LimeSDR-USB hardware description

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LimeSDR-USB Board Key Features

The LimeSDR-USB development board provides a hardware platform for developing and prototyping high-performance and logic-intensive digital and RF designs using Altera’s Cyclone IV FPGA and Lime Microsystems transceiver.

The LimeSDR-USB has two different USB connector versions. LimeSDR-USB 1v4 is micro USB type B connector (socket) based, as shown in Figure 1. LimeSDR-USB 1v4s is a USB type A connector (plug) based, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1. LimeSDR-USB 1v4 – micro USB type B connector board


Figure 2. LimeSDR-USB 1v4s – USB type A connector board


LimeSDR-USB board features:

  • USB Interface
    • Cypress FX3 Super Speed USB 3rd generation controller
  • FPGA Features
    • Cyclone IV EP4CE40F23C8N device in 484-pin FPGA
    • 39’600 logic elements
    • 1134 Kbits embedded memory
    • 116 embedded 18x18 multipliers
    • 4 PLLs
  • FPGA Configuration
    • JTAG mode configuration
    • Active serial mode configuration
    • Possibility to update FPGA gateware by using FX3 (USB)
  • Memory Devices
    • 2x 1Gbit (64M x 16) DDR2 SDRAM
    • 4Mbit flash for FX3 firmware
    • 16Mbit flash for FPGA gateware
    • 2 x 128K (16K x 8) EEPROMs for LMS MCU firmware, LMS MCU data
    • 1 x 64K (8K x 8) EEPROM for FX3 data
  • Connections
    • microUSB3.0 (type B) connector or USB3.0 (type A) plug
    • Coaxial RF (U.FL) connectors
    • FPGA GPIO headers (0.05” pitch)
    • FPGA and FX3 JTAG connectors (0.05” pitch)
    • 6..12V DC power jack and pinheader
    • Fan connector (3.3V)
  • Clock System
    • 30.72MHz VCTCXO (precision: ±1 ppm initial, ±4 ppm stable).
    • Possibility to lock VCTCXO to external clock or tune VCTCXO by onboard DAC
    • Programmable clock generator for the FPGA reference clock input or LMS PLLs
  • Board Size 60mm x 100mm (2.36” x 3.94”)


LimeSDR-USB board overview

LimeSDR-USB board version 1.4 picture with highlighted major connections presented in Figure 3. There are three connector types – data and debugging (USB3.0, FPGA GPIO and JTAG), power (DC jack and external supply pinheader) and high frequency (RF and reference clock).

Figure 3. LimeSDR-USB 1v4 Development Board Connectors


Board components description listed in the Table 1 and Table 2.

Table 1. Board components
Featured Devices
Board reference Type Description
IC1 FPRF Field programmable RF transceiver, LMS7002M
IC8 FPGA Altera Cyclone IV, EP4CE40F23C8N 484-BGA
IC13 USB 3.0 microcontroller Cypress FX3 Super Speed USB 3rd generation controller, CYUSB3014
Miscellaneous devices onboard
IC9 IC Quad SPDT switch, TS3A5018PW
IC6 IC Temperature sensor, LM75
IC19 IC SPI to I²C bridge, SC18IS602BIPW (not mounted)
IC17 IC I²C port expander with 4 push-pull outputs and 4 inputs, MAX7322ATE+
Configuration, Status and Setup Components
IC9 IC Quad SPDT switch, TS3A5018PW
R51, R52, R53, R54, R56, R57, R59, R60 0 Ohm resistor FPGA (IC31) MSEL[3:0]. Default mode: Active Serial Standard configuration
R115, R116, R117 10 kOhm resistor USB3.0 microcontroller (IC13) boot configuration (PMODE0[2:0]) resistors. Default mode: SPI boot, On Failure - USB Boot
R125, R127, R128 10 kOhm resistor USB3.0 microcontroller (IC13) crystal/clock frequency selection (FSLC[2:0]) resistors. Default mode: 19.2MHz crystal
J16 JTAG chain pin header USB3.0 (IC6) microcontroller’s debugging pin header, 0.05” pitch
J17, R122 Pin header USB3.0 microcontroller boot source (Flash memory or USB), 0.05” pitch jumper or 0402 0R resistor. In normal operation jumper or resistor must be placed.
SW1 Push-button USB3.0 microcontroller reset button
J11 JTAG chain pin header FPGA programming pin header for Altera USB-Blaster download cable, 0.05” pitch
LEDS1 Red-green status LEDs User defined FPGA indication LED1 (near board edge if SMD; on the bottom if through-hole), User defined FPGA indication LED2 (farther board edge if SMD; on the top if through-hole)
LEDS2 Red-green status LEDs FX3 (USB) status indication LED (near board edge if SMD; on the bottom if through-hole), board power indication LED (farther board edge if SMD; on the top if through-hole)
General User Input/Output
J12 Pin header 8 FPGA GPIOs, 0.05” pitch
J13, J14 Pin header 3.3V fan connection pin headers, 0.1” and 0.05” pitch respectively


Table 2. Board components
Memory Devices
Board reference Type Description
IC11, IC12 DDR2 memory 1Gbit (64M x 16) DDR2 SDRAM with a 16-bit data bus
IC2, IC3 EEPROM 128K (16K x 8) EEPROM, LMS7002 MCU firmware, LMS7002M data
IC18 EEPROM 64K (8K x 8) EEPROM, connected to main I2C bus
IC10 Flash memory 16Mbit Flash for FPGA configuration
IC15 Flash memory 4Mbit Flash for FX3 firmware
Communication Ports
J15 USB3.0 connector microUSB3.0 (type B) connector or USB3.0 (type A) plug
Clock Circuitry
XO1, XO2 VCTCXO 30.72MHz voltage-controlled crystal oscillator
IC24 IC Programmable clock generator for the FPGA reference clock input and RF boards
IC23 IC ADF4002 phase detector
IC22 IC DAC for TCXO (XT4) frequency tuning
J19 U.FL connector Reference clock input
J18 U.FL connector Reference clock output
Power Supply
J20 DC input jack External 6V..12V DC power supply
J21 Pin header External 6V..12V DC power supply and main internal power rail


LimeSDR-USB board version 1.4 picture with highlighted top components are presented in Figure 4.

Figure 4. LimeSDR-USB Development Board Top Components


LimeSDR-USB board version 1.4 picture with highlighted bottom components is presented in Figure 5.

Figure 5. LimeSDR-USB Development Board Bottom Components


LimeSDR-USB board architecture

The heart of the LimeSDR-USB board is Altera Cyclone IV FPGA. Its main function is to transfer digital data between the PC through a USB3.0 connector. The block diagram for LimeSDR-USB board is presented in the Figure 6.

Figure 6. LimeSDR-USB Development Board Block Diagram


LMS7002M based connectivity

The interface and control signals are described below:

  • Digital Interface Signals: LMS7002 is using data bus LMS_DIQ1_D[11:0] and LMS_DIQ2_D[11:0], LMS_ENABLE_IQSEL1 and LMS_ENABLE_IQSEL2, LMS_FCLK1 and LMS_FCLK2, LMS_MCLK1 and LMS_MCLK2 signals to transfer data to/from FPGA. Indexes 1 and 2 indicate transceiver digital data PORT-1 or PORT-2. Any of these ports can be used to transmit or receive data. By default, PORT-1 is selected as transmit port and PORT-2 is selected as receiver port. The FCLK# is input clock and MCLK# is output clock for LMS7002M transceiver. TXNRX signals sets ports directions. For LMS7002M interface timing details refer to LMS7002M transceiver datasheet.
  • LMS Control Signals: these signals are used for optional functionality:
    • LMS_RXEN, LMS_TXEN – receiver and transmitter enable/disable signals connected to FPGA Bank 8 (VDIO_LMS_FPGA; 2.5V).
    • LMS_RESET – LMS7002M reset connected to FPGA Bank 7 (VDIO_LMS_FPGA; 2.5V).
  • SPI Interface: LMS7002M transceiver is configured via 4-wire SPI interface; FPGA_SPI0_SCLK, FPGA_SPI0_MOSI, FPGA_SPI0_MISO, FPGA_SPI0_LMS_SS. The SPI interface controlled from FPGA Bank 8 (VDIO_LMS_FPGA; 2.5V).
  • Main I2C Interface: used to control external clock synthesizer, port expander, temperature sensor, EEPROM, I2C-SPI bridge on LimeSDR-USB board. The signals FX3_I2C_SCL, FX3_I2C_SDA connected to FX3. Also these I2C lines are connected via 0R resistors to FPGA Bank 8 (VCC3P3; 3.3V) lines FPGA_I2C_SCL, FPGA_I2C_SDA.
  • LMS I2C Interface: can be used for LMS EEPROM content modifying or for debug purposes. The signals LMS_I2C_SCL, LMS_I2C_DATA connected to FPGA Bank 8 (VDIO_LMS_FPGA; 2.5V).


SDRAM

LimeSDR-USB board has two 128MB (16bit bus) DDR2 SDRAM ICs (AS4C64M16D2-25BCN) connected to double data rate pins on Cyclone IV 1.8V Bank 2, Bank 3 and Bank 4. RAM chips are connected to separate memory controllers so RAM chips works in dual channel mode. The memory can be used for data manipulation at high date rates between transceiver and FPGA.


USB 3.0 controller

Software controls LimeSDR-USB board via the USB3 microcontroller (CYUSB3014 (FX3)). The data transfer to/from the board, SPI communication, FPGA configuration is done via the USB3 controller. The controller signals description showed below:

  • FX3_DQ[31:0] – FX3 32-bit GPIF data interface is connected to Cyclone IV 1.8V Bank 5.
  • FX3_CTL[8:0], [12:11] – FX3 GPIF interface control signals.
  • FX3_PCLK – GPIF interface clock. Clock from FX3 is fed to FPGA.
  • FX3_SPI interface is used to program FX3 firmware flash or FPGA configuration flash memory.
  • FX3 I2C bus is connected to the main I2C bus.
  • PMODE[2:0] – boot options, by default boot from SPI and USB boot is enabled. If J17 jumper is present or R122 is soldered FX3 will boot from IC8 flash memory if correct firmware exists.
  • SW1 – resets FX3
  • J16 – FX3 JTAG programming/debugging pin header.


Indication LEDs

LimeSDR-USB board comes with four dual colour (red and green (RG)) indication LEDs. These LEDs can be SMD or 3mm TH with dedicated right angle plastic holders. By default, dual colour SMD LEDs are populated and through hole LEDs are unpopulated. If required, the user can fit dual colour TH LEDs.

Figure 7. LimeSDR-USB indication LEDs


Each LED has it is own function. Most of LEDs are connected to FPGA and their function can be changed. Default LEDs functions and other information are listed in the table below.

Table 3. Default functions of LEDs
Board reference Schematic name Board label Type Description
LED8, LEDS2.2 GND, VCC3P3 PWR Power status LED is hardwired to VCC3P3 power rail. Steady green light indicates presence of 3.3v.
LED2, LEDS2.1 FX3_LED_R, FX3_LED_G FX3 USB activity USB3.0 (FX3) controller, slave FIFO (GPIF) interface module and NIOS CPU activity indication:

Green – idle, Red – busy.

LED1, LEDS1.1 FPGA_LED1_G, FPGA_LED1_R FPGA1 Clock status Blinking indicates presence of TCXO clock.

Colour indicates status of FPGA PLLs that are used for LMS digital interface clocking: Green – both PLLs are locked; Red/Green – at least one PLL is not locked.

LED7, LEDS1.2 FPGA_LED2_G, FPGA_LED2_R FPGA2 TCXO control mode No light – TCXO is controlled from DAC

Red – TCXO is controlled from phase detector and is not locked to external reference clock Green – TCXO is controlled from phase detector and is locked to external reference clock


Low speed interfaces

LimeSDR-USB board low speed interfaces are divided into FX3 and FPGA groups that are presented in Figure 3, Figure 8 and Figure 9. The latter block diagrams depict the main ICs, corresponding IC pin numbers, data buses and serial protocol addresses.

Figure 8. FX3 low speed interfaces block diagram


LimeSDR-USB board peripherals are controlled via USB interface. All commands that comes from USB are firstly processed by FX3 controller. If I2C peripheral (temperature sensor, port expander, clock generator) on FX3_I2C bus must be controlled this can be done directly. FX3_I2C is also connected to FPGA.

Figure 9. FPGA low speed interfaces block diagram


There are several SPI interfaces with their slave devices:

  • FX3_SPI: FX3 hardware SPI cannot be used if 32-bit GPIF interface is configured. If any slave device on this bus must be accessed then FX3 switches to 16-bit GPIF. This bus has these slave devices:
    • FX3 firmware Flash
    • FPGA configuration flash: using switch (IC9) flash memory is switched from FPGA to FX3_SPI BUS. Then flash content is updated and flash memory is switch back to FPGA. This is done when needs to update FPGA gateware in flash memory.
  • FPGA_SPI0, FPGA_SPI1: these SPI interfaces are connected to FPGA and slave devices can be accessed by transferring data to internal FPGA NIOS CPU. This bus has these slave devices:
    • RFIC (FPGA_SPI0)
    • Phase detector (FPGA_SPI1)
    • DAC (FPGA_SPI1)
  • Internal FPGA SPI module: FPGA has its own SPI module and can be controlled as regular SPI device. By using FPGA SPI it is possible to control FPGA modes etc.
  • BRDG_SPI: this is alternative SPI interface for FX3 and currently is not used.


In the table below are listed USB3.0 controller (FX3) pins, schematic signal name, FPGA interconnections and I/O standard.


Table 4. USB3 controller (FX3) pins
FX3 FX3 reference Schematic signal name FPGA pin FPGA pin I/O standard Comment
F10 GPIO0 FX3_DQ0 M19 1.8V
F9 GPIO1 FX3_DQ1 AA21 1.8V
F7 GPIO2 FX3_DQ2 Y22 1.8V
G10 GPIO3 FX3_DQ3 Y21 1.8V
G9 GPIO4 FX3_DQ4 W22 1.8V
F8 GPIO5 FX3_DQ5 W21 1.8V
H10 GPIO6 FX3_DQ6 W20 1.8V
H9 GPIO7 FX3_DQ7 V22 1.8V
J10 GPIO8 FX3_DQ8 V21 1.8V
J9 GPIO9 FX3_DQ9 U22 1.8V
K11 GPIO10 FX3_DQ10 U21 1.8V
L10 GPIO11 FX3_DQ11 U20 1.8V
K10 GPIO12 FX3_DQ12 U19 1.8V
K9 GPIO13 FX3_DQ13 M22 1.8V
J8 GPIO14 FX3_DQ14 M21 1.8V
G8 GPIO15 FX3_DQ15 R22 1.8V
J6 GPIO16 FX3_PCLK T21 1.8V
K8 GPIO17 FX3_CTL0 L6 1.8V
K7 GPIO18 FX3_CTL1 L7 1.8V
J7 GPIO19 FX3_CTL2 M1 1.8V
H7 GPIO20 FX3_CTL3 M2 1.8V
G7 GPIO21 FX3_CTL4 M3 1.8V
G6 GPIO22 FX3_CTL5 M4 1.8V
K6 GPIO23 FX3_CTL6 M6 1.8V
H8 GPIO24 FX3_CTL7 M7 1.8V
G5 GPIO25 FX3_CTL8 M8 1.8V
H6 GPIO26 FX3_DCTL9 P9 1.8V
K5 GPIO27 FX3_DCTL10 N7 1.8V
J5 GPIO28 FX3_CTL11 N5 1.8V
H5 GPIO29 FX3_CTL12 N6 1.8V
G4 GPIO30 FX3_PMODE0 - 1.8V
H4 GPIO31 FX3_PMODE1 - 1.8V
L4 GPIO32 FX3_PMODE2 - 1.8V
K2 GPIO33 FX3_DQ16 R21 1.8V
J4 GPIO34 FX3_DQ17 R20 1.8V
K1 GPIO35 FX3_DQ18 R19 1.8V
J2 GPIO36 FX3_DQ19 R18 1.8V
J3 GPIO37 FX3_DQ20 P22 1.8V
J1 GPIO38 FX3_DQ21 P21 1.8V
H2 GPIO39 FX3_DQ22 M20 1.8V
H3 GPIO40 FX3_DQ23 P16 1.8V
F4 GPIO41 FX3_DQ24 P15 1.8V
G2 GPIO42 FX3_DQ25 N22 1.8V
G3 GPIO43 FX3_DQ26 N21 1.8V
F3 GPIO44 FX3_DQ27 N20 1.8V
F2 GPIO45 BRDG_INT_LS - 1.8V Connected to I2C-SPI bridge
F5 GPIO46 FX3_DQ28 N19 1.8V
E1 GPIO47 FX3_DQ29 N18 1.8V
E5 GPIO48 FX3_DQ30 N17 1.8V
E4 GPIO49 FX3_DQ31 N16 1.8V
D1 GPIO50 - - 1.8V
D2 GPIO51 - - 1.8V
D3 GPIO52 - - 1.8V
D4 GPIO53 FX3_SPI_SCLK - 3.3V
C1 GPIO54 FX3_SPI_FLASH_SS - 3.3V
C2 GPIO55 FX3_SPI_MISO - 3.3V
D5 GPIO56 FX3_SPI_MOSI - 3.3V
C4 GPIO57 - - 3.3V
D9 I2C_GPIO58 FX3_I2C_SCL/FPGA_I2C_SCL H7 3.3V Connected to I2C-SPI bridge
D10 I2C_GPIO59 FX3_I2C_SDA/FPGA_I2C_SDA J7 3.3V Connected to I2C-SPI bridge

In the table below are listed RF transceiver (LMS7002M) pins, schematic signal name, FPGA interconnections and I/O standard.

Table 5. RF transceiver (LMS7002M) digital interface pins
LMS7002M pin LMS7002M reference Schematic signal name FPGA pin FPGA pin I/O standard Comment
AM24 xoscin_rx RxPLL_CLK - 3.3V Connected to 30.72 MHz clock
P34 MCLK2 LMS_MCLK2 B11 2.5V
R29 FCLK2 LMS_FCLK2 E5 2.5V
U31 TXNRX2 LMS_TXNRX2 B8 2.5V
V34 RXEN LMS_RXEN C3 2.5V
R33 ENABLE_IQSEL2 LMS_ENABLE_IQSEL2 C7 2.5V
H30 DIQ2_D0 LMS_DIQ2_D0 B7 2.5V
J31 DIQ2_D1 LMS_DIQ2_D1 B6 2.5V
K30 DIQ2_D2 LMS_DIQ2_D2 B4 2.5V
K32 DIQ2_D3 LMS_DIQ2_D3 B3 2.5V
L31 DIQ2_D4 LMS_DIQ2_D4 A10 2.5V
K34 DIQ2_D5 LMS_DIQ2_D5 A9 2.5V
M30 DIQ2_D6 LMS_DIQ2_D6 A8 2.5V
M32 DIQ2_D7 LMS_DIQ2_D7 A7 2.5V
N31 DIQ2_D8 LMS_DIQ2_D8 A6 2.5V
N33 DIQ2_D9 LMS_DIQ2_D9 A5 2.5V
P30 DIQ2_D10 LMS_DIQ2_D10 A4 2.5V
P32 DIQ2_D11 LMS_DIQ2_D11 A11 2.5V
E5 xoscin_tx TxPLL_CLK - 3.3V Connected to 30.72 MHz clock
AB34 MCLK1 LMS_MCLK1 G21 2.5V
AA33 FCLK1 LMS_FCLK1 B20 2.5V
V32 TXNRX1 LMS_TXNRX1 B9 2.5V
U29 TXEN LMS_TXEN B10 2.5V
Y32 ENABLE_IQSEL1 LMS_ENABLE_IQSEL1 C4 2.5V
AG31 DIQ1_D0 LMS_DIQ1_D0 B17 2.5V
AF30 DIQ1_D1 LMS_DIQ1_D1 B16 2.5V
AF34 DIQ1_D2 LMS_DIQ1_D2 B15 2.5V
AE31 DIQ1_D3 LMS_DIQ1_D3 B14 2.5V
AD30 DIQ1_D4 LMS_DIQ1_D4 B13 2.5V
AC29 DIQ1_D5 LMS_DIQ1_D5 C13 2.5V
AE33 DIQ1_D6 LMS_DIQ1_D6 A18 2.5V
AD32 DIQ1_D7 LMS_DIQ1_D7 A17 2.5V
AC31 DIQ1_D8 LMS_DIQ1_D8 A16 2.5V
AC33 DIQ1_D9 LMS_DIQ1_D9 A15 2.5V
AB30 DIQ1_D10 LMS_DIQ1_D10 A14 2.5V
AB32 DIQ1_D11 LMS_DIQ1_D11 A13 2.5V
U33 CORE_LDO_EN LMS_CORE_LDO_EN B18 2.5V
E27 RESET LMS_RESET C6 2.5V
D28 SEN FPGA_SPI0_LMS_SS D10 2.5V SPI interface
C29 SCLK FPGA_SPI0_SCLK E6 2.5V SPI interface
F30 SDIO FPGA_SPI0_MOSI D7 2.5V SPI interface
F28 SDO FPGA_SPI0_MISO C8 2.5V SPI interface
D26 SDA LMS_I2C_SDA C21 2.5V Connected to EEPROM too
C27 SCL LMS_I2C_SCL C17 2.5V Connected to EEPROM too


SPI interfaces, connected to the FPGA are listed in the tables bellow.

Table 6. FPGA_SPI0 interface pins
Schematic net name FPGA pin I/O standard Comment
FPGA_SPI0_SCLK E6 2.5V Serial Clock (FPGA output)
FPGA_SPI0_MOSI D7 2.5V Data (FPGA output)
FPGA_SPI0_MISO C8 2.5V Data (FPGA input)
FPGA_SPI0_LMS_SS D10 2.5V IC1 (LMS7002M) SPI slave select


Table 7. FPGA_SPI1 interface pins
Schematic net name FPGA pin I/O standard Comment
FPGA_SPI0_SCLK E6 2.5V Serial Clock (FPGA output)
FPGA_SPI0_MOSI D7 2.5V Data (FPGA output)
FPGA_SPI0_MISO C8 2.5V Data (FPGA input)
FPGA_SPI0_LMS_SS D10 2.5V IC1 (LMS7002M) SPI slave select


FX3 MCU features I2C interface. Slave devices and related information, connected to this interface, are listed in the table bellow.

Table 8. FX3 I2C interface pins
I2C slave device reference I2C slave device I2C slave address I/O standard Comment
IC9 Temperature sensor 1001000RW 3.3V LM75
IC12 I2C SPI Bridge 0101000RW 3.3V SC18IS602B
IC10 I2C Port Expander 1101101RW 3.3V MAX7322
IC11 EEPROM 1010000RW 3.3V 24FC64F
IC17 Clock generator 1100000RW 3.3V Si5351C


Eight GPIOs from FPGA are connected to 10 pin 0.05” header. Additional 2 pins are dedicated for power. FPGA_GPIO related information is presented in the table below.

Table 9. FPGA GPIO connector pins
Connector pin Schematic net name FPGA pin I/O standard Comment
1 FPGA_GPIO0 H8 3.3V
2 FPGA_GPIO1 H6 3.3V
3 FPGA_GPIO2 H2 3.3V
4 FPGA_GPIO3 H1 3.3V
5 FPGA_GPIO4 G4 3.3V
6 FPGA_GPIO5 G3 3.3V
7 FPGA_GPIO6 F2 3.3V
8 FPGA_GPIO7 F1 3.3V
9 GND - -
10 PWR - - Selectable power net. Default 3.3V

Board temperature control

LimeSDR-USB has integrated temperature sensor which controls FAN to keep board in operating temperature range. FAN must be connected to J13 (0.1” pitch) connector or to J14 (0.05” pitch) connector. FAN control voltage is 3.3V.

Fan will be turned on if board will heat up to 55°C and FAN will be turned off if board will cool down to 45°C.


Figure 10. FAN control temperature hysteresis


Measured temperature value can read by using LimeSuiteGUI.


Connect the fan as shown in the picture bellow.


Figure 11. FAN connection to the 1.27mm header, J14

Clock distribution

LimeSDR-USB board clock distribution block diagram is presented in Figure 12.


Figure 12. LimeSDR-USB board clock distribution block diagram


LimeSDR-USB board has onboard 30.72 MHz VCTCXO (precision: ±1 ppm initial, ±4 ppm stable) that is reference clock for LMS_PLLs. See block diagram of the clock distribution system in Figure 12.

VCTCXO can be tuned by onboard phase detector (IC23, ADF4002) or by DAC (IC22). The onboard frequency synthesizer is used to synchronize onboard VCTCXO with external equipment (via J19 U.FL connector) to calibrate frequency error. At the same time only ADF or DAC can control VCTCXO. Selection between ADF and DAC is done automatically. When board is powered, by default VCTCXO is controlled by DAC.

J19 connector can also be used to supply external reference clock to the Clock Buffer (IC20) directly and bypassing a on board clock circuitry. For this you have to modify your board by fitting R147 and removing R137 and C354 components.

External reference clock frequency range is 5 MHz - 400 MHz. For frequencies less than 5 MHz, ensure slew rate is more than 4 V/μ. This is a CMOS input with a nominal threshold of VDD/2 (3.3 V / 2 = 1.65 V) and a DC equivalent input resistance of 100 kΩ. This input can be driven from a TTL or CMOS crystal oscillator or it can be AC-coupled.

The programmable clock generator (Si5351C) can generate any reference clock frequency, starting from 8 kHz – 160 MHz, for FPGA and LMS PLLs.

Table 10. LimeSDR-USB clock pins
Source Schematic net name FPGA pin I/O standard Comment
Programmable clock generator (IC24) SI_CLK0 T2 1.8V
SI_CLK1 AA12 1.8V
SI_CLK2 AB12 1.8V
SI_CLK3 T22 1.8V
SI_CLK5 G1 3.3V
SI_CLK6 AA11 1.8V
SI_CLK7 AB11 1.8V
Clock buffer (IC13) LMK_CLK B12 3.3V 30.72MHz
RF transceiver (IC1) LMS_MCLK1 G21 3.3V
LMS_FCLK1 B20 3.3V
LMS_MCLK2 B11 3.3V
LMS_FCLK2 E5 3.3V
USB3.0 controller FX3_PCLK T21 1.8V
FPGA_CLK_OUT C2 3.3V

Power distribution

LimeSDR-USB board can be powered from USB port. In applications where USB power is insufficient board can be powered from external 6..12V power supply. External power supply can be fed to J20 barrel power connector by using power plug (1.35mm ID, 3.5mm OD) or pin header J21 (GND and VCC_EXT). External power supply connections have automatic source selection between USB and external source with polarity protection.

LimeSDR-USB board has complex power delivery network consisting of many different power rails with different voltages, filters, power sequences. LimeSDR-USB board power distribution block diagram is presented in Figure 13.


Figure 13. LimeSDR-USB board power distribution block diagram


Power network power circuit ICs are presented in Figure 14.

Figure 14. LimeSDR-USB board power ICs on top and bottom


 
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