Testing a software-defined radio with Digilent

Build AND test with Digilent! If fast signal processing is what you need, your ins and outs are covered…

In a perfect follow-up to ipXchange’s video with Digilent from Embedded World 2023, Guy chats with Ryan at Embedded World 2024 for another demonstration of Digilent’s Eclypse Z7 FPGA + processor development board. This time, we discuss how Ryan used this high-performance board to create a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) system during his master’s project.

As Ryan explains, the heart of the Eclypse Z7 is the powerful Xilinx Zynq-7020 processor/FPGA SoC, which features a dual-core Cortex-A9 processor running at up to 667 MHz, in addition to 13,300 logic slices and 220 DSP slices. This and the two high-speed SYZYGY Zmod connectors enables ultra-fast data exchange with external systems like Ryan’s SDR board, which requires MHz data rates to operate effectively.

You can learn more about the full project and how it was built by reading Ryan’s master’s thesis here.

Digilent’s new Analog Discovery Pro (ADP2230) was then used to test the effectiveness of Ryan’s SDR system and how successful the data transfer is from transmitter to receiver. The ADP2230 is a mixed-signal oscilloscope, waveform generator, logic analyser, and variable power supply that can easily be operated and monitored via USB connection to a host PC.

In this setup, Ryan shows us how you can easily configure the interface to monitor various aspects of an experiment as well as inject signals to test the response of the system.

The ADP2230 therefore streamlines your testing environment without the need for multiple scopes, and comes at a fraction of the price.

Whether you’re in need of a powerful FPGA-based development platform, or a streamlined measurement system for use during product development, you can apply to evaluate these technologies through ipXchange, so follow the link to the board form below for the ADP2230.

Alternatively, click the link above for the Eclypse Z7 board page, where there’s lots more information about the different Zmod board options.

Keep designing!