Evaluation Engineeering - 23

Per Vices currently markets Cyan-a versatile,
software-defined radio that offers up to 16 independent
RX & TX chains, with 1GHz RF bandwidth on each
chain, all the way up to 18GHz.

FRONT VIEW

BACK VIEW

generally have a short lifespan due to their
inability to adapt to advances in technology and increases in demands. SDRs, on
the other hand, offer the modularity and
versatility necessary to be effective across
a variety of deployment scenarios and sensor types and are adaptable to a range of
applications. SDRs also act as a single
point of data-transfer between wired and
wireless systems, enabling endless possibilities in terms of applicable industries.
Additionally, SDRs are able to update and
upgrade the system with new functionalities on-the-fly to best suit scenarios and
maintain effectiveness. This has greatly
reduced maintenance costs while allowing for reuse of software and hardware
alike, providing the flexibility and costeffectiveness sought by customers.

Interoperability
One of the most requested features for
future DAQ systems is the interoperability of different communication systems.
Advancements have allowed for the integration of more functionality and higher
performance into many of the flexible and
programmable components used within
SDRs today, which have allowed for the
acceleration of innovations in DAQ. This

is especially true for FPGAs, which are
inherently flexible semiconductor devices
used to implement any desired operation
within SDRs. Their use has provided SDRs
with multifunctionality and programmable logic-emphasizing interoperability.
FPGAs also deliver high performance
and intense signal and computational
processing, which is made attainable
through parallel processing.
This makes SDRs well-suited for scenarios that require handling high-bandwidth and high-channel density signals.
These attributes extend available operating frequency and permit continuous
streaming and allow the use of multiple
radio standards on the network through
the same hardware, greatly reducing the
complexity of the system. Additionally,
FPGAs able to perform on-board digital
signal processing (DSP), which enables
highly-agile target acquisition and filters
in the form of triggers and thresholds. This
is in order to control signal-to-noise ratio and spurious-free dynamic range on
acquired data, helping to achieve gains
in sensitivity, range, and quality, while
reducing memory and disk usage. These
components are also available off-theshelf, which lowers production time and

provides more cost-effective options while
allowing for the development of more innovative solutions.
SDRs also offer users flexible radio
chains, permitting for high bandwidths
and the ability to operate over a wide
frequency. This allows for the acquisition, storage, and processing of an uninterrupted stream of data, as well as the
maintenance of signal fidelity through a
versatile and evolvable information and
communication structure. These radio
chains permit for the system to adapt to
multiple bands concurrently, improving
the quality and resolution of the data,
which can be acquired quickly and efficiently. SDRs have the added capacity
to act as a cognitive radio (CR), offering adaptability in the electromagnetic
domain. Instantaneous data transfer is
crucial for many industries, and via CRs,
systems can be further enhanced with
automatic reconfiguration to eliminate
delays in data transfer and overcome
traffic burdens.
SDR-enabled data-acquisition has the
potential to advance many industries,
with three of the most noteworthy being
test & measurement, signals intelligence,
and spectrum scanning.
SEPTEMBER 2019 EVALUATIONENGINEERING.COM

http://www.EVALUATIONENGINEERING.COM

Evaluation Engineeering

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Evaluation Engineeering