LimeQuickTest works, SoapySDR not so much

Projects LimeNET
1

Hi there. I have installed the LimeNet Micro 3 times now completely from scratch both using the apt-get and the source install and I am still getting the same problem. Lime quick test works, SoapySED knows about the lime, but Soapy can not find the device.

Any help will really be welcome. Thanks!

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ LimeQuickTest

[ TESTING STARTED ]
->Start time: Mon Feb 15 22:49:48 2021
->LimeSuite version: 20.10.0-1

[ Clock Network Test ]
->REF clock test
Test results: 62316; 16001; 35223 - PASSED
->ADF4002 Test
Result: 10 - PASSED
->VCTCXO test
Results : 5154140 (min); 5154163 (max) - PASSED
->Clock Network Test PASSED

[ FPGA EEPROM Test ]
->Read EEPROM
->Read data: 13 03 08 13 03 08 03
->FPGA EEPROM Test PASSED

[ LMS7002M Test ]
->Perform Registers Test
->External Reset line test
Reg 0x20: Write value 0xFFFD, Read value 0xFFFD
Reg 0x20: value after reset 0x0FFFF
->LMS7002M Test PASSED

[ RF Loopback Test ]
->Configure LMS
->Testing using internal LMS7002M loopback
->Run Tests (TX_1-> LNA_H):
CH0 (SXR=1800.0MHz, SXT=1802.0MHz): Result:(-20.3 dBFS, 2.00 MHz) - FAILED
->Run Tests (TX_2 -> LNA_L):
CH0 (SXR=750.0MHz, SXT=752.0MHz): Result:(-19.4 dBFS, 2.00 MHz) - PASSED
->RF Loopback Test FAILED

=> Board tests FAILED <=

Elapsed time: 3.72 seconds

but when I run SoapySDR it has the lime module installed.

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ SoapySDRUtil --info
######################################################
##     Soapy SDR -- the SDR abstraction library     ##
######################################################

Lib Version: v0.8.0-g351896d3
API Version: v0.8.0
ABI Version: v0.8
Install root: /usr/local
Search path:  /usr/local/lib/SoapySDR/modules0.8
Module found: /usr/local/lib/SoapySDR/modules0.8/libLMS7Support.so (20.10.0-a45e482d)
Available factories... lime
Available converters...
 -  CF32 -> [CF32, CS16, CS8, CU16, CU8]
 -  CS16 -> [CF32, CS16, CS8, CU16, CU8]
 -  CS32 -> [CS32]
 -   CS8 -> [CF32, CS16, CS8, CU16, CU8]
 -  CU16 -> [CF32, CS16, CS8]
 -   CU8 -> [CF32, CS16, CS8]
 -   F32 -> [F32, S16, S8, U16, U8]
 -   S16 -> [F32, S16, S8, U16, U8]
 -   S32 -> [S32]
 -    S8 -> [F32, S16, S8, U16, U8]
 -   U16 -> [F32, S16, S8]
 -    U8 -> [F32, S16, S8]

But when I run it I get no device found.

pi@raspberrypi:~ $  SoapySDRUtil --find
######################################################
## Soapy SDR -- the SDR abstraction library ##
######################################################

No devices found!
2

Another question : The quick test says it is failing the loopback test but others have posted that the loopback test should work, Do I have a bad board?

3

What does
SoapySDRUtil --find=“driver=lime”
and
SoapySDRUtil --probe=“driver=lime”
return ?

As for the quick test, they are only valid for a cold board. As far as I am aware it is a test performed in the factory to validate the board is OK. And one of the assumptions is that the board is cold (room temperature). Basically plugged in (no antenna connected) test ran, board unplugged, next board tested, rinse repeat.

4

The response is:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ SoapySDRUtil --find=“driver=lime”
######################################################
## Soapy SDR -- the SDR abstraction library ##
######################################################

No devices found! “driver=lime”
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ SoapySDRUtil --probe=“driver=lime”

######################################################
## Soapy SDR -- the SDR abstraction library ##
######################################################

Probe device “driver=lime”
[INFO] Make connection: ''
Error probing device: Failed to make connection with ''
5

I do not own a LimeNET-mini, so I’m out of ideas. You will need to either search the wiki, forum, or wait on someone who knows more about the hardware to chime in.

This is the only thread I can find that may apply.

6

I have looked at the suggested problem… Any one else understand the Lime driver and why it would not work for Soapy???

7

There is usually no problem with the lime on the PI with CubicSDR - If you do -

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade

sudo apt-get install cubicsdr

CubicSDR

and CubicSDR uses Soapy and loads Soapy

8

Since we were building the code from scratch just any libusb would work, we needed exactly

sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev
9

Can only think it’s something to do with the SoapySDR install. It’s not permissions/udev related, since you can access the hardware fine via LimeQuickTest. It’s odd that it finds the LMS7 module, but then not the SDR. You could try posting to the Pothos — which SoapySDR is part of — group:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/pothos-users/

10

I am thinking that it has to do with the LimeSuite cmake for the Soapy plugin. I believe it is over specifying the version of library it is looking for. I was finally able to figure this out when the cmake said that the FTDI drivers were not being built AND that the libusb was not found (even though LimeQuickTest was able to use it)…

**pi@limenet2** : **~/SoapySDR/build/LimeSuite/build $** cmake ..

-- USB_INCLUDE_DIRS: LIBUSB_1_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND
-- USB_LIBRARIES: LIBUSB_1_LIBRARY-NOTFOUND
-- USB_INCLUDE_DIRS: LIBUSB_1_INCLUDE_DIR-NOTFOUND
-- USB_LIBRARIES: LIBUSB_1_LIBRARY-NOTFOUND
-- Could NOT find wxWidgets (missing: wxWidgets_LIBRARIES wxWidgets_INCLUDE_DIRS)
-- wxWidgets_DEFINITIONS:
-- wxWidgets_INCLUDE_DIRS:
-- wxWidgets_LIBRARIES:
-- Could NOT find Gnuplot (missing: GNUPLOT_EXECUTABLE)
-- Could NOT find OpenGL (missing: OPENGL_opengl_LIBRARY OPENGL_glx_LIBRARY OPENGL_INCLUDE_DIR)
-- Could NOT find FLTK (missing: FLTK_LIBRARIES FLTK_INCLUDE_DIR)
-- Found Git: /usr/bin/git (found version "2.20.1")
-- Module LMS7Support configured with version: 20.10.0-a45e482d
-- octave-config not found (need liboctave-dev), disabling LimeSuiteOctave
--
-- ######################################################
-- ## LimeSuite enabled features
-- ######################################################
--
* LimeSuiteHeaders, The lime suite headers
* LimeSuiteLibrary, The lime suite library
* ConnectionXillybus, PCIE Xillybus Connection support
* LimeSuiteExamples, LimeSuite library API examples
* LimeRFE, LimeRFE support
* LimeUtilCommand, Command line device discovery utility
* LimeQuickTest, LimeSDR-QuickTest Utility
* SoapySDRLMS7, SoapySDR bindings for LMS7

-- ######################################################
-- ## LimeSuite disabled features
-- ######################################################
--
* ConnectionEVB7COM, EVB+COM Connection support
* ConnectionFX3, FX3 Connection support
* ConnectionSTREAM_UNITE, STREAM+UNITE Connection support
* ConnectionFTDI, FTDI Connection support
* ConnectionRemote, Remote Connection support for testing
* ConnectionSPI, Rasp Pi 3 SPI Connection support
* LimeSuiteGUI, GUI Application for LimeSuite
* LimeSuiteDocAPI, LMS API Doxygen documentation
* LimeSuiteDesktop, LimeSuite freedesktop integration
* LimeSuiteOctave, LimeSuite Octave integration

-- Install prefix: /usr/local
-- Build timestamp: 2021-02-21
-- Lime Suite version: 20.10.0-ga45e482d
-- ABI/so version: 20.10-1
-- Configuring done
-- Generating done
-- Build files have been written to: /home/pi/SoapySDR/build/LimeSuite/build
11

What failed for me was
apt-get install libusb-1.0-dev
what worked for me was
apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev

I compiled LimeSuite and did not change SoapySDR

12

Ran into a similar issue when compiling with SoapySDR v0.8. on an a Jetson (ARM) this week. Instead I compiled SoapySDR v0.7.1 and the LimeUSB was found with no issue. First you install LimeSuite, then install Soapy and then you should see the LMS7 binding when you run SoapySDRUtil --info. HTH!

1 Like