ACG in LimeSDRmini

Projects
1

Hi everybody,
I am an experienced HW RF engineer, with good underatnding of signal theory, maths (Matlab/Python), but not thta familiar with SW tools, intallations in UNIX, APIs… Thatbut I am drowing with frustration when trying to make LimeSDR mini implment AGC in RX path. There are some much information, so many Softwares and APIs… I do not know which way to follow

How should I set the AGC??

  1. Is it something you set in Lime Suite GUI?
  2. Is it something you have to bulid in GNU/companion?

Up to now I have done all my work with GNU-Companion but I see there is also something called Soapy. Can I stick to GNU companion? Will GNU companion offer me all possibilities and capabilities, or sometime will I have to use Soapy?

BR

Orlando

2

Anything you set in LimeSuiteGUI will be lost when this closes the connection to the SDR and something else opens it and resets the chip.

There is a previous discussion on AGC setting here:

@zack or @garmus may be able to comment further.

When using GNU Radio we would generally advise use of gr-limesdr source/sink blocks, which do not involve SoapySDR, which is an abstraction that sits on top of the native “LMS API”.

3

Hi Andrew, and thank you very much.
So, how should I set or configure tha AGC on my LimeSDR mini receiver? Which block within GNU companion should I use?

There are some AGC blocks but Ihink they are intended for other apllications, can not update the RX gain. The Rx gain is a parameter inside the LimeSDR SOURCE (Rx) and up to know I can only change it manualy.

In some posts they say you can activate AGC control in Lime Suite, if you then save the file *.ini you can use for GNU companion.

In short, I AM LOST regarding AGC, whre and how should i configure it?

Orlando

4

If you install gr-limesdr blocks and in the source block on the General tab you will see an option to load an INI file. However, we you use this method to configure the SDR, the other fields in the block, such as RF frequency and sample rate, will be ignored and instead will be set via the file that is loaded.

I’ve raised an issue to see if we can add an AGC enable/disable option that avoids the need to use an INI file for configuration.

5

HI Andrew,
You are in deed very kind to answer me so quickly. Your answer just rises another question. It is posible to use limesdr gnu radio blocks with your an ini file?
How can you ser the USB connection to your limesdr mini without and ini file? How can you ser the USB connection just with limesdr gnu blocks ?

Br

Orlando Peña

6

There is a file option in the gr-limesdr gnuradio block to load ini files that you had previously saved from LimeSuite.

Sorry, I don’t understand the question. What is “ser”, I guessed a typo for “see” or “set”, but even then I can not make sense of the question.

7

I mean how do you make your limesdr gnu blocks detect the limesdr mini connected to your usb portátil?, an therefore inteact with it?.. if you do not specify an ini file with in the block settings…