Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] What single-board computers (SBCs) work well with

Hi Dave,

I’ve tried several SBCs with B200 boards and here’s what I found:

RPI3 doesn’t have enough CPU power. There’s actually an Ubuntu port for RPI3 and the UHD driver works great but just couldn’t get it to run fast enough.
I’ve tried several SBC variations on the Intel Cherry Trail processor with mixed results. For some of them it was a real hack to get Ubuntu fully working (i.e. built in Wi-Fi if you need it) and definitely want the 4GB of RAM. Other issue was thermals – make sure it has a heat sink as passive heating may not be enough if you have an intense application. In the end though I was able to get GNU Radio and UHD working on all of the Cherry Trail SBCs I bought.
The UP SBC was the best option I found so far. It’s a Cherry Trail variant well made in terms of thermals and Ubuntu support. UHD and GNU Radio worked great on it and seemed to have enough power for variety of applications.

Best,

Timothy Coyle
Staff Engineer
Environetix Technologies

20 Godfrey Drive
Orono, ME 04473

Office: (207) 866-6551
Cell: (207)844-0951

www.environetix.com

I’m looking for recommendations for a small computer to use in an embedded GNURadio product. By “small” I mean small enough that the whole system can be portable, like the size of a lunchbox or smaller. It will connect to an Ettus USRP B200mini-i, which communicates using USB 3.0. The application is fairly compute intensive, so a fast, multi-core processor will make life easier.

I’ve researched a few Single Board Computers (SBCs). Low-end SBCs don’t look like a good idea. For example, the Rasperry Pi 3 has a relatively slow processor, and only supports USB 2.0. Here are a few products I’m considering:

LattePanda SBC

Intel Cherry Trail Z8350 quad-core processor 1.44 GHz
USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 2
Size: 3.5" x 2.75"
RAM: 2–4 GB DDRL3L
Storage: 32–64 GB eMMC
Can run Ubuntu
Price: about $120.00

UP Board SBC

Intel Atom x5 Z8350 64-bit, quad core processor 1.44GHz
USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 4
Size: 3.37" x 2.22"
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64 GB eMMC
Can run Ubuntu
Price: about $150.00

INTEL NUC Board NUC7i5DNBE

Intel® Core™ i5-7300U dual core processor, up to 2.6 GHz
USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 2
Size: 4” x 4”
RAM: up to 32 GB
Storage: M.2 SSD slot - any size(?)
Comes with Windows 10, but can probably run Ubuntu
Price: about $400.00

Does anyone have any experience with these, or have another recommendation?

Thanks,

Dave Rose

Valkyrie Systems Corp

Phoenix, AZ

From:	Timothy Coyle
Subject:	Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] What single-board computers (SBCs) work well with GNURadio?
Date:	Fri, 15 Dec 2017 13:49:38 +0000