Lime and Pi - why is this so hard?

I have a Lime mini and would like to use it with a Pi 3B+ (and soon a 4!). With both products being quite popular, shouldn’t I be able to find rather simple concise instructions for getting this system going?

Looking through the forum I’m not seeing simple instructions. Google finds pieces and long forum posts of complexity.

It shouldn’t be this hard. My hope is someone will quickly point me to things like Limesuite and soapy for pi. Please show me I am a bumbling idiot and not wandering lost in the weeds.

barry

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@w0iy - Barry,

I can get you going, but you’ll have to first start off with a fresh load of Ubuntu 18.04 for the Pi with a MATE desktop that you can obtain here:

Once you have that flashed and running, then proceed to install all the baseline for LimeSuite to interact with the Pi:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:myriadrf/drivers
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install limesuite liblimesuite-dev limesuite-udev limesuite-images
sudo apt-get install soapysdr-tools soapysdr-module-lms7

Then grab and install LimeSuite:

git clone https://github.com/myriadrf/LimeSuite.git
cd LimeSuite
git checkout stable
mkdir builddir && cd builddir
cmake …/
make -j4
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

…and then at the command prompt type in:

sudo LimeSuiteGUI

…and then LimeSuite should launch and you’ll have all the resources to build on for PiHPSDR, too.

Once you’re that far, connect USB between the Pi and LimeSDR (you may have to do this through a USB hub as the power power off the Pi can be wimpy - you need up to 700mA to power a LimeSDR and a Mini may be in the 400mA range - but you’ll still need a hub to get there.

I have installed and got working resources on a Samsung J7 phone rooted to accept an Ubuntu 18.04 OS and installed all this and got it running - there’s no reason the same rules won’t apply for this install, too.

Let me know if you run into any snags - 73

de Marty, KN0CK

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I create swap space before building LimeSuite on Raspberry pi 3 B and B+.

Thanks for the help. I’ll be trying it today!

Marty
Got most of the way through it, but stuck. See below.
Barry

I’ve not tried these instructions, but it should be dot dot slash at the end, not dot dot dot slash.

I’ve written it out in words, because I noticed the forum replaced my dot dot slash with dot dot dot slash as well… :rofl:

@w0iy - Barry,

Actually, the error is referring to the ‘cmake’ - appears you don’t have the compiler installed (there’s a ‘get’ missing in your command). The other dependencies are just pre-built installs and will give you no errors. So what you’re going to want to do is the following:

sudo apt-get install cmake

…and then let it do its job to install it. Once it’s done with the install of cmake then you do the following (the original post I drew this from had three dots - you only need two…Cut and paste error):

sudo cmake …/ (with two dots…Not sure why the online posting app is showing three dots…weird)

…then do the final steps…

make -j4
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

…and then at the command prompt type in:

sudo LimeSuiteGUI

Let me know if you run into any issues with the install, Barry. The past two night have been busy getting ready for the 4th of July parade in Belle Plaine and I’ll have more time to perform these same steps on my own Pi3+ running Ubuntu/MATE tonight.

Keep me advised and stay tuned…

73 de Marty, KN0CK

cmake is installed ok
when I run cmake it generates errors. I’m looking at the cmake log file now.

I’m into the forum on my pc and the log file is on the pi. I need to switch to the pi to send the file.
Barry

I"m having some trouble with the small lcd on the pi, but the cmakeerror.log files says

cmake_cxx_compiler-notfound

@w0iy - Barry,

I’ll hit this hard tonight at the house - Not sure why you’d be seeing compiler errors for cmake if it’s installed correctly - so I’ll go take this on and let you know as soon as I get things compiled and running…Stay tuned…

73 de Marty, KN0CK

when I first tried to run “cmake…” it said not installed and gave me the help line to do the install. I just did what it said. Possibly it is in a wrong subdir?

cmake is in:
/home/barry/Desktop/LimeSuite/cmake

I’ve removed that cmake subdir and its contents.
Reinstalled cmake at: /usr/bin/cmake

I’m going to reclone the git and try again

Tried cmake again and got this:

CMakeError.log

Compiling the CXX compiler identification source file “CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp” failed.
Compiler: CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER-NOTFOUND
Build flags:
Id flags:

The output was:
No such file or directory

Compiling the CXX compiler identification source file “CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp” failed.
Compiler: CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER-NOTFOUND
Build flags:
Id flags: -c

The output was:
No such file or directory

Compiling the CXX compiler identification source file “CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp” failed.
Compiler: CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER-NOTFOUND
Build flags:
Id flags: --c++

The output was:
No such file or directory

Compiling the CXX compiler identification source file “CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp” failed.
Compiler: CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER-NOTFOUND
Build flags:
Id flags: --ec++

The output was:
No such file or directory

Compiling the CXX compiler identification source file “CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp” failed.
Compiler: CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER-NOTFOUND
Build flags:
Id flags:

The output was:
No such file or directory

Compiling the CXX compiler identification source file “CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp” failed.
Compiler: CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER-NOTFOUND
Build flags:
Id flags: -c

The output was:
No such file or directory

Compiling the CXX compiler identification source file “CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp” failed.
Compiler: CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER-NOTFOUND
Build flags:
Id flags: --c++

The output was:
No such file or directory

Compiling the CXX compiler identification source file “CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp” failed.
Compiler: CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER-NOTFOUND
Build flags:
Id flags: --ec++

The output was:
No such file or directory

now getting error about “CXX” not set

I found this:

sudo apt-get install build-essential

at: https://askubuntu.com/questions/152653/cmake-fails-with-cmake-error-your-cxx-compiler-cmake-cxx-compiler-notfound

so I tried that and the cmake worked!

just tried "make -j4
got 2 errors

  1. ld returned 1 exit status
  2. recipe for target ‘all’ failed"

@W0IY - Barry,

You’re probably going to strangle me when I tell you this, but if you did this much and it worked:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:myriadrf/drivers
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install limesuite liblimesuite-dev limesuite-udev limesuite-images
sudo apt-get install soapysdr-tools soapysdr-module-lms7

…Then LimeSuite is installed already and there is no need to compile… :open_mouth: !!

I just typed this into a terminal window:

sudo LimeSuiteGUI

…and I was not only able to launch LimeSuite, but I was able to connect to my LimeSDR and it found it’s version to be about 2 versions behind in Gateware (mine was 19, it’s up to 21 now) and I updated it using the ‘auto-magic’ programming using the USB 2.0 ports on my Pi 3+. So YOU DO NOT need to do the compile for LimeSuite - it’s already there (I was not aware of that, but now I learned).

So then I went a little further and I installed PiHPSDR as follows - first you have to install WDSP, so I opened a terminal window and typed the following:

sudo git clone https://github.com/g0orx/wdsp
cd wdsp
sudo make
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

…then you ‘re-do’ wiringPi

sudo git clone git://git.drogon.net/wiringPi
cd wiringPi
sudo make
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

…Then you clone the piHPSDR:

git clone https://github.com/g0orx/pihpsdr.git
cd pihpsdr
sudo ./install.sh

…and let it do it’s thing to install PiHPSDR - you can also refer to these instructions, too:

wget https://github.com/g0orx/pihpsdr/blob/master/release/documentation/pihpsdr-install.pdf

…but getting back to the terminal session:

cd pihpsdr
chmod +x start_pihpsdr.sh
sudo ./start_pihpsdr

…And then let PiHPSDR start up and create the FFT files it has to create and then discover your connected LimeSDR. If it doesn’t see your Lime connected to USB, then it’s entirely possible that the Raspberry Pi is being loaded down too much and you will need to run your Lime off a USB hub that’s plugged into the Raspberry Pi. Realize that the USB 2.0 is not real optimal for the Lime to use, but it can function even with the reduced rate on USB 2.0 (some say it won’t work - it does work for me, but it’s just not optimal compared to a Lime plugged into USB 3.0).

Sorry for leading you down the LimeSuite compiler path when it wasn’t necessary, Barry. But hopefully the rest of this will install fine - I have it running right now in the background on a Pi3+ with an Ubuntu 18.04 OS and a MATE desktop…Running fine.

Keep me advised if you run into any snags - 73 de Marty, KN0CK

Marty
Good new - LimeSuiteGUI is alive and apparently well.

I’m now choking on wdsp.

sudo git clone https://github.com/g0orx/wdsp
cd wdsp
sudo make
^^^^^^^^ this line starts to execute and has an error about fftw3.h
I found fftw3.h down one level and a read me says this is for Win only.
The fine comm.h has an include for fftw3.h. when I comment out that line, the ‘make’ throws a bunch more errors.
I suspect there is a option to tell ‘make’ this is for linux rather than win. Or maybe a different list of files.
Barry

sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

@w0iy - Barry,

OUCH…I have to stop shooting myself in the foot…! Keep reading…

The dependencies for WDSP have to be installed before you can compile it - - this was my miss, but this will help fix all the issues you’re seeing:

sudo apt-get install libfftw3-dev
sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-dev
sudo apt-get install libasound2-dev
sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev
sudo apt-get install wiringPi

Do those before you do WDSP compile to have all the dependencies locked up and ready to go for the WDSP compile and you’ll be good to go…!

Sorry for another headache for you…I owe you a bottle of aspirin… :slight_smile:

73 de Marty, KN0CK

@w0iy - Barry,

BTW - Most (if not all) of that was culled from the following location that uses the PiHPSDR as a controller, too:

I have a Radioberry and the installation to prepare for the Lime is very similar to (for PiHPSDR) the Radioberry - I’ll have to write this down as a recipe and make it right…

…Now I have to figure out why my PiHPSDR install is working without WDSP…!!

73 de Marty, KN0CK

Marty - pihpsdr is up and running. Still need to plug in the lime and so some things, but it is up on the screen.

The following is from your original post plus a bunch of addendums dumb dumb dumbs… (8–) I want to post this hear so others can see what I did. There are comments sprinkled thru the doc which will need some cleaning, but I’d like to have this available for other folks who are not linux wizards. Maybe this could be converted to a few scripts to prevent typos too. I would do that.

I have to say I’m thrilled to get this far. Thanks for all the work.
Barry

I have this file in OpenOffice. send me corrections.

file follows ====================================

I can get you going, but you’ll have to first start off with a fresh load of Ubuntu 18.04 for the Pi with a MATE desktop that you can obtain here:

Ubuntu MATE – 29 Mar 19

Ubuntu MATE 18.04 Beta 1 for Raspberry Pi

Ubuntu MATE 18.04 Beta-1 for the Raspberry Pi Model B 2, 3 and 3+

Once you have that flashed and running, then proceed to install all the baseline for LimeSuite to interact with the Pi:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:myriadrf/drivers
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install limesuite liblimesuite-dev limesuite-udev limesuite-images
sudo apt-get install soapysdr-tools soapysdr-module-lms7

// the following is NOT required

Then grab and install LimeSuite:

git clone https://github.com/myriadrf/LimeSuite.git
cd LimeSuite
git checkout stable
mkdir builddir && cd builddir
cmake …/
make -j4
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

…and then at the command prompt type in:

sudo LimeSuiteGUI

// from pa3gsb on github

sudo apt-get install libfftw3-dev
sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-dev
sudo apt-get install libasound2-dev
sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev
sudo apt-get install wiringPi

sudo git clone https://github.com/g0orx/wdsp
cd wdsp
sudo make
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

// something changed on drogon.net as this doesn’t work the way it says. I can’t now recite what I did.

…then you ‘re-do’ wiringPi

sudo git clone git://git.drogon.net/wiringPi
sudo git clone https://git.drogon.net/wiringpi <------- changed to https:// rather than git://

// also it is not Pi, it is “pi”

cd wiringpi
sudo make
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

…Then you clone the piHPSDR:

git clone https://github.com/g0orx/pihpsdr.git
cd pihpsdr <------ this should really be:
/home/USERNAME/pihpsdr/release/pihpsdr

sudo ./install.sh

…and let it do it’s thing to install PiHPSDR - you can also refer to these instructions, too:

wget https://github.com/g0orx/pihpsdr/blob/master/release/documentation/pihpsdr-install.pdf

…but getting back to the terminal session:

cd pihpsdr
chmod +x start_pihpsdr.sh
sudo ./start_pihpsdr.sh <----- added “.sh”