Getting Started with the LimeNET-Micro
Basic setup
To get LimeNET-Micro board up and running:
- Select how the board will be powered by placing a jumper on J27 header;
- Connect mouse and keyboard to J10 USB connectors;
- Connect monitor cable to J19 HDMI connector;
- Insert CM3 module into J13 socket (or CM3(L) module into J13 and uSD card into J16 slot);
- Flash eMMC or uSD card;
- Install LimeSuite
Powering the board
LimeNET-Micro board can be powered in three ways:
- Power over Ethernet – using RJ45 connector and power sourcing equipment (PSE) such as PoE capable network switch or PoE injector. LimeNET-Micro board works with PSE supplying power in “Mode A/Endspan” as well in “Mode B/Midspan” modes;
- DC connector - 5V power source connected to J28 power jack should be capable to provide 2A-3A current;
- microUSB port - 5V power source connected to J15 connector should be capable to provide 2A-3A current;
Power source can be selected fitting jumper in one of the three positions on J27 header:
- A (pins 5-6) – 5V micro USB;
- B (pins 3-4) – 5V external DC;
- C (pins 1-2) – Power over Ethernet;
Flashing eMMC or uSD card
To flash eMMC or uSD card with latest Raspbian image please follow these steps:
- Download Raspbian image file by following this [link] or [link]
- Choose how the board will be powered by mounting a jumper on J27 header.
- Mount “USB boot”(J14) and unmount "EXT USB"(J18) jumpers.
- Insert CM3 module into J13 socket (or CM3(L) module into J13 and uSD card into J16 slot).
- Flash Raspbian image by following this guide [link].
- Remove “USB boot”(J14) jumper and reapply power. LimeNET-Micro should now boot to newly installed Raspbian image.
Installing Lime Suite
Installing from Osmocom repository
On the Raspbian Buster (10) distribution, you can install LimeSuite and Osmocom software from Osmocom repository.
Open a terminal session, and type the following commands to add the repository and refresh the list of available packages:
sudo su wget http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/network:/osmocom:/latest/Raspbian_10/Release.key apt-key add Release.key rm Release.key echo "deb http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/network:/osmocom:/latest/Raspbian_10/ ./" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/osmocom-latest.list apt-get update exit
To install Lime Suite and its dependencies, type the following command:
sudo apt install limesuite liblimesuite-dev
After installing reboot your device to apply udev rules.
Installing from PPA or building from source
LimeSuite can be installed by following the instructions on Installing Lime Suite on Linux
Updating the Firmware and Gateware
The code running on the LimeSDR itself - known as "firmware" and "gateware" - needs to be kept up-to-date. Read LimeSDR Firmware Management to find out how to update these, and how to recover them if anything ever goes wrong.
Further reading
- LimeNET-Micro v2.1 hardware description
- Raspberry Pi documentation
- LMS7002M (Mask 1) Transceiver Calibration - LMS7002Mr3 calibration guide, using internal MCU
- LimeSDR Made Simple - Demystifying using SDR in the real world and programming a simple example with confidence, through bite sized chunks (note that not all examples will work with the Mini, e.g. those using the waveform player)
- LMS7002M Datasheet (PDF) - LMS7002M RF transceiver datasheet
- LMS7002M Programming and Calibration Guide (PDF) - LMS7002M programming and calibration guide