USRP B100 Series

Table of Contents

• Comparative features list
• Specify a Non-standard Image
• Changing the Master Clock Rate
  • Set 61.44 MHz - uses external VCXO
  • Set other rates - uses internal VCO
• Hardware setup notes
  • Front panel LEDs
• Miscellaneous
  • Available Sensors
  • Known Issues

Comparative features list

• Hardware Capabilities:
  • 1 transceiver card slot
  • External PPS reference input
  • External 10 MHz reference input
  • Configurable clock rate (defaults 64 MHz)
• FPGA Capabilities:
  • 1 RX DDC chain in FPGA
  • 1 TX DUC chain in FPGA
  • Timed commands in FPGA
  • Timed sampling in FPGA
  • sc8 and sc16 sample modes
    • Up to 8 MHz of RF BW with 16-bit samples
    • Up to 16 MHz of RF BW with 8-bit samples

Specify a Non-standard Image

UHD software will automatically select the USRP B100 images from the installed images package. The image selection can be overridden with the --fpga= and --fw= device address parameters.

Example device address string representations to specify non-standard images:

fpga=usrp_b100_fpga_2rx.bin

-- OR --

fw=usrp_b100_fw.ihx

Changing the Master Clock Rate

The master clock rate of the B100 feeds both the FPGA DSP and the codec chip. Hundreds of rates between 32 MHz and 64 MHz are available. A few notable rates are:

• 64 MHz: maximum rate of the codec chip
• 61.44 MHz: good for UMTS/WCDMA applications
• 52 MHz: good for GSM applications

Set 61.44 MHz - uses external VCXO

To use the 61.44 MHz clock rate, the USRP embedded will require one jumper to be moved, and X4 must be populated with a 61.44 MHz oscillator.

• J15 is a three pin header, move the jumper to (pin1, pin2)
• 357LB3I061M4400 is the recommended oscillator for X4

Note: See instructions below to communicate the desired clock rate into UHD software.

Set other rates - uses internal VCO

To use other clock rates, the jumper will need to be in the default position.

• J15 is a three pin header, move the jumper to (pin2, pin3)

To communicate the desired clock rate into UHD software, specify the special device address argument, where the key is master_clock_rate and the value is a rate in Hz. Example:

uhd_usrp_probe --args="master_clock_rate=52e6"

Hardware setup notes

Front panel LEDs

The LEDs on the front panel can be useful in debugging hardware and software issues. The LEDs reveal the following about the state of the device:

• LED A: transmitting
• LED B: FPGA loaded
• LED C: receiving
• LED D: FPGA loaded
• LED E: reference lock
• LED F: board power

Miscellaneous

Available Sensors

The following sensors are available; they can be queried through the API.

• ref_locked: clock reference locked (internal/external)

Known Issues

• When using a TVRX2, you will need to send the tune command twice on the first tune.