Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] How UHD, GNURadio and USRP are bound together.

[Josh Blum]

On 02/19/2011 03:17 AM, Florian Eugen wrote:
> Hi,
> 
>    I read some documentation about USRP, UHD and GNURadio, but something is 
> missing, an explanation of how they are bound together. Maybe the biggest 
> problem is that I want to use it on Windows, maybe on Linux it would be much 
> easyer. For not heaving to give me some long answers (only yes or no, a link  
> or 
> maybe a few words if it's possible) I will ask few questions to see if I 
> understood how does it work. I want to tell all af you that I don't need 
> anybody 
> to make my project (a research project) I only need a little help to start 
> it, 
> how to use these tools. Maybe these questions will bring some new 
> informations 
> to newbies like me. As I saw everything is made (firmwares - FPGA, FX2, 
> GNURadio, now UHD - many peoples hard work), the only thing is needed is a 
> good 
> overall documentation on how to use these together. 
> 

USRP is hardware
UHD is hardware driver
GNURADIO is a signal processing library and more

> 1. I have to install UHD, GNURadio and UHD WinUSB driver. It says that I have 
> to 
> compile them, but I received from mr. Josh Blum these files 
> http://www.joshknows.com/download/gnuradio_port/ (compiled UHD, 
> GNURadio-Core, 
> gnuradio-uhd, gnuradio-qtgui, and dependencies like Boost, cppunit, libfftw), 
> very helpfull, thank you very much. What other dependencies do I have to 
> install. I didn't found anywhere a list, what is needed and why.
> 

I am working on the documentation and collecting install files for other
dependencies. It was a rush because you asked. I would like to update
the files, but it seems my server is unreachable ATM...

> 2. I will have to give the PATHs, (which ones?. The first time I installed 
> GNURadio I had many problems with those PATHs and this is why I couldn't use 
> my 
> USRP1, couldn't try examples.
> 

The %PATH% variable needs to contain paths to installed DLL files. The
installer does not do this automatically. So c:/program files/uhd/lib
c:/program files/gnuradio/lib etc

> 3. If I will use the UHD it means that I will have to program the FPGA 
> firmware 
> with the help of the UHD functions? It is correct? I got the rbf files for 
> the 
> USRP1 and firmware for FX2 USB tranceiver. I found them here 
> https://github.com/EttusResearch/UHD-Mirror/archives/master. Where should I 
> copy 
> them, where will the UHD look for it or I will have to give the path to the 
> rbf 
> files. The same question for the FX2 firmware, it's possible to change the 
> program from the 8051 microcontroller in te same manner, with some functions 
> fro 
> UHD?
> 

UHD knows how to load images into the USRP1, so you just need to install
the images package and uhd takes care of the rest.

Images can be downloaded here http://www.ettus.com/downloads/uhd_images/

And some documentation:
http://www.ettus.com/uhd_docs/manual/html/images.html

> 4. With the help of the UHD is made the data transfer, read samples from FPGA 
> and set parameters (frequency and others). If I'm using MSVC I will be able 
> to 
> connect through the UHD to the USRP and read samples. If I have those 
> samples, I 
> have to do something to get out data from them so I will have to use some 
> functions from gnuradio-core.dll (I checked functions exported fom this dll, 
> and 
> there are many interesting things - fir filers, fft filters). Is it correct?  
> 

Yes, I think it will be simpler to get started by learning about how to
make flow graphs in gnuradio with python.

You may also try python.exe c:/program files/gnuradio/bin/gnuradio-companion

http://i.imgur.com/dU99P.png

> 5. So if I will make an interface in MSVC and I'll connect through the UHD to 
> USRP, I could start to receive samples after I would set the required 
> parameters 
> for the FPGA (which type of board - WBX, frequency, decimation and so on). I 
> will use this USRP1 only to transfer real time data at a very low data rate, 
> I 
> would be happy to transfer a package of data containing 3 bytes. 
> 

Unless you are building a C++ app, you dont need MSVC, you can make
great gnuradio apps in python.

-josh

> 
> As I mentioned before I don't need anybody to make my project (to answer my 
> questions all day long), I know how to make it but the problem is to get 
> basic 
> data how to use these software and hardware tool together, to see the right 
> direction, how to use this tool (meaning what to install, where and why).
> 
> Thank you very much.
> 
> Best regards,
> Florian Eugen.
> 
> 
>       
> 
> 
> 
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