VANTEON vProtean Software Defined Radio User Manual

vProtean Software Defined Radio
User Manual

User Manual
Version 3.1
vProteanTM Software Defined Radio
Vanteon 99 Garnsey Road, Suite 200 Pittsford, NY 14534 585.419.9555
www.vanteon.com

Introduction

The Vanteon vProteanTM is a 2×2 software-defined radio (SDR) that targets communications, signal intelligence, and other multi-band processing applications. It is based on the Analog Devices ADRV9004 highly integrated wideband RF transceiver and the Xilinx Zynq-7020 all programmable System-on- Chip (SoC). The protean SDR has a custom RF front end that is highly flexible, allowing its frequency range to be configured from 30 to 6000 MHz.
Each vProtean SDR is pre-loaded with the vProtean SDR Evaluation Kit (VPROKIT-21) firmware. The VPROKIT-21 firmware includes Vanteon proprietary, programmable logic cores and executable code to perform transmit and receive functions via a menu-based UI over USB enabled com port from a host computer (host not included). An encrypted Vivado Project of the VPROKIT-21’s FPGA firmware, along with the source code of the User Interface (UI) firmware is available under a free license agreement. The vProtean schematic and layout design files, and Vanteon-proprietary DSP cores are available with a paid license. Contact Vanteon Sales for more information.

Proper Care and Handling

All Vanteon products are thoroughly tested before shipment. The protean SDR is guaranteed to be functional at the time it is received by the customer. Improper use or handling of the vProtean SDR can easily cause the device to become non-functional. Listed below are some examples of actions that can prevent damage to the unit:

1. Never allow metal objects to touch the circuit board while powered.
2. Always properly terminate the transmit port with an antenna or 50 loads.
3. Always handle the board with proper anti-static methods.
4. Never allow the board to directly or indirectly come into contact with any voltage spikes.
5. Never allow any water, or condensing moisture, to come into contact with the boards.
6. Never apply more than 0 dBm of power to any RF input.
7. Always use at least 30dB attenuation if operating in a loopback configuration.

The protean SDR is sold for evaluation purposes and test equipment. If you choose to use your vProtean and Carrier to transmit using an antenna, it is your responsibility to make sure that you are in compliance with all laws for the country, frequency, and power levels in which the device is used. Additionally, some countries regulate reception in certain frequency bands. Again, it is the responsibility of the user to maintain compliance with all local laws and regulations.

Technical Overview

3.1 Block Diagram
3.2 High-Level Specifications

Hardware Interfaces

4.1 Connectors
The vProtean SDR has a number of connectors that allow it to be interfaced to a host carrier board and connectors for antennas. The table below lists all of the connectors and their associated functions. Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 for connector locations

Connector

| Type|

Function

---|---|---
J2| 2×50 100-pin header| JTAG, UART, Boot Mode, Power, Reset, USB, Ethernet, SD Card, I2C, GPIO
J3| MMCX| Transmit 1
J4| MMCX| Monitor 1 (DPD models only)
J5| MMCX| Receive 1
J7| MMCX| Transmit 2
J8| MMCX| Monitor2 (DPD models only)
J9| MMCX| Receive 2
J10| MICTOR| Debug
J11| MMCX| External Clock
J12| SMP| External LO1 (not fitted)
J13| SMP| External LO2 (not fitted)
J14| 2-pin PicoBlade header| Fan Connector

4.1.1 J2 Connector

The J2 connector is a 100-pin header that may be used as an interface to a host carrier board, such as the Vanteon Carrier board. The connector provides signals for several peripheral interfaces including JTAG, UART, USB, Ethernet, SD Card, I2C, and GPIO. Unless otherwise noted, the minimum voltage for all signals is PCB ground.
Note that the connector is hermaphroditic, and pin numbers on the carrier are mirrored against the vProtean.
USB host interface pins 26-40 may be configured as ETH1 by the host carrier board with firmware support. Unused interfaces may be configured as GPIO.

vProtean Pin

| Carrier Pin| Signal Name| Type|

Description

---|---|---|---|---
22| 21| VCC_1P0V| Power| 1.0 V nominal core voltage
1, 3, 5, 7| 2, 4, 6, 8| VCC_1P8V| Power| 1.8 V nominal IO level
14, 16| 13, 15| VCC_3P3V| Power| 3.3 V nominal IO level
2, 4, 6, 8| 1, 3, 5, 7| VCC_SYS| Power| 5 to 6.5VDC System power input
9, 10, 11, 12, 18, 20, 24, 39, 42, 53, 62, 71, 76, 81, 82, 87, 88, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100| 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 19, 23, 40, 41, 54, 61, 72, 75, 81, 82, 87, 88, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100| GND| Power| PCB Ground
| | | |
27| 28| USB_CTL.CLOUD| Out| USB Clock
29| 30| USB_CTL.DIR| In| USB Control
31| 32| USB_CTL.NXP| In| USB Control
35| 36| USB_CTL.RESET_n| In| USB Reset
33| 34| USB_CTL.STEP| In| USB Control
40| 39| USB_DATA0| In/Out| USB Data
38| 37| USB_DATA1| In/Out| USB Data
26| 25| USB_DATA2| In/Out| USB Data
30| 29| USB_DATA3| In/Out| USB Data
36| 35| USB_DATA4| In/Out| USB Data
34| 33| USB_DATA5| In/Out| USB Data
28| 27| USB_DATA6| In/Out| USB Data
32| 31| USB_DATA7| In/Out| USB Data
| | | |
60| 59| ETH0.MDC| Out| MII Management Data Clock
52| 51| ETH0.MDIO| In/Out| MII Management Data I/O
44| 43| ETH0.RESET_n| In| MII Reset
46| 45| ETH0.RX.CLK| In| MII Clock Receive
48| 47| ETH0.RX.CTRL| In| MII Receive Enable
56| 55| ETH0.RX.D0| In| MII Data Receive
50| 49| ETH0.RX.D1| In| MII Data Receive
58| 57| ETH0.RX.D2| In| MII Data Receive
54| 53| ETH0.RX.D3| In| MII Data Receive
41| 42| ETH0.TX.CLK| In| MII Clock Transmit
51| 52| ETH0.TX.CTRL| Out| MII Transmit Enable
43| 44| ETH0.TX.D0| Out| MII Data Transmit
45| 46| ETH0.TX.D1| Out| MII Data Transmit
47| 48| ETH0.TX.D2| Out| MII Data Transmit
---|---|---|---|---
49| 50| ETH0.TX.D3| Out| MII Data Transmit
| | | |
74| 73| SD_CARD.CLK| Out| microSD Card Clock
66| 65| SD_CARD.CMD| Out| microSD Card Data
72| 71| SD_CARD.D0| In/Out| microSD Card Data
68| 67| SD_CARD.D1| In/Out| microSD Card Data
64| 63| SD_CARD.D2| In/Out| microSD Card Data
70| 69| SD_CARD.D3| In/Out| microSD Card Data
23| 24| SDCARD_CD| In| microSD Card Detect
| | | |
78| 77| I2C_SDA| In/Out| I2C Serial Data
80| 79| I2C_SCL| Out| I2C Serial Clock
| | | |
13| 14| UART0_TXD_1P8V| Out| UART transmit
25| 26| UART0_RXD_1P8V| In| UART Receive
| | | |
15| 16| PS_BOOT_MODE0| In| Boot Mode Logic
17| 18| PS_BOOT_MODE1| In| Boot Mode Logic
| | | |
37| 38| PS_SRSTn| In| System Reset. Open-drain wire-or. Drive with open-drain or switch closure to GND.
| | | |
19| 20| DEV_CLK_B2B._N| In/Out| The external transceiver clock input (not connected in standard build)
21| 22| DEV_CLK_B2B._P| In/Out| External transceiver clock input (not connected in standard build)
55| 56| MCS_B2B._N| In/Out| Multi-Chip Synchronization (not connected in a standard build)
57| 58| MCS_B2B._P| In/Out| Multi-Chip Synchronization (not connected to standard build)
| | | |
73| 74| J_TMS| In| JTAG Test Mode Select
75| 76| J_TDO| Out| JTAG Test Data Output
77| 78| J_TDI| In| JTAG Test Data Input
79| 80| J_TCK| In| JTAG Test Clock
90| 89| SPARE_PAIRS.CLK._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
---|---|---|---|---
92| 91| SPARE_PAIRS.CLK._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
89| 90| SPARE_PAIRS.0._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
91| 92| SPARE_PAIRS.0._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
84| 83| SPARE_PAIRS.1._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
86| 85| SPARE_PAIRS.1._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
83| 84| SPARE_PAIRS.2._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
85| 86| SPARE_PAIRS.2._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
67| 68| SPARE_PAIRS.3._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
69| 70| SPARE_PAIRS.3._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
63| 64| SPARE_PAIRS.4._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
65| 66| SPARE_PAIRS.4._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
59| 60| SPARE_PAIRS.5._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
61| 62| SPARE_PAIRS.5._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal

The following J2 pinout Table lists those pins that are different in the older vProtean HW revisions A2. All other pins are the same as vProtean HW Revisions B0 and C0 above.

vProtean Pin| Carrier Pin| Signal Name| Type|

Description

---|---|---|---|---
61| 62| J1_GPIO0| In/Out| General Purpose I/O, 1.8 V nominal
69| 70| J1_GPIO1| In/Out| General Purpose I/O, 1.8 V nominal
63| 64| J1_GPIO2| In/Out| General Purpose I/O, 1.8 V nominal
65| 66| J1_GPIO3| In/Out| General Purpose I/O, 1.8 V nominal
57| 58| J1_GPIO4| In/Out| General Purpose I/O, 1.8 V nominal
59| 60| J1_GPIO5| In/Out| General Purpose I/O, 1.8 V nominal
67| 68| J1_GPIO6| In/Out| General Purpose I/O, 1.8 V nominal
83| 84| SPARE_PAIRS.0._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
85| 86| SPARE_PAIRS.0._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
91| 92| SPARE_PAIRS.1._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
---|---|---|---|---
89| 90| SPARE_PAIRS.1._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
92| 91| SPARE_PAIRS.2._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
90| 89| SPARE_PAIRS.2._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
86| 85| SPARE_PAIRS.3._N| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal
84| 83| SPARE_PAIRS.3._P| In/Out| Differential I/O Pairs, 2.5 V nominal

4.1.2 J14 Connector

Pin

|

Description

---|---
1| FAN –
2| FAN +

The J14 connector is a fan connector to provide cooling for the system. It can deliver 5V up to 200mA and can be speed controlled using PWM in software. Connect a suitable fan using a Molex PicoBlade connector, e.g. #15134-0200
4.2 Switches
The vProtean software defined radio has two switches, whose function is described in the table below.

SW1| DIP Switch| Boot Mode. Move to position J (towards the Vanteon logo) for JTAG boot mode, position Q for QSPI or SD card booting. Can be overridden by the carrier jumpers.
---|---|---
SW2| Pushbutton| Reset. Can also be driven from the carrier board.

4.3 LEDs
The vProtean software defined radio has two LEDs, whose function is described in the table below. This is followed by a board diagram showing the location of each LED.

4.4 Mounts
The vProtean software defined radio has one mounting point. In the standard configuration, it is designed for a standoff height from the carrier PCB of 9.5mm (3/8″).

MNT| Standoff| Use threaded spacer, screws, and locking washer (supplied in kit). The smaller head screw is intended for the top side, to avoid collision with RF connectors
---|---|---

Software versions and Support HW

User Console

If the vProtean SDR was purchased as part of an evaluation kit, it is preloaded with a menu-based application that allows a user to perform transmit and receive functions. This section explains how to use the vProtean SDR evaluation application. Note that the evaluation kit application does not provide access to the full capabilities of the vProtean SDR platform.
6.1 UART
The simplest method to access the preloaded test application on the vProtean SDR is to mount it to a the Vanteon Carrier board. The Carrier board provides a serial console interface via the Type-C USB connector. Connect the vProtean Carrier Board to a PC using the appropriate USB cable. Use a terminal emulator program on the PC to open a terminal session using the virtual COM port associated with the vProtean Carrier Board. The serial port parameters are: 115200 baud, 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, no handshaking.
6.2 Main Menu
The vProtean software defined radio has a hierarchical menu structure that allows you to configure the radio and to transmit and receive test waveforms. The main menu consists of the following status and commands:

Item

| Name|

Function

---|---|---
–| TX RX Sample Rate| Display of the pre-configured sample rate (not user changeable)
–| FPGA Temperature| Display of the FPGA temperature
–| ADRV Temperature| Display of the RF IC temperature
–| RX1 RSS| Display of RX1 RSSI
–| RX2 RSS| Display of RX2 RSSI
1| TX1 RX1 Settings| Configure TX1 and RX1
2| TX2 RX2 Settings| Configure TX2 and RX2
3| Capture RX| Initiate RX capture according to RX capture settings
4| RX Capture Waveform Settings| Configure the RX capture parameters
5| Recalibrate System| Force a transceiver recalibration

6.2.1 TX1/RX1 and TX2/RX2 Settings Menu
There are two submenus for configuring the TX1/RX1 and TX2/RX2 pairs. This section covers both submenus and refers to TX1 and TX2 as a generic TX, and RX1 and RX2 as generic RX.

Item| Name|

Function

---|---|---
1| TX/RX Frequency| Set the TX/RX frequency (30 MHz to 6000 MHz)
2| Toggle TX| Toggles transmit for TX on/off
3| TX Waveform Select| Go to TX waveform and select menu
4| Digital Attenuation (dB)| Attenuation that is applied digitally to the transmit waveform (0 to 100 dB)
5| TX Front End Atten (dB)| Sets the attenuation in the ADRV9004 (0 to 41.5 dB), the value can only be changed when TX is enabled
6| TX BOOST| Adds an additional 3 dB to the transmit
7| Toggle RX| Toggles receive for RX on/off

Note: The vProtean SDR may require external cooling, should both transmit channels be used continuously. The FPGA and ADRV temperatures displayed on the main menu should be monitored by the user, and external cooling (i.e. directed fan) should be applied as needed.
6.2.2 TX1 and TX2 Waveform Select Menu
The TX Waveform Select Menu configures the wave form that is transmitted when the TX is toggled on. When the transmit is enabled, the selectthe ed waveform is transmitted repeatedly.

Item| Name|

Function

---|---|---
–| Current Waveform| Display the current selected waveform
1| Zeros| Fills transmit buffer with zero waveform
2| CW| Single tone at carrier frequency
3| USB Tone, Offset=FS/32| Upper side band waveform, FS=sample rate
4| Dual Tone, Offset=FS/32+FS/8| Dual tone waveform, FS=sample rate
5| File| Go to file select menu to load waveform file from SD card

6.2.3 TX1 and TX2 File Select Menu
The File Menu allows the user to select a user-defined file that specifies the transmit waveform.
The file must exist on the SD card to be listed in this menu. The format of the filename must have a “.iq” extension to show up in the file list. The format of a transmit waveform is a . CSV file with one sample (IQ p air) per line with I and Q values separated by a comma.
For Version 1.x Software
The TX waveform file must contain between a minimum of 256 samples and a maximum of 2,097,150 samples, inclusive.
For Version 2. x and 3. x Software
The TX waveform file must contain between a minimum of 512 samples and a maximum of 4,194,304 samples, inclusive. The number of samples should be a multiple of 512. If the number of samples is not a multiple of 512, the TX waveform will be zero-padded to the next multiple of 512.
Note: The vProtean SDR and Carrier board should be powered down whenever mounting or removing the SD card.
6.2.4 RX Waveform Capture Settings Menu
The RX Waveform Capture Settings Menu allows the user to set the number of samples captured and the file to which the samples are saved. It also allows the user to configure which RX channel will be captured.
The format of a captured waveform is a . CSV file with one sample (IQ pair) per line with I and Q values separated by a comma.
If the captured waveform filename has a “.iq” extension it will show up in the TX waveform list if the capture was successful.
For Version 1.x Software
The number of RX samples to capture must be between a minimum of 256 samples and a maximum of 2,097,150 samples, inclusive.
For Version 2. x Software
The number of RX samples to capture must be a multiple of 512. If it is not a multiple of 512 the capture will fail.

Item

| Name|

Function

---|---|---
1| Filename| The name of the file to save the RX samples to. The filename can be up to 9 characters. The filename extension can be up to 2 characters. It is recommended that the filename extension be “.iq”
2| Samples| The number of samples to capture.
3| RX Channel [1,2]| Configure which RX channel the capture should be performed on.

Customer Support

If you experience difficulty after reading the manual and/or using the product, please feel free to contact [email protected] for additional assistance.
Vanteon offers contract engineering services and can assist you in implementing the vProtean SDR into your system.

Terms and Conditions of Sale

All sales of products are subject to the terms and conditions described in “Vanteon Corporation ­ Terms and Conditions of Product Sales”. Unless explicitly agreed to in writing, Vanteon rejects all modifications to these standard terms and conditions.

One Year Warranty

Vanteon Corporation provides a One-Year Limited Warranty for all products sold. Should this product, in Vanteon Corporation’s opinion, fail to be in good working order during the warranty period, Vanteon Corporation will, at its option, repair or replace this product at no charge, provided that the product has not been subject to abuse, misuse, accident or unauthorized modification or repair.
Products returned to Vanteon must be pre-authorized by Vanteon and sent prepaid, insured, and packaged for safe shipment. Vanteon will return this product by prepaid ground shipment service.
Should the product prove to be irreparable, Vanteon reserves the right to substitute an equivalent product if available.
See accompanying “Vanteon Corporation ­ Terms and Conditions of Product Sales” for additional information regarding this warranty.
The above warranty is the only warranty authorized by Vanteon for this product. Under no circumstances will Vanteon be liable in any way for any damages, including any lost profits, business revenue, special, indirect, incidental, exemplary, punitive, or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use such product.

Copyright Notice

The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Vanteon Corporation shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material. This document contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated to another language without the prior written consent of Vanteon Corporation.
Copyright © 2020 by Vanteon Corporation.

Trademark Acknowledgement

Vanteon Corporation acknowledges all trademarks, registered trademarks, and/or copyrights referred to in this document as the property of their respective owners. Not listing all possible trademarks or copyright acknowledgments does not constitute a lack of acknowledgment to the rightful owners of the trademarks and copyrights mentioned in this document.

August 15, 2022
Vanteon Proprietary and Confidential

Documents / Resources

| VANTEON vProtean Software Defined Radio [pdf] User Manual
vProtean, Software Defined Radio, vProtean Software Defined Radio
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References

• Vanteon Wireless Solutions and Hardware Design Services

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