Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] Custom Blocks and FPGA builds

[Eric Blossom]

On Wed, Jan 16, 2008 at 04:29:28AM -0800, seph 004 wrote:
> Hi
> 
> I just wanted clarification on somethings:
> 
> 1) For creating customs blocks, I wasn't sure on the
> compiling process. Once you've generated the three
> files needed for your custom block, and placed them in
> the correct place, does one simply compile them in
> their folder using the ./bootstrap -> ./configure ->
> etc. process? Is it only the new files that are
> compiled and integrated? Or does this process
> re-compile and install the whole gnuradio setup?

The easiest way to create new blocks is to build them "outside the
tree", as shown in gr-howto-write-a-block.  That way they're available
to you, and your Makefiles don't get hosed everytime we make a change
on the trunk.

> 2) For custom FPGA builds. So far I've been creating
> and compiling custom FPGA builds for the rev 2 USRP
> that I'm using. My fellow students are all using rev 4
> boards. I seem to vaguely remember Eric mentioning
> that one should be cautious about where custom .rbfs
> are placed for rev 4 boards, and how they are called
> from python.
> 
> If the rev 4 users would like to use the rbf's I've
> made, what is the safe way for them to load it from
> python? Do I need to recompile my rbf's differently to
> work with rev 4 boards?

Currently we run the same RBF's for rev 2 and rev 4.  
We do have infrastructure in place that loads them from different
paths.  E.g., /usr/local/share/usrp/rev2 vs rev4.
Copy your .rbf into both.

Eric