Low cost full duplex software defined radio : LimeSDR

A Software Defined Radio for Everyone

LimeSDR is a low cost, open source, apps-enabled (more on that later) software defined radio (SDR) platform that can be used to support just about any type of wireless communication standard. LimeSDR can send and receive UMTS, LTE, GSM, LoRa, Bluetooth, Zigbee, RFID, and Digital Broadcasting, to name but a few.
While most SDRs have remained in the domain of RF and protocol experts, LimeSDR is usable by anyone familiar with the idea of an app store - it’s the first SDR to integrate with Snappy Ubuntu Core. This means you can easily download new LimeSDR apps from developers around the world. If you’re a developer yourself, you can share and/or sell your LimeSDR apps through Snappy Ubuntu Core as well.
The LimeSDR platform gives students, inventors, and developers an intelligent and flexible device for manipulating wireless signals, so they can learn, experiment, and develop with freedom from limited functionality and expensive proprietary devices.

From Radio Astronomy to Personal Telcos

Here are just some of the applications that are possible with the LimeSDR:

• Radio astronomy
• RADAR
• 2G to 4G cellular basestation
• Media streaming
• IoT gateway
• HAM radio
• Wireless keyboard and mice emulation and detection
• Tire pressure monitoring systems
• Aviation transponders
• Utility meters
• Drone command and control
• Test and measurement
• Many more…

With state-of-the-art technical specs, fully open hardware and toolchain, and integration with Snappy Ubuntu Core’s app distribution platform, LimeSDR is limited only by our collective imagination.

Comparisons

	HackRF One	Ettus B200	Ettus B210	BladeRF x40	RTL-SDR	LimeSDR
Frequency Range	1MHz-6GHz	70MHz-6GHz	70MHz-6GHz	300MHz-3.8GHz	22MHz-2.2GHz	100kHz-3.8GHz
RF Bandwidth	20MHz	61.44MHz	61.44MHz	40MHz	3.2MHz	61.44MHz
Sample Depth	8 bits	12 bits	12 bits	12 bits	8 bits	12 bits
Sample Rate	20MSPS	61.44MSPS	61.44MSPS	40MSPS	3.2MSPS	61.44MSPS (Limited by USB 3.0 data rate)
Transmitter Channels	1	1	2	1	0	2
Receivers	1	1	2	1	1	2
Duplex	Half	Full	Full	Full	N/A	Full
Interface	USB 2.0	USB 3.0	USB 3.0	USB 3.0	USB 2.0	USB 3.0
Programmable Logic Gates	64 macrocell CPLD	75k	100k	40k (115k avail)	N/A	40k
Chipset	MAX5864, MAX2837, RFFC5072	AD9364	AD9361	LMS6002M	RTL2832U	LMS7002M
Open Source	Full	Schematic, Firmware	Schematic, Firmware	Schematic, Firmware	No	Full
Oscillator Precision	+/-20ppm	+/-2ppm	+/-2ppm	+/-1ppm	?	+/-1ppm initial, +/-4ppm stable
Transmit Power	-10dBm+ (15dBm @ 2.4GHz)	10dBm+	10dBm+	6dBm	N/A	0 to 10dBm (depending on frequency)
Price	$299	$686	$1,119	$420 ($650)	~$10	$299 ($289 pre-order)

	LimeSDR Mini
	The LimeSDR Mini development board is a hardware platform for developing and prototyping high-performance and logic-intensive digital and RF designs that use Altera’s MAX 10 FPGA and Lime Microsystems’ LMS7002M RF transceiver. Render of the LimeSDR Mini Top render of LimeSDR Mini Bottom render of LimeSDR MIni LimeSDR vs LimeSDR Mini The LimeSDR and LimeSDR Mini are members of the same family of software-defined radios. One does not replace the other. Rather, they are complementary. Simply put, the LimeSDR Mini is a smaller, less expensive version of the original LimeSDR. However, it still packs a punch - at its core, the LimeSDR Mini uses the same LMS7002M radio transceiver as its big sibling. The Mini has two channels instead of four, and, by popular demand, SMA connectors instead of micro U.FL connectors. Check out the comparison table below for more details. Features & Specfications RF transceiver: Lime Microsystems LMS7002M FPGA: Altera MAX 10 (10M16SAU169C8G) 169-pin FBGA package 16 K Les 549 KB M9K memory 2,368 KB user flash memory 4 x fractional phase locked loops (PLLs) 45 x 18x18-bit multipliers 130 x general purpose input/output (GPIO) Single supply voltage Flash feature FPGA configuration via JTAG EEPROM memory: 2 x 128 KB for RF transciever MCU firmware and data Flash memory: 1 x 4 MB flash memory for data General user inputs/outputs: 2 x dual color (red + green) LED 8 x FPGA GPIO pinheader (3.3 V) Connectivity: USB 3.0 Type-A (FTDI FT601 controller) 2 x coaxial RF (SMA) connectors (each can be switched between high and low frequency bands) U.FL connector for external clock source FPGA GPIO headers FPGA JTAG connector Clock system: 30.72 MHz onboard VCTCXO Possibility to tune VCTCXO with onboard DAC External clock input via U.FL connector Board dimensions: 69 mm x 31.4 mm Block Diagram LimeSDR Mini block diagram Comparison Table HackRF One Ettus B200 Ettus B210 BladeRF x40 RTL-SDR LimeSDR LimeSDR Mini Frequency Range 1 MHz - 6 GHz 70 MHz - 6 GHz 70 MHz - 6 GHz 300 MHz - 3.8 GHz 22 MHz - 2.2 GHz 100 kHz - 3.8 GHz 10 MHz - 3.5 GHz RF Bandwidth 20 MHz 61.44 MHz 61.44 MHz 40 MHz 3.2 MHz 61.44 MHz 30.72 MHz Sample Depth 8 bit 12 bit 12 bit 12 bit 8 bit 12 bit 12 bit Sample Rate 20 MSPS 61.44 MSPS 61.44 MSPS 40 MSPS 3.2 MSPS 61.44 MSPS 30.72MSPS TX Channels 1 1 2 1 0 2 1 RX Channels 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 Duplex Half Full Full Full N/A Full Full Interface USB 2.0 USB 3.0 USB 3.0 USB 3.0 USB 2.0 USB 3.0 USB 3.0 Programmable Logic Gates 64 macrocell CPLD 75k 100k 40k (115k avail) N/A 40k 16K Chipset MAX5864, MAX2837, RFFC5072 AD9364 AD9361 LMS6002M RTL2832U LMS7002M LMS7002M Open Source Full Schematic, Firmware Schematic, Firmware Schematic, Firmware No Full Full Oscillator Precision +/- 20 ppm +/- 2 ppm +/- 2 ppm +/- 1 ppm ? +/-1 ppm initial, +/-4 ppm stable +/- 1 ppm initial, +/- 4 ppm stable Transmit Power -10 dBm+ (15 dBm @ 2.4 GHz) 10 dBm+ 10 dBm+ 6 dBm N/A max 10 dBm (depending on freq.) max 10 dBm (depending on freq.) Price $299 $686 $1,119 $420 ($650) ~$10 $299 $99 Accessories Enclosure Prototype LimeSDR MIni and acrylic case Antennas   omni-directional antennas with SMA connectors, optimized for frequency ranges of 800-960 MHz, 1710-2170 MHz, and 2400-2700 MHz. These are the same same antennas used with the full-size LimeSDR. LimeSDR Mini antennas with SMA connectors Free & Open Source As with the original LimeSDR, the LimeSDR Mini is a free and open source project made in collaboration with the Myriad-RF project. We will be releasing code, firmware, schematics, layout, and associated project files shortly. LimeSuite The LimeSDR Mini uses the same host-side software, called LimeSuite, as the full-size LimeSDR. LimeSuite is entirely open source and supports a variety of software-defined radios. You can learn more about LimeSuite at its GitHub repository and Myriad-RF project page. Snappy Ubuntu Core A big part of the LimeSDR ecosystem is the Snappy Ubuntu Core app store being developed jointly with Canonical and the LimeSDR community. Because the LimeSDR and LimeSDR Mini use the same drivers and APIs, the snaps developed for one should work equally well for the other so long as they are within the operating specification.   The working prototype shown in the images below has MMCX connectors - the final version will have two SMA connectors and a U.FL connector for external clock input. LimeSDR Mini prototype. The final version will have two SMA connectors and a U.FL external clock connector. LimeSDR Mini prototype. The final version will have two SMA connectors and a U.FL external clock connector. LimeSDR Mini prototype. The final version will have two SMA connectors and a U.FL external clock connector.

source:www.crowdsupply.com