Real-time Wideband Software-defined Radio with Python Programmability based on RFSoC
Year: 2024
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Next-generation wireless networks necessitate large signal bandwidth to support the growing demands of high data rates, which poses significant challenges in the design of real-time radio platforms. We demonstrate SPEAR, a realtime wideband software-defined radio (SDR) utilizing the Xilinx RFSoC ZCU216 evaluation board. SPEAR leverages a customized "Streaming Direct Memory Access (DMA)" IP to address the latency issues associated with DMA control, thereby enabling high bandwidth data streaming in real-time. It also features a Python-based hardware configuration tool and signal processing framework incorporating an OFDM-based Physical layer. We showcase a real-time data link using the direct RF radio architecture between two RFSoC ZCU216 boards, achieving an error vector magnitude (EVM) of 3.2% for 256QAM across a bandwidth of 1.25 GHz.
Authors: Wei Cheng, Zhihui Gao, Tingjun Chen
Institution: Duke University
Language: English
Subfield: Hardware and Architecture
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Awards: Collaborative Research: SWIFT: SHIELD: A Software-Hardware Approach for Spectrum Coexistence with Rapid Interferer Learning, Detection, and Mitigation, Collaborative Research: CNS Core: Medium: Softwarizing Millimeter-wave Radio Access Networks (RANs) at the Edge, Collaborative Research: SII-NRDZ:Spectrum Sharing via Consumption Models and Telemetry - Prototyping and Field Testing in an Urban FCC Innovation Zone
OpenAlex ID: W4405013771