AD-FMCOMMS4-EBZ

1x1 RF Agile Transceiver, 70 MHz to 6.0 GHz.

Overview

The EVAL-AD-FMCOMMS4 is an FMC board for the AD9364, a highly integrated RF Agile Transceiver. While the complete chip level design package can be found on the the ADI web site. Information on the card, and how to use it, the design package that surrounds it, and the software which can make it work, can be found here.

The purpose of the AD-FMCOMMS4-EBZ is to provide an RF platform to software developers, system architects, etc, who want a single platform which operates over a much wider tuning range (70 MHz – 6 GHz).

The AD-FMCOMMS4-EBZ is very similar to the AD-FMCOMMS2-EBZ and AD-FMCOMMS3-EBZ boards, but instead of the AD9361 (2 Rx, 2 Tx), it uses the AD9364, a lower cost 1 Rx, 1 Tx device. The board includes both types of external baluns: one targeted for wider tuning range applications (Mini-Circuits TCM1-63AX+), and one optimized for 2.4 GHz performance.

Features:

• 1x1 transceiver with integrated 12-bit DACs and ADCs

• Tunable frequency range: 70 MHz to 6.0 GHz

• Adjustable channel bandwidth: 200 kHz to 56 MHz

• Dual balun options: wideband (TCM1-63AX+) and 2.4 GHz optimized

• FMC-LPC system board connector

• On-board power solution

Applications:

• Software-defined radio (SDR)

• Point-to-point communication

• Wireless LAN (2.4 GHz)

• General-purpose radio experimentation

Recommendations

People who follow the flow that is outlined, have a much better experience with things. However, like many things, documentation is never as complete as it should be. If you have any questions, check the Help and Support page.

To better understand the AD9364, we recommend to use the EVAL-AD-FMCOMMS4 evaluation board.

Table of contents

1. Purchase

2. Introduction

3. User guide

4. Hardware: This provides a brief description of the board by itself, and is a good reference for those who want to understand a little more about the board. If you just want to use the board, you can skip this section, and come back to it when you want to incorporate the AD9364 into your product.

   1. Hardware

      1. Characteristics & Performance

      2. Configuration options

      3. FCC or CE certification

      4. Tuning the system

   2. Production Testing Process

5. Use the AD-FMCOMMS4-EBZ Board to better understand the AD9364

   1. What you need to get started

   2. Quick Start Guides

      1. On ZCU102

      2. On KCU105

      3. On ZC706

      4. On ZC702

      5. On ZED

      6. Configure a pre-existing SD-Card

   3. Linux Applications

      1. Using the IIO Oscilloscope

         1. AD936x Control in the IIO Scope Plugin

         2. Advanced AD936x Control IIO Scope Plugin

      2. Shell scripts

      3. FRU EEPROM Utility

   4. Push custom data into/out of the AD9364

      1. Basic Data files and formats

      2. Create and analyze data files in MATLAB

      3. Stream data into/out of MATLAB

      4. AD9361 libiio streaming example

      5. Python Interfaces

6. Design with the AD9364

   1. Understanding the AD9364

      1. AD9361 Product page

      2. Full Datasheet and chip design package

      3. MATLAB Filter Design Wizard for AD9361

   2. Simulation

      1. MathWorks RF Blockset (formerly SimRF) Models of the AD9361

   3. Hardware in the Loop / How to design your own custom BaseBand

      1. MATLAB/Simulink Examples

         1. Stream data into/out of MATLAB

         2. Beacon Frame Receiver Example

         3. QPSK Transmit and Receive Example

         4. LTE Transmitter and Receiver Example

         5. ADS-B Airplane Tracking Example

      2. GNU Radio

      3. FM Radio/Tuner (listen to FM signals on the HDMI monitor)

      4. C example

   4. Design a custom AD9364 based platform

      1. Linux software

         1. AD-FMCOMMS2/3/4-EBZ on Microblaze

         2. Linux Device Driver

         3. Build the demo on ZC702, ZC706, ZED from source

         4. Linux with HDMI video output on Zynq

         5. Build the demo on KC705 or VC707 for Microblaze from source

         6. Build ZynqMP/MPSoC Linux kernel and devicetrees from source

         7. Customizing the devicetree on the target

      2. No-OS Software

         • No-OS AD9361 project

      3. HDL reference design which you must use in your FPGA.

         • Digital Interface Timing Validation

7. Additional Documentation about SDR Signal Chains

   1. The math behind the RF

   2. I/Q Correction

   3. IQ rotation and phase sync

8. Help and Support

ADI Articles

• Four Quick Steps to Production: Using Model-Based Design for Software-Defined Radio

  • Part 1 - the Analog Devices/Xilinx SDR Rapid Prototyping Platform: Its Capabilities, Benefits, and Tools

  • Part 2 - Mode S Detection and Decoding Using MATLAB and Simulink

  • Part 3 - Mode S Signals Decoding Algorithm Validation Using Hardware in the Loop

  • Part 4 - Rapid Prototyping Using the Zynq SDR Kit and Simulink Code Generation Workflow

MathWorks Webinars

• Modelling and Simulating Analog Devices’ RF Transceivers with MATLAB and RF Blockset (formerly SimRF)

• Getting Started with Software-Defined Radio using MATLAB and Simulink

Warning

All the products described on this page include ESD (electrostatic discharge) sensitive devices. Electrostatic charges as high as 4000V readily accumulate on the human body or test equipment and can discharge without detection. Although the boards feature ESD protection circuitry, permanent damage may occur on devices subjected to high-energy electrostatic discharges. Therefore, proper ESD precautions are recommended to avoid performance degradation or loss of functionality. This includes removing static charge on external equipment, cables, or antennas before connecting to the device.

Help and support

For questions and more information, please visit the EngineerZone technical support community.