RF and Communications

RF and Communications Khaled Moselhy Field Application Engineer National Instruments Egypt

National Instruments Our Commitment We equip engineers and scientists with tools that accelerate productivity, innovation, and discovery. 3

2014: Celebrating 17 Years of PXI! 70+ Member Companies 1500+ PXI Products 4

What is PXI? PXI = PCI extensions for Instrumentation Invented by National Instruments in 1997 Open specification governed by the PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA) PC-based platform optimized for test, measurement, and control Advanced timing and synchronization features PCI electrical-bus with the rugged, modular, Eurocard mechanical packaging of CompactPCI 5

Introduction to Instrument Control Use software on a PC to control an instrument 6

Instrument Control Buses Stand-alone buses Used to communicate with rack and stack instruments GPIB Serial USB Firewire Ethernet 7

Introduction to Instrument Control Buses Modular buses Incorporate the interface bus into the instrument itself PCI PCI Express VXI PXI PXI Express 8

Bus Comparison 9

Bus Comparison GPIB USB Bandwidth (MB/s) 1.8 (488.1) 8 (HS488) 60 (Hi-Speed) Latency (µs) Range (m) (without extender) Setup and Install Connector Ruggedness 30 20 Good Best 1000 (USB) 125 (Hispeed) PCI 132 0.7 PCI Express Ethernet/ LAN/LXI 250 (x1) 4000 (x16) 12.5 (Fast) 125 (Gigabit) 0.7 (x1).7 (x4) 1000 (Fast) 1000 (Gigabit 5 Best Good Internal PC bus Internal PC bus Better Better Better Best (for PXI) Better Best (for PXI) 100 m Good Good 10

PXI The Industry-Leading Platform for Research, Measurement, and Control PXI Modules >1,500 options from over 70 PXI vendors Software Flexible driver APIs, example code, soft front panels, and configuration PXI Controllers Performance embedded Windows or RT OS Remote control via desktop or laptop PXI Chassis Options ranging from low-cost, 4-slot desktop to high-performance, 18-slot rack mount 11

PXI Embedded Controllers for Research Wide Range of OS Options 12

PXI Chassis 3U, 6U, and 3U/6U combo 4 through 18 slots Portable, benchtop, and rack mount AC and DC power options Backplane adds timing and synchronization busses to Compact PCI 13

The PXI Platform: PXI PXI Platform Encompasses PXI and PXI Express PXI Express 100% software compatible Hardware compatible with hybrid slots PXI 14

The PXI Backplane 15

The PXI Backplane 16

Timing and Synchronization Features of PXI PXI Trigger Bus 8 TTL Trigger, Clock, and Handshaking Signals System Reference Clock 10 MHz TTL Phase Lock Looping Equal-Length Traces < 1 ns Skew Star Trigger Bus 1 Per Slot Star Configuration Traces Matched in Propagation Delay < 1 ns Skew 17

System Streaming Architecture PXI Express PXI System Express System PXIe-8130 PXI-8106 PXIe-1082 PXI-1045 PCI Bus 132 MB/s Four x4 PCI Express Links 18

19

PXI Express System Controller PXI Express System Timing Slot PXI Express Hybrid Peripheral PXI Express Hybrid Peripheral PXI Express Hybrid Peripheral PXI-1 Peripheral PXI PXI Express Star Trigger 100 MHz Differential CLK SYNC100 10 MHz CLK SYNC Control Differential Star Triggers PXI Trigger Bus (8 TTL Triggers) 20

PXI Express System Controller PXI Express System Timing Slot PXI Express Hybrid Peripheral PXI Express Hybrid Peripheral PXI Express Hybrid Peripheral PXI-1 Peripheral PXI PXI Express Star Trigger 100 MHz Differential CLK SYNC100 10 MHz CLK SYNC Control Differential Star Triggers PXI Trigger Bus (8 TTL Triggers) 21

Key Benefits of PXI Express Uses latest PC technology Ensures longer system lifetime Improved timing and synchronization Higher correlation of data Both PXI and PXIe cards in hybrid slots Greater system flexibility Increased bandwidth capabilities Perform previously impossible measurements 23

Wide Range of Platform Products 50+ Chassis and Controller Options 24

Modular PC-Based Architecture Provides Flexible Functionality More than 500 PXI Products Available from National Instruments DAQ and Control: Multifunction I/O FPGA/Reconfigurable I/O Digital I/O Analog Input/Output Vision and Motion Counter/Timers Instruments: Oscilloscopes Digital Waveform Generator/Analyzers Digital Multimeters Signal Generators Switching RF Signal Generation and Analysis Interfaces: GPIB, USB, LAN SCSI + Enet Boundary Scan/JTAG CAN + DeviceNet RS232/RS485 VXI/VME More than 1,500 PXI Products from More than 70 Vendors 25

Advantages of PXI in Research: Modularity Software Defined Traditional 26

Research Advantages of PXI: Flexibility Software Defined Traditional 27

Case Study: Leading-Edge Medical Research The PXI platform from National Instruments enabled the high-channelcount acquisition because of its synchronization capabilities, small size, and modularity. As the platform adds capabilities with higher performance instruments and faster data transfer speeds with PXI Express, we can meet future requirements and continue to advance our research. Dr. Kohji Ohbayashi, Kitasato University of Japan, Center for Fundamental Sciences 28

Production Test System Xbox 360 Controllers at Microsoft Challenge: Developing a cost-effective method to capture, monitor, and analyze the Xbox 360 controller USB signals, audio signals, and serial data signaling. NI PXI-5124 high-resolution digitizer for USB communication interface analysis NI PXI-4472 dynamic signal acquisition module for vibration feedback motor analysis PXI data acquisition modules for general-purpose analog I/O measurements NI PXI-6509 digital I/O module for general-purpose I/O control NI PXI-5124 2-channel, 200 MS/s 14-bit digitizer 29

RF Hardware 31

NI RF Platform Optimized APIs Cellular, Wireless, and GPS Test Toolkits (802.11a/b/g/n/ac, BT, GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, LTE, WiMAX, GPS, etc.) Soft Front Panels Highly Modular Hardware & Software Reference Architectures Multicore Processing RF Signal Generators & Analyzers RF Vector Signal Transceivers FPGA I/O & Coprocessing 32 RF Vector Network Analyzer Switching, Amplifiers, Attenuators Power Meters

NI PXI-5661 and NI PXI-5671 2.7 GHz Vector Signal Analyzer/Generator Measurement Performance 9 khz to 2.7 GHz 20 MHz real-time bandwidth 80 db SFDR 50 ppb frequency accuracy -135dBm/Hz noise density (< 1GHz) 20 MHz wideband DDC I/Q Power Triggering Continuous Data Streaming Software Defined Modulation ASK, FSK, MSK, GMSK, PSK, QPSK, π/4 DQPSK, QAM, AM, FM, PM, OFDM, Custom 33

6.6 GHz RF Instruments PXIe-5663 VSA Single stage heterodyne downconverter 10 MHz to 6.6 GHz 50 MHz Instantaneous BW (3 db) -110 dbc phase noise (10 khz) at 1 GHz -158 dbm/hz typical DANL at 1 GHz Up to 80 db SFDR PXIe-5673 VSG Direct (homodyne) RF upconversion 85 MHz to 6.6 GHz >100 MHz Instantaneous BW -110 dbc phase noise (10 khz) at 1 GHz Up to +10 dbm RF output power On-the fly impairments API 34

NI PXIe-5665: 14 GHz RF Vector Signal Analyzer Frequency Range Analysis Bandwidth Phase Noise Noise Floor 20 Hz to 14 GHz 25 or 50 MHz -129 dbc/hz -165 dbm/hz 15X faster measurements than equivalent traditional rack-and-stack VSA at a significantly lower cost NI PXIe-5622 Digitizer NI PXIe-5605 Downconverter NI PXIe-5653 Local Oscillator NI PXI-5630 6 GHz VNA >100 db dynamic range NI PXIe-5781R 2x2 IF transceiver 40 MHz, 14-/16-bit in/out 35

Spectrum Monitoring & Over-The-Air Signal Analysis NI PXIe-5667 7GHz Spectrum Monitoring Receiver 20 Hz to 7 GHz frequency range Dynamic Range > 110dB and Noise Figure < 12dB Up to 50 MHz instantaneous bandwidth Second-order intercept of 80 dbm and third-order intercept >17dBm RF spectrum with scan rates of up to 30 GHz/sec Real-time signal analysis & advanced signal processing in FPGA hardware using FlexRIO products NI PXIe-5667 Specifications 36

World s First Vector Signal Transceiver NI PXIe-5644R 6 GHz VST VSA and VSG w/ independent LOs 65 MHz to 6 GHz frequency range 80 MHz instantaneous bandwidth 24 DIO lines @ 250 Mbps Programmable FPGA w/labview Small footprint (3 PXIe slots) Support for the latest wireless standards (802.11ac and LTE) NI PXIe-5644R Vector Signal Transceiver Specifications 37

NI PXIe 5646R 200MHz RF bandwidth 6GHz Vector Signal Transceiver Specifications 65 MHz 6.0 GHz frequency coverage VSG & VSA with independent LOs 200 MHz instantaneous bandwidth 24 lines of DIO at up to 250 Mbps Baseband I/Q interface NEW! Features User accessible LV FPGA target Support for MIMO configurations Small footprint Support for the latest RF & wireless standards such as 802.11ac and LTE advanced 38

RF & Microwave PXI Modules Phase Matrix PXI-1410 Preselector and Attenuator 40 MHz YTF and 70 db step attenuator PXI-1420 Microwave Downconverter Converts 2.7 GHz -26.5 GHz signals with 350 MHz bandwidth to a 250 MHz IF PXI-1430 RF Downconverter Converts 100 khz - 2.9 GHz with 40 MHz bandwidth to a 250 MHz IF PXI-1440 IF Downconverter Converts 250 MHz to 25 MHz with either a 8 MHz or 30 khz bandwidth. PXI-1450 Local Oscillator 3 to 9 GHz, low-phase noise, fast tuning synthesizer using QuickSyn technology 39

26.5 GHz Vector Signal Analzyer 100 khz to 26.5 GHz frequency range Fast-tuning local oscillator (<1 ms) ±1.5 db amplitude accuracy (typical) -118 dbc/hz phase noise at 10 khz offset from 1 GHz (typical) Wideband (350 MHz) and narrowband (30 khz and 8 MHz) IF outputs YIG preselector filter and programmable attenuator 40

20 GHz Signal Generator QuickSyn Technology Frequency Range Options 100 MHz - 10 GHz 200 MHz - 20 GHz 50-100 μs switching AM, FM, Pulse Modulation Low Phase Noise, Fast Switching, and Low Spurs 41

RIO, FPGA, and Peer-to-Peer Technology 42

Introduction to FPGA Technology What is an FPGA? o Field programmable gate array (FPGA) o A silicon chip with unconnected gates o Enables user to define and re-define functionality How does an FPGA work? o Defines behavior in software o Compiles and download to the hardware o Executes without OS When is an FPGA used? o Custom hardware or ICs, replacement for ASICs o Reconfiguration required after deployment 43

Decision Making in Software Traditional System Crash Possible UUT ~25 ms Response Outputs I/O Operating System Driver API Application Software Calculation 44

Decision Making in Hardware LabVIEW FPGA System Highest Reliability UUT 25 ns* Response Outputs I/O Calculation Operating System Driver API Application Software * Assumes 40 MHz clocks 45

LabVIEW FPGA System LabVIEW FPGA Module NI-RIO Driver Reconfigurable I/O (RIO) Hardware 46

LabVIEW FPGA RF Communications Library Modulators Demodulators Channel Encoders Channel Decoders Phase Locked Loop Fractional Resamplers Filters 47

NI RF RIO Modules NI PXIe-5641R RIO IF Transceiver 2 IF Inputs and 2 IF Outputs 14-bit ADCs and DACs 20 MHz Instantaneous Bandwidth (25 MS/s I/Q) IFs from 3 to 80 MHz Xilinx Virtex-5 SX95T LabVIEW-programmable FPGA 48

NI FlexRIO System Architecture PXI/PXIe NI FlexRIO Adapter Module Interchangeable I/O Analog or digital NI FlexRIO Adapter Module Development Kit (MDK) NI FlexRIO FPGA Module Virtex-5 FPGA 132 digital I/O lines Up to 512 MB of DRAM PXI Platform Synchronization Clocking/triggers Power/cooling Data streaming 49

Peer to Peer (P2P) Technology Method to transfer data directly between hardware devices Streaming data through Processor not required 50

NI FlexRIO P2P Architecture >800 MB/s one way >700 MB/s each way ~10 µs latency Up to 16 streams per FPGA 51

The NI USRP (Universal Software Radio Peripheral) The Software Defined Radio Approach

NI USRP Radio Prototyping Platform Software Defined Radio Based on LabVIEW Host-based processing simplifies signal processing Immediate access to real-world signals 20 MHz of real-time bandwidth makes the solution available to a wide range of applications Flexible Easy to use Affordable 54

NI USRP Tunable RF Transceiver Front Ends Frequency Range 50 MHz 2.2 GHz (NI USRP-2920) 2.4 GHz and 5.5 GHz (NI USRP-2921) Signal Processing and Synthesis NI LabVIEW to develop and explore algorithms NI LabVIEW Modulation Toolkit and other LabVIEW add-ons to simulate or process live signals Applications FM Radio TV GPS GSM ZigBee Safety Radio OFDM Passive Radar Dynamic Spectrum Access 1 Gigabit Ethernet Connectivity Plug-and-play capability Up to 25 MS/s baseband I/Q streaming 55

NI USRP Research Applications Academic to Industry Rapid prototyping Physical layer design Record and playback GPS simulator Academic education Communications intelligence Surveillance Deployable radio 2x2 MIMO Record and Playback Safety Radio 56

Downconversion Demodulation Channel Decoding Source Decoding Source Coding Channel Coding Modulation Upconversion Digital Communication System Communications Channel 57

Digital Communication System NI Modulation Toolkit NI Modulation Toolkit 58

Digital Communication System NI Modulation Toolkit NI USRP NI Modulation Toolkit NI USRP 59

NI USRP-2920 Hardware Diagram Analog RF Transceiver Fixed Function FPGA PC 60

GPS Simulation and Test Things to Simulate Poor signal strength View of satellites obstructed Position constantly changing GPS receiver behaves as if it sees real satellites GPS Toolkit Creates Signal in LabVIEW NI USRP-2920 Generates Signal GPS Receiver Precision Clock (10 MHz OCXO) 61

Playback Record GPS Record and Playback Record and play back up to 20 MHz of bandwidth Take advantage of repeatable testing of algorithms/devices on realistic data set Supplement a PXI lab with low-cost playback at your desk 62

MIMO Radio Prototyping Plug-and-play 2x2 MIMO Driver-based synchronization Reference designs available Maximal Ratio Combining Alamouti Coding 2x2 MIMO - Alamouti Coding 63

NI USRP Research Case Study: Cognitive Radio and White Space LabVIEW Graphical System Design Spectral sensing with blind detection GPS geographic localization Adaptive spectrum utilization LabVIEW software and the NI USRP hardware are key components of this research project, allowing the team to rapidly prototype and successfully deploy the first cognitive radio test bed of this kind. Dr. Paulo Marques, COGEU Aveiro, Portugal 64

RF/COMMUNICATIONS EDUCATION 65

Digital Communications Bundle Bundle Contents Two NI USRP-2920 + Toolkits MIMO Cable Digital Comm Lab Manual Target Courses Communication Systems Digital and Wireless Communications Software Defined Radio (SDR) Key Benefits Affordable Accessible NI Supported TX and RX Real RF Signals Scales to Research 66

Lab Ready Packet Radio and OFDM Digital Communications Labs by Dr. Robert Heath, UT Austin 1 QPSK AWGN Simulator 2.1 Modulation/Demodulation 2.2 Pulse Shaping 3 Energy Detection 4 Equalization 5 Frame Detection 6 Intro to OFDM 7 Frequency Correction & Sync 8 OFDM Channel Coding Communications Systems Labs by Dr. Sachin Katti, Stanford 1 Source Coding 2 Packet Communication, Sync, and Channel Correction 3 Modulation 4 Demodulation 5 Design Challenge: Packet-Based Transceiver (Ships in Bundle) (FREE: /courseware) 67

NI USRP at Stanford University Student Course Feedback: Awesome class! I really enjoyed the lectures, where I learned a lot, and the labs were really cool because we got to use the hardware. I am glad that I took this class! Source: Stanford EE 49: Teaching Evaluations (Spring Quarter 2011)

NI USRP at Stanford University with the NI USRP, we re able to provide exposure in introductory courses for the first time. Students rated the class 4.94/5.0, likely making it one of the highest ratings among all classes in the School of Engineering at Stanford. Dr. Sachin Katti [ Electrical and Computer Engineering] 69

RF System Design and Validation Rapidly prototype and test new standards Create repeatable real-world stimulus Characterize receiver performance FM Radio GPS And more 70

Concurrent Design and Test Design Verification/Validation Test System Design System Test Component Design Component Test Implementation 71

Evaluating the Options NI ELVIS: baseband telecommunications training tool (ideal for technician training at baseband frequencies) NI USRP: relevant, hands-on and accessible laboratory learning in RF and Communications as an off-the-shelf, affordable solution (physical layer prototyping and relative measurement) NI PXI RF: precise/calibrated RF measurements and test (ideal for precision and high bandwidth education and applications). 72

Summary LabVIEW offers a graphical approach to shorten the design process and tight hardware/software integration for seamless transition from design to test NI provides a full spectrum of RF/communications solutions: RF test, research, and education LabVIEW and NI USRP form an accessible, easyto-use software defined radio platform 73