Unpacking: How to connect and setup?

General Discussion
1

Hi Myriad!

I’ve been using SDR’s now for a while and took the further step to get a LimeSDR. I just received it and was hoping to find at least an A4 written in Chinese with some incomprehensible pictures and text about how to connect and set it up. No such luck! Been browsing around your various websites and forums and I can’t find Godot.

Then the first post I read on this forum was about how someone fed a too high external voltage to it, seemingly bricking it. So now I’m actually scared of connecting it, and that is just because of lacking instructions. It’s very possible there are some, but if they are not on your company’s first or second related page, then that is considered too obscure for most new users.

So I’m hoping to get answers to the following critical questions:

  1. How to connect the 2 USB cables? (E.g. Does both need to be USB3? Does both need to be connected?)
  2. How and when to connect external power (and if it is needed)?
  3. What is the optimal power supply rating needed?
  4. Can I connect the SDR even if there are no antennas connected?
  5. What would happen is I accidentally Tx without any antenna connected? (Rx? I would hate to ruin the RFFE just because of missing load…)

I guess this should be considered standard user FAQ’s. Where are those?

All that apart, given the rather empty box I received (hoping there would be at least some cheap 3D printed enclosure coming with it), where and how can I buy a proper enclosure? I love the look of the Aluminum one! Are there any known DIY enclosure building instructions somewhere?

I’m really looking forward on actually using this fine piece of HW and not just watching it collect dust on my desk.

-EGX

2

I use 2 5v@3a switchers … one for my Odroid-C2 and the other to the pigtail that’s part of the long USB3 cable …

Most all Odroid products have USB2 ports … the UX has one USB3

3

Hi @EGX and welcome!

I always tend to just plug in to a single USB 3.0 port and this seems to provide enough power for my uses. However, it is possible running full 2x2 MIMO at high throughput an external supply may be required. @Zack, perhaps you could confirm?

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4

Ok, so why are there 2 USB connectors on that cable? The only time I’ve seen something like that before, is when one is providing the USB connection, while the other is for extra power only. (So which is it?)

5

Both supply power …

Some laptops supply pairs only … so a person could plug into 2 lower laptop ports and get plenty of power if needed …

I use the pigtail to supply power – just to make sure – My Odroid-C2 is not modified for higher current (its USB2)

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6

Correct.
Here are a lot of circumstances when external power supply will be a nice option. When using USB2, for instance.