Level Upconverting Mixer, I/Q Modulator,
> Amplifier, Voltage Regulators, DACs, and Transmitters.
>
> Our goal is to transmit signals using either 16QAM or BPSK Modulation.
>
> Our plan is to
> * model functions using vhdl
> * build a prototype circuit
> * synthesize our code onto fpga
> * analyze results using various scopes
>
> Currently working on a more accurate block diagram showing component
> connection. feel free to respond with questions/comments/concerns.
>

zhangweidai@gmail.com wrote:

> Our goal is to transmit signals using either 16QAM or BPSK Modulation.
> Our plan is to
> * model functions using vhdl

matlab first?

> * build a prototype circuit

finish all sims first?

-- Mike Treseler

Yes you are so right, I forgot a lot of stuff. Don't worry we are using
matlab, and we are going to finish sims.

we really should write some specs for it huh.

not so complete plan:
* use matlab to design filters/model schemes
* model functions using vhdl
* simulate and debug
* create testbenches
* build a prototype circuit
* synthesize our code onto fpga
* analyze results using various scopes

working on block diagrams. sigh....

-Peter

Clark,

After you mentioned using GNU Radio, I looked it up and yes we are
going to do something similiar. We are building this demo board
ourselves as best we could as a senior design project. We dont know
enough about USRP to decide to jump into using it yet.

-Peter

GNU Radio is a pain to install the first time, but once it's up it takes
care of most of the nuissance/tedious stuff for you and you can focus
directly on the signal processing. You can do signal processing in C code on
the linux host or inside the cyclone fpga in vhdl (using free version of
quartus).

One advantage for you is, if you do something simple like BFSK or BPSK you
could do a loop back system and implement the receiver too. Truth is all the
interesting stuff is in the receiver anyway: carrier recovery,
synchronization, equalization, etc.

It's great for education tool. The board can stay with the school and each
semester students can build on the previous groups work.

Just my opinion. I spent most of my senior design (years ago) wire wrapping
my board (an FM receiver on an ISA card (years before you could buy
commercially)). I would have learned a lot more if I'd had the GNU radio
tool.

-Clark


<zhangweidai@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1139379598.662192.273600@g44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> Clark,
>
> After you mentioned using GNU Radio, I looked it up and yes we are
> going to do something similiar. We are building this demo board
> ourselves as best we could as a senior design project. We dont know
> enough about USRP to decide to jump into using it yet.
>
> -Peter
>