Design, Test, Verify & Prototype… All with the same tool

A New Class of Development Platform that is designed to meet current RF & Wireless challenges for Education, Research & Industry.

Overview

Wireless Modular Development & Verification platform is designed specifically to bring about speed and flexibility to FPGA & System Designers, allowing you to test your RF design without draining your time & resources integrating and troubleshooting RF boards. Focus on your design code while the Platform takes care of Synchronization, LO Control, data communication and all other ancillary functions. Works out of the box. No time is wasted on setup integration, testbed creation or codes re-design. Build your system with readymade modules for Signal Generation and Vector Modulation, Signal Reception & Vector Demodulation, LO Generation and distribution, Onboard DSP (ARM & x86), Baseband Signal Processing FPGA and more. Modules are all Plug & Play and communicate together on the platform data bus allowing you to build complex and high channel count designs with speed and ease.

A truly modular architecture replaces conventional boards with the versatility required for innovation in SDR (Software Defined Radio), Cognitive Radio, 2x2MIMO, 4x4MIMO, 8x8MIMO, Massive MIMO and Multi-Channel applications. Modules or even entire units can be stacked and aggregated for large scale designs and easily connected to your PC for control, data I/O or as hardware in the loop for simulation.

Features

  • Direct FPGA access - Custom user Code
  • Supports Altera & Xilinx FPGAs & tools
  • Coherent Multi Channel & MIMO ready
  • Superior Phase Noise & SFDR performance
  • Integrates with your design environment of choice like Matlab, LabVIEW, GNU Radio & more…
  • Professional Design
  • Professional Design
  • Accelerate your Time-to-Market
  • Frequency range: 400 MHz to 6 GHz
  • Wide IQ Bandwidth up to 40 MHz
  • Digital I & Q with 16-bit resolution
  • Analog, Digital & Arbitrary modulation
  • Phase Noise -107 dBc/Hz @ 10 KHz
  • Switching time < 10 μs
  • Cutting-edge RF Waveform generation with Modular architecture to meet numerous applications

Product Video

System Architecture

Design from your Comfort Zone

C700 goes all the way to help you focus on your job. The system can be fully programmed & controlled right from your design tool or system level simulation environment of choice (Matlab®, LabView®, GNU Radio… etc.) in addition to a multitude of programming languages (VHDL, C and many others). This allows reusing the same testbed during the design and prototyping phases completely eliminating inconsistency and guaranteeing a streamlined testing procedure though out the project lifecycle. No need to create new complex and expensive testbed for your prototype. Design engineers can easily move back and forth testing the code and the actual prototype side by side greatly accelerating debugging and design iteration.

The firmware natively supports programming the FPGA with custom HDL code through direct JTAG access. This allows developers to use separate design environments for HDL development and for system level testing simultaneously and independently.

Platform gives developers the ability of generating complex baseband I/Q signals through VHDL programming of its fully configurable FPGA blocks then Vector Modulate them to an RF Carrier up to 6 GHz. Similarly for the receive chains HDL Developers can easily implement system functions inside the FPGA and (optionally) use the connected PC for pre/post processing.

All testing tools built-in

The RF characteristics of the platform outperforms traditional Test & Measurement Equipment of its class, enabling the use of Modules as general purpose test equipment or even fully optimized automated test station. VSM and VSD modules can function as standalone or integrated:

  • Arbitrary Vector Signal Generator
  • FMCW and similar Radars
  • Vector Network Analyzer
  • Channel Emulator

Replace expensive and complicated measurement benches with testing tools that are fully integrated with your testbed and design environment.

Modules for every function

Platform is designed to help developers to build complete systems using Plug & Play modules. The chassis & base unit system modules handle all support functions without requiring any user intervention. Functions like timing and synchronization, control signals and data transfer are all managed by the platform in the background allowing the user to focus on the task at hand. The chassis and base unit act as a communication backplane (700 Mbit/sec) for all the modules as well as clock and power distribution network. The chassis accommodates the modules and is dimensioned according to the required configuration (up to 32 Slots/chassis are supported; several chassis can be cascaded for even higher channel counts). Different modules are available to represent the different functions and subsystems usually found in modern wireless designs:

  • Vector Signal Modulation RF Modules
  • Coherent LO Generation Modules
  • FPGA On-Board Processing Modules
  • Embedded Micro-controller Module
  • Vector Signal De-Modulation RF Modules
  • ARM On-Board Processing Modules
  • Intel x86 On-Board Processing Modules
  • This allows the user to completely model the system under test on the Wireless platform.

    Altera & Xilinx FPGA chip selection

    RF Modules come standard with an Altera Cyclone III / Cyclone IV FPGA Chip. However, different FPGA selections are available to best fit the target application. Selections include FPGA chips from the following families:

  • Altera® Cyclone (III / IV / V)
  • Altera® Arria
  • Xilinx® Zynq
  • Altera® Stratix
  • Xilinx® Spartan
  • Xilinx® Virtex
  • The Firmware is designed to take minimal FPGA resources freeing up all the logic and fabric for the user code. Direct JTAG access to the FPGA gives the user the unique opportunity to develop and debug using any software tool of their choice without any limitations imposed by the platform.

    Radio System Typical Applications

    Research and Education of:

    • SDR (Software Defined Radio)
    • Cognitive Radio
    • SISO, SIMO, MISO, 2x2MIMO, 4x4MIMO, 8x8MIMO, 16x16MIMO, Massive MIMO, and other Wireless Technologies
    • Wireless Channel Emulator
    • FMCW Radar and similar Radars
    • UWB (Ultra Wideband) applications
    • Laboratory Vector Signal Generator/Analyzer
    • Wireless Researches for Life science
    • DPD (Digital pre-distortion) researches
    • Multi-channel phase coherent; Direction Finders, Passive Radars
    • Phased array antenna measurements and study
    • Ad-hoc networks
    • Several other complex radio systems

    Customize it to your need

    Need high RF Power? Better Sensitivity? Developing for a specific FPGA chip? The customization services are intended for developers who want to tailor their development platform to their applications and move from development to deployment in one smooth step. RF modules can be fit with a wide selection of FPGA & SoC chips from Altera® & Xilinx® for maximum versatility. Moreover, different RF front-ends and entire RF subsystems can be incorporated (or custom designed) within the module in order to best match it to your target system. This is a unique feature to the platform that eliminates any inconsistency arising from hardware change.

    Professional IP Design Services

    Developing on the platform gives you exclusive access to our IP design team. Benefit from our years of experience creating IPs for Wireless Digital Communications, DSP, Military Communications, Electronic Warfare as well as Aerospace & Defense Applications. Our IP design team can actively contribute to your design building HDL & Embedded blocks as per your requirement or help you during the prototyping & testing phases creating custom test beds or ancillary system blocks to test your design end-to-end.

    PCB Design & Prototyping Services

    Bring your code to life with our Prototyping services to transform your design into a standalone prototype with all the required logic, chips and RF modules integrated into a single professionally designed PCB that will be manufactured, tested and delivered right to your doorstep complete with packaging and UI/UX development services designed to best showcase your work.

    Discuss Your Wireless Communication Requirement

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    Possible Configurations

    MIMO Testbed (Development Platform) based on Wireless Platform

    In this setup, two C700 systems will be employed to build a 4x4 MIMO Transmitter and Receiver stations with a 40 MHz real time bandwidth. Beside a lot of other applications, the platform can be defined as a scalable MIMO system with a common clock and shared local oscillator to fulfill phase coherence requirements. The system can be configured to investigate the performance of MIMO algorithms and channel models and it is easily upgradeable to higher order of channels.

    MIMO link concept

    C700 system structure for 4*4 MIMO

    FMCW Radar Testbed

    A fast sweep FMCW Testbed based on the C700 platform which allows a fast sweep rates up to 1GHz per milliseconds and supporting simple configurations as well as switched-beam antennas setup for range measurements and position tracking.

    The main system configuration (described in figure 1 below) supports full FMCW functionalities in a frequency range from 4 to 6GHz. Besides, it can be controlled as a fast sweep generator employed in a bigger system from 4GHz to 18GHz.

    The C700 based Testbed constitutes the main blocks of a real FMCW system such as Waveform generator, VCO (PLL modules), Mixer, Filters, ADC, and Processing.

    Figure 1 – C700 based FMCW Testbed

    Figure 2 – describes a generic block diagram of an FMCW Radar highlighting such blocks within the FMCW system structure.

    Channel Sounder

    Channel Emulator

    6 GHz Vector Signal Generator/Analyzer + Arbitrary Waveform Generator

    Technical Specifications

    General Specification

    Frequency Range
    0.4 GHz to 6 GHz
    Frequency Accuracy
    1 × 10-7 (Warm-up time 1 minute)
    Frequency Resolution
    £1MHz (1Hz with VSM or VSD modules)
    Number of channels
    Scalable from 1 to 1000
    IQ resolution
    16bits
    Bandwidth
    40MHz/ (More bandwidth is achievable through channel aggregation)
    Bus Speed
    700 Mbps (Per single chassis)
    Number of Slot/Chassis
    5,8,16,32
    Reference Signals
    10MHz IN, 10MHz OUT
    Internal oscillator
    OCXO
    System clock
    50 MHz
    System controller
    USB2, Embedded AVR

    FPGA

    FPGA Configuration
    Downloadable via JTAG port
    Standard FPGA Chips
    Cyclone III, Cyclone IV, and more available

    RF Specs(Generator/ Transmitter Modules)

    Phase Noise
    <-107 dBc/Hz @ 10 KHz from 1 GHz carrier
    Amplitude Accuracy
    <0.5 dB (Typical 0.2 dB)
    Switching time
    <10 us (within ± 160 MHz from LO frequency)
    RF output power
    -37 dBm to -7 dBm. Overrange -87 dBm to -7 dBm
    (Optional Amplifiers/Attenuators Available)

    RF Specs(Demodulator/Receiver Modules)

    Max. RF input level
    £12 dBm
    SFDR
    > 70 dB
    Sensitivity
    <-90 dBm (Optional low noise amplifiers available)
    Amplitude accuracy
    <0.5 dB (Typical 0.2 dB)
    Image Rejection
    >40 dB (Optional 80 dB. Refer to UDC modules specifications)

    Physical characteristics

    System housing
    Mini, Orchestra ,and Field housing
    Power Supply
    9-18 VDC (optional AC power supply integrated in system housing)
    System cooling (Optional)
    Forced air
    Operating temperature
    +0 °C to +50 °C
    Operating Humidity
    <95% rel. humidity
    ROHS
    All C700 components are ROHS Compliant

    List of Innovative Modules

    Base Unit
    BU-xxi
    Synchronization Module
    SYNC1
    Master Controller Module (Embedded)
    AVR1
    Slave Controller Module (Embedded)
    AVR1s
    Master ARM Controller Module (Embedded)
    ARM
    USB2 Communication Module
    USB2
    PLL Module (100MHz to 6 GHz)
    PLL1
    PLL Module (100MHz to 6 GHz)
    PLL1e
    2 LO outputs, -107 dBc phase noise @1 GHz, 10 KHz offset
    PLL Module (6 GHz to 12 GHz)
    PLL3
    PLL Module (10 GHz to 18 GHz)
    PLL4
    Vector Signal Generator / Transmitter (0.4 to 6 GHz)
    VSM1
    Vector Signal Demodulator / Receiver (0.7 to 2.7 GHz)
    VSD1
    Vector Signal Demodulator / Receiver (0.4 to 6 GHz)
    VSD2

    Options & Accessories

    Up/Down Converters
    UDC-xii
    System housing for field applications
    Field-xxiii
    System housing for laboratory applications; 8 slots
    Orchestra
    Compact system housing; 5 slots
    All system housing include cooling system and AC/DC power supply
    Mini
    1 MB RAM (system module )
    MEM1

    Other Accessories

    External Down Converter 10-2500 MHz
    RXFE1
    External Up/Down Converter 10-2000 MHz
    TXFE1
    Power Amplifier, 10 Watt, 0.6 to 3 GHz, 30 dB gain
    ZGT-06302-40-X
    4 channel amplifier, 18 dBm (@ 2GHz) ,0.5 to 6 GHz
    PA4-0560-18-18
    LNA , 0.6 to 4 GHz, > 20 dB gain
    LNA-0640-3.6-20
    Multi-band omnidirectional antenna; 0 dBi gain
    A-M210
    Power splitter/combiner, 8 way, 20-6000 MHz
    PS108-0260
    Phase stable low loss cable assembly, SMA-male
    CSS-03p-xx
    RF adapter SMA female to N-male
    AD-SN-6
    Synchronization cable for multi system; 4 way
    CS-4
    RF switch, 1 *4 , 0.4 to 4 GHz
    RS104-0460
    For more information please feel free to contact us.

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