Can the USRP Radio Support Package be used to run programs on the Ettus or do you need to transform code into VHDL in a program like HDL Coder?

To Whom It May Concern,

I have an X310 USRP and am wondering how to control it. The Support Package that is a part of the Communications Toolbox seems like the best path forwards. I notice that Simulink and MATLAB have several objects and blocks that control the Ettus. I also notice the support package has a way to flash and load images onto the FPGA. I am looking for a way to get an entire custom receiver chain running on the Ettus without the need for computations being done by the host PC when the code is running. Can custom functions or blocks be written that will be ran on the Ettus FPGA and not the host PC without the use of any other programs like HDL coder?

• Tyler

Answer 1

[Martin Enderwitz]

Hi Tyler,

At present, there are two support packages available for use with Ettus USRP devices.

Communications Toolbox™ Support Package for USRP® Radio which supports the X series of radios (including the X310).

• This support package enables live RF data I/O between the radio and the host PC.
• The FPGA binaries on the device are required to match a specific version of UHD drivers supported by the support package release.

Communications Toolbox™ Support Package for USRP® Embedded Series Radio which supports the E310/E312 devices.

• This support package allows targeting of the FPGA, and this requires HDL Coder.
• This provides the ability to design, integrate and generate HDL code for custom IP cores developed in Simulink, which can then be downloaded to the device.
• These IP cores are tightly integrated within a reference design, and hence require the IP Core Generation workflow provided by HDL Coder.

Hope that clarification helps.

Regards,

Martin