High-Speed Serial Communication in Radio Transceiver Functional Test

This application note describes a reference design for implementing high-speed serial protocols like 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Xilinx Aurora, Serial RapidIO, or Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) into functional test systems for radio transceivers and other similar RF systems (software defined radio, signal intelligence [SIGINT], transmit and receive [TR] modules, remote radio heads, and radar systems). Learn how you can use NI high-speed serial instruments, LabVIEW software, and tools from Xilinx to implement numerous industry-standard and custom protocols in your test system.

 

 

Introduction

This paper shows the implementation of high-speed serial communication to test the functionality of a radio transceiver that uses an FPGA for IO and data processing. The system has inputs and outputs for DC power, RF transmit and receive signals, general-purpose input/ output (GPIO), and a high-speed serial interface.

The power management segment supplies power for all other components of the system and regulates power usage. The Rx and Tx nodes receive and transmit modulated radio signals. There are two portions of digital data inputs and outputs on this module. The GPIO on this device is used for controlling the operating modes and reading registers from the radio transceiver system. An onboard processor is used to synthesize outgoing waveforms and perform signal processing on incoming waveforms.

This system can also be used to test remote radio heads, TR modules, SIGINT, and radar systems, which all include similar building blocks of radio transmission and reception as well as onboard signal processing.