[hpsdr] hpsdrServer?

[Doug Gibbs]

Hi Paul,

I have been looking at trying to interface Ozy and Janus or Mercury to 
QS1R Server and SDRMAX-II for a couple of months.  I started, toward the 
end of last year, evaluating various approaches and finally decided that 
the cleanest way for me would be to have Ozy emulate the QS1R 
interface.  I have been an embedded hardware/software designer since the 
dawn of the microprocessor/microcomputer but have never been too savvy 
as far as PC Systems are concerned, so I don't feel comfortable trying 
to develop an 'Ozy Server' to do the job.

I needed to know the interface format but couldn't find much in the way 
of documentation so I started reverse engineering the QS1R Server code, 
the FX2 firmware code and the FPGA verilog code to try to determine what 
was going on.  Sometime in December I was about there when my Mercury 
board arrived.  Of course I immediately dropped everything else to play 
with it and haven't got back into the QS1R interface until recently.  I 
_think_ I have it figured out but the proof is in the implementation.

There are several issue to be dealt with, such as the fact, as has been 
mentioned here, that Mercury talks to Ozy/FPGA in a serial format rather 
than in parallel, as in QS1R.  This will limit maximum bandwidth to less 
than the 2 MHz max  presently achieved by QS1R.  Also, Ozy/Janus/Mercury 
embed Sync and Control bytes in the USB data stream.  QS1R uses separate 
channels for data and control info.  In fact, QS1R has two data channels 
and the control channel.

The change to Ozy requires revised FX2 firmware code, revised Ozy FPGA 
verilog code and revised Ozy EEPROM code.  It should not require any 
changes to Mercury (or Janus, if desired).  As I indicated, I think I 
know how to do it, but I am sure once I get started there will be some 
surprises.  I have Eclipse setup and have successfully 
compiled/linked/loaded the FX2 8051 original code and I have Quartus 
running and have compiled and successfully loaded the original FPGA 
file.  One thing I need to pursue, but haven't yet, is what is necessary 
to debug the code in both the 8051 core in FX2 and the FPGA code.

I don't know if I will get there with this approach, but it has been 
fun, so far, trying to figure out what it would take.  If I get anything 
working I will let you know.

73,
Doug Gibbs
W8NFT



-----Original Message-----

Subject:
[hpsdr] hpsdrServer?
From:
Paul Beckmann <wa0rse at gmail.com>
Date:
Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:29:26 -0600

To:
High Performance Software Defined Radio Discussion List <hpsdr at hpsdr.org>
CC:
Paul Beckmann-wa0rse <wa0rse at gmail.com>


I know that there is a strong similarity the qs1r and Mercury hardware 
and that prompts me to ask:

Is anyone working on a piece of software like qs1rServer that will 
interface with the SDRMAX-II piece across ethernet?

Since both are based on the same A/D, there might be some significant 
similarities in the code. Ozy's FPGA needs to be downloaded each time, I 
know, with firmware but I don't know if that piece is taken care of by 
the driver or needs to be handled elsewhere.

I have the sneaking suspicion that someone hinted that they are working 
on this, perhaps as a GNUradio, but I wasn't able to find the reference.

73
--Paul, wa0rse
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