Powerful functions and low price: NXP's new software-defined radio platform, do you want to try it?

If you don’t have the resources of a “big company” or a sufficient network of relationships in the industry, the barriers to entry for developing new hardware and software can be high. Hardware complexity has increased over time, which is one reason for technological advancement. For example, designing and building a PCB is much more complex today than it was twenty years ago. In addition, software complexity is increasing as well. Operating systems, drivers, and applications are all increasing in complexity and are beyond the ability of an individual to manage.

So what is the industry doing to solve this problem? The solution is often reference design kits and single-board computers. For example, in the microcontroller space, the MCX microcontrollers come with a FRDM development platform kit that enables partners to get started quickly.

It’s a great concept, but it rarely scales to a domain as complex and “heterogeneous” as telecommunications, where analog, digital, signal processing, RF, and traditional computing all converge into a single hardware/software product.

This is exactly the problem that the LA9310 Software Defined Radio (SDR) product is designed to solve. While we are not sure if this product is a "world first" in this area, it is certainly innovative, providing an FPGA-free (and therefore easier to code) SDR platform at a very competitive price.

There are differences in many aspects, including cost, size, functionality, flexibility, reconfiguration capability, etc. Popular cost-effective SDR modems on the market are based on FPGAs with specific functions for fixed applications. NXP's Long Term Innovation (LTI) SDR development platform uses the efficient programmable baseband processor LA9310 .

On the market, SDR modems with the same functionality are 4 to 5 times more expensive, and better performing modems are even 20 times more expensive. For example, the NXP LTI SDR board is about $250, while similar boards on the market are about $2,500.

Traditionally, cost reduction is achieved by reducing functionality, speed and computing power, and adopting fixed configurations. However, the design concept of NXP LTI SDR board is to provide a wide range of applications and functions while keeping the cost low.

The NXP LTI SDR motherboard has a fixed layout with a baseband processor LA9310 and a host processor i.MX 8M Plus to make the system as stable as possible. Daughterboards can be pre-made, customized by developers, or selected from third parties or suppliers.

These daughter boards can pin out analog (baseband IO), use wired or wireless communication protocols, or even implement functions such as a digital oscilloscope or vector signal analyzer. It's best to mix and match!

From the software side, the project supports multiple open source initiatives. For example, NXP has invested a lot in the 5G world.

Here, protocol stacks such as OpenAirInterface, srsRAN, open5GS or open5gc are all applicable. Of course, it is also suitable for third-party commercial suppliers. Vicinity Wireless in Bristol, UK, has developed a 5G UE on this platform.

Of course, the platform also supports NXP's internal development teams as well as startups and academia.

LA9310 is NXP's most efficient low-power baseband processor. It is also a popular entry-level baseband processor with low cost and no complicated export control restrictions.

Unlike FPGA-based systems, the NXP LA9310 is faster, more compact, and consumes less power, yet has flexible programmable functions. Developers can use it as a modem, signal generator, or signal analyzer by selecting the appropriate plug-and-play RF module.

NXP i.MX 8M Plus is a very popular MPU with unique features including a quad-core processor, TSN endpoints, and hardware accelerators for applications such as AI/ML, camera/video, and IoT. i.MX processors are widely used in automotive, industrial, robotics, and medical fields. In LTI SDR, it is used as a central control processor and runs the necessary software protocol stack. For example, the entire 5G Layer 2/3 will run on the i.MX 8M Plus.

SN220 is a mature NFC-eUICC-Secure Chip combo solution in the mobile device market . It has a unique interface in the system that enables developers to use it as a "real modem" without using a plastic SIM card, but an embedded SIM card. Developers can further use their imagination and use them in many combinations.

This is really a case of "1+1>2", working across departments within NXP and also with the larger ecosystem. This goes back to what we discussed at the beginning, usually providing enabling tools on a per-product basis, which is first-class for simpler products. At the same time, we found that the software enabling tools and support that NXP provides to typical large customers are not the same as what startups, academia and the open source community expect. In addition to this, we also need to achieve more competitive pricing.

So, to achieve these goals, we decided early on to work with an external partner called RFNM, who is more aligned with the needs of an ecosystem. Of course, some NXP expertise is also at work "behind the scenes", but it's great to see the community's contributions - the applications they come up with are more creative than what we could have imagined ourselves. The community also drives the openness of the platform: BSP, drivers, etc. are already open source software released and supported by NXP, and we are working hard to make more content "out there".

As someone who has always dreamed of building an SDR and its ecosystem, the LA9310 is a godsend for me. Wim already mentioned the lack of an onboard FPGA, but there is another important difference: the LA9310 is equipped with an analog I/Q baseband interface. Other products on the market use a chip that integrates the front end, mixer, and ADC. Our design can split the signal path between the mixer and ADC on a board-to-board mezzanine connector.

If this sounds a bit complicated, let me summarize it directly: we only need to develop the motherboard once, handle all the software and digital parts, and customers can develop daughterboards very easily starting from a simple Altium template.

As you might expect, within NXP we are working on these topics. But we also understand that a lot of fundamental research is very open in nature. As a result, our boards empower academia and startups with practical experience with new waveforms enabled by the programmable nature of the platform or AI/ML on processors like the i.MX 8M Plus. While low-cost development boards have some obvious limitations in terms of RF bandwidth, scaling is often a more mechanical endeavor than inventing an entirely new product.

Also, if you think that 6G is likely to be more open and have a software-defined and specific nature, this type of platform is exactly what the industry needs in the future. Yes, we are very confident that this SDR platform will be an important part of the 6G future.

Now! At the end of 2023, the software development was completed and the hardware and software were verified to be functional. Boards started shipping in early 2024 and the software has been under continuous development since then. You can order the platform directly through the RFNM website .

Well, there is still a lot of work to do. The first batch of boards have been built, and the second batch will hopefully be available soon. If you want one, you better sign up as soon as possible. From our perspective, this project has brought a lot of new customer collaborations. All of these customers need support so that they can build, demonstrate, optimize and commercialize their products. All of this takes time and effort, and we are working on it now. Probably next year, the chips on these SDR boards will be integrated into commercial products.

At the same time, we are considering whether we can build an "upgraded version" of this system. More bandwidth, more computing power, etc. This will provide the platform with scalability that is currently lacking. Ideally, this will also be achieved through "crowdfunding" and supported by NXP, because the results of this collaboration are amazing.

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