Wavelet Lab has chosen Lime Microsystems’ LMS7002M field-programmable radio-frequency chip to drive its latest high-performance software-defined radio (SDR) platform, an 8×8 transceiver targeting 5G cellular and beyond: the xMASS SDR.
“xMASS SDR is a modular, high-performance MIMO [Multiple Input/Multiple Output] transceiver optimised for industrial, academic, and advanced software-defined radio (SDR) applications,” Wavelet Lab explains of the device. “It features 8 RX [receive] and 8 TX [transmit] channels that can be synchronised. Its modular design enables simple maintenance and facilitates the creation of high-order MIMO systems using well-established building blocks.”
The xMASS SDR takes the form of a carrier board for four xSDR modules, compact yet powerful software-defined radios built around the Lime Micro LMS7002M. Each module is capable of handling two simultaneous transmit/receive channels from 30-3800MHz, with a complete xMASS SDR synchronising each module to provide an overall 8×8 capability. If that’s not enough, two xMASS SDRs can be synchronised to each other to deliver 16×16 MIMO for cutting-edge projects.
The performance of the xMASS SDR is such that it can deliver 60 mega-samples per second (MSPS) over all eight channels in sustained mode, or up to 100 MSPS over four channels – making it, Wavelet Lab explains, ideal for 4G LTE and 5G New Radio (NR) cellular experimentation, with support for Amarisoft’s cellular stack and Lime Micro’s open-source Lime Suite software stack in addition to SRSRAN, SoapySDR, and GNU Radio.
“Through beamforming, xMASS SDR enables focused transmission toward a specific location without requiring physical antenna adjustment,” the company writes of the SDR’s capabilities. “As an example of its versatility, you could use the first and second SDR boards for 4G, the third for PMR [Professional Mobile Radio], and the fourth for spectrum monitoring.”
Wavelet Lab is funding production of the xMASS SDR via Crowd Supply, priced at $3,900 including free global shipping. Devices are scheduled to ship in January 2025, the company has confirmed.