LoopBack Test Errors FW Versions 2.15 and UP

I’ve found some other posts relating to this too but I did my own research and I’m not sure if my board is bad or if it’s just the Firmware Version since 2.15 has broken things.

I just received my LimeSDR in the mail about 3 hours ago, fresh as can be. The first thing I did after receiving it was about 4 or 5 selfquicktests to make sure it really works, all the tests succeeded with no issue. After the tests succeeded i used LimeUtil --update to update to the latest gateway, 2.22. Doing the selfquicktests once more returns incredibly mixed results. Sometimes it passes but most times it presents the following:

[ RF Loopback Test ]
Note: The test should be run without anything connected to RF ports
->Configure LMS
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
LML RX phase search FAIL
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
LML TX phase search FAIL
Failed to set sample rate
->RF Loopback Test FAILED

The error “SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase” always seems to appear regardless. Since the original firmware returned Passed always with no issue I decided to downgrade firmware versions 1 by 1 to identify if an older firmware resolves this. After downgrading from 2.22 to 2.21,2.20,2.19…etc and finally to 2.14, I found that with firmware 2.14 we remove the “SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase” and the selfquicktest once again works without issue.

Obviously I would like to use the latest firmware, as 2.14 was created in 2018 and I don’t believe even includes SoapySDR compatibility as it wasn’t introduced until 2019 even.

Since older gatewares work I’m wondering, is this an issue with the latest gatewares causing this? Could this still be a faulty LimeSDR device even though tests with older gatewares work and remove the error, and sometimes it still passes even though it mostly errors out? And could this just be an issue with selfquicktest and the latest gateware for LimeSDR non mini and that I should instead just rely on the manual test results for the LimeSDR regular and keep using the latest 2.22 firmware? Thanks!

PS: I did in fact remove all my antennas prior to testing as it says do not connect anything to RF ports so that is not the issue.

Hi @axwaldo,

Thanks for tracing this. Let us check.

Hi @axwaldo,

Could you share 2.14 and 2.22 full logs, please.

Hey @Zack,
Below are the full LimeQuickTest logs for each firmware revision 2.22 and 2.14. If there are other logs you are looking for you will have to walk me through how to obtain them.

This is for 2.22

[ TESTING STARTED ]
->Start time: Tue May 19 10:16:38 2020

Gateware version mismatch!
  Expected gateware version 2, revision 21
  But found version 2, revision 22
  Follow the FW and FPGA upgrade instructions:
  http://wiki.myriadrf.org/Lime_Suite#Flashing_images
  Or run update on the command line: LimeUtil --update

->Device: LimeSDR-USB, media=USB 3.0, module=FX3, serial=0009072C00D6081F, index=0
  Serial Number: 0009072C00D6081F

[ Clock Network Test ]
->FX3 GPIF clock test
  Test results: 16274; 20030; 23786 - PASSED
->Si5351C test
  CLK0: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK1: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK2: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK3: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK4: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK5: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK6: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
->ADF4002 Test
  Result: 10 - PASSED
->VCTCXO test
  Results : 5112942 (min); 5113084 (max) - PASSED
->Clock Network Test PASSED

[ FPGA EEPROM Test ]
->Read EEPROM
->Read data: 12 0C 05 12 0C 05 02
->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 ]
Note: The test should be run without anything connected to RF ports
->Configure LMS
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
LML RX phase search FAIL
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
SetPllFrequency: error configuring phase
Failed to set sample rate
->RF Loopback Test FAILED

=> Board tests FAILED <=

Elapsed time: 1.58 seconds

This is for 2.14

[ TESTING STARTED ]
->Start time: Tue May 19 10:18:28 2020

Gateware version mismatch!
  Expected gateware version 2, revision 21
  But found version 2, revision 14
  Follow the FW and FPGA upgrade instructions:
  http://wiki.myriadrf.org/Lime_Suite#Flashing_images
  Or run update on the command line: LimeUtil --update

->Device: LimeSDR-USB, media=USB 3.0, module=FX3, serial=0009072C00D6081F, index=0
  Serial Number: 0009072C00D6081F

[ Clock Network Test ]
    ->FX3 GPIF clock test
  Test results: 25777; 29533; 33289 - PASSED
->Si5351C test
  CLK0: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK1: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK2: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK3: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK4: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK5: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
  CLK6: 17554 / 17554 - PASSED
->ADF4002 Test
  Result: 10 - PASSED
->VCTCXO test
  Results : 5112943 (min); 5113085 (max) - PASSED
->Clock Network Test PASSED

[ FPGA EEPROM Test ]
->Read EEPROM
->Read data: 12 0C 05 12 0C 05 02
->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 ]
Note: The test should be run without anything connected to RF ports
->Configure LMS
->Run Tests (TX_2-> LNA_L):
  CH0 (SXR=800.0MHz, SXT=805.0MHz): Result:(-13.3 dBFS, 5.00 MHz) - PASSED
  CH1 (SXR=800.0MHz, SXT=805.0MHz): Result:(-15.6 dBFS, 5.00 MHz) - PASSED
->Run Tests (TX_1 -> LNA_W):
  CH0 (SXR=1800.0MHz, SXT=1805.0MHz): Result:(-17.7 dBFS, 5.00 MHz) - PASSED
  CH1 (SXR=1800.0MHz, SXT=1805.0MHz): Result:(-20.8 dBFS, 5.00 MHz) - PASSED
->Run Tests (TX_2-> LNA_H):
  CH0 (SXR=2500.0MHz, SXT=2505.0MHz): Result:(-20.9 dBFS, 5.01 MHz) - PASSED
  CH1 (SXR=2500.0MHz, SXT=2505.0MHz): Result:(-14.9 dBFS, 5.00 MHz) - PASSED
->RF Loopback Test PASSED

=> Board tests PASSED <=

Elapsed time: 1.49 seconds

As you can see by the times each were ran the 2.14 was ran only 2 minutes later but succeeded the first try.

Also, Windows/OSX for some reason think the expected version is 2.21, but linux sees it as 2.22 and checking the downloads online the latest revision is in fact 2.22 so Windows and OSX update utilities may need updates.

Clearly after gateware revision 2.15, something in the code breaks that either is incompatible with LimeQuickTest or breaks the device entirely.

Just checking if there’s any updates on this or if you’d like any more info to assist in resolving it. I will say while the test fails, 99% of the time the LimeSDR as a device seems to work anyways. I have been able to decode bluetooth, fm radio, ham radio, and zigbee signals with almost no issues. The ONLY issue, and it happens VERY VERY VERY rarely, is sometimes a tool will output

LML RX phase search FAIL

which can be observed in the failed quicktest as well. But like i said, it has happened maybe 4 times total with me using this for 10hrs+ a day since i got it daily.

Just an update, I got a new application that just hard fails now unless it’s on firmware version 2.14. sathelperapp will fail to connect to the LimeSDR 99% of the time unless firmware version 2.14 is used. It could be an issue with the app itself…but I’m willing to lean towards this being a gateware issue moreso since the quicktest also has issues with it in the same way (“LML RX phase search FAIL”)