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Learn Gate-Array Programming In Python and Software-Defined Radio
Bruce Perens writes Chris Testa KB2BMH taught a class on gate-array programming the SmartFusion chip, a Linux system and programmable gate-array on a single chip, using MyHDL, the Python Hardware Design Language to implement a software-defined radio transceiver. Watch all 4 sessions: 1, 2, 3, 4. And get the slides and code. Chris's Whitebox hardware design implementing an FCC-legal 50-1000 MHz software-defined transceiver in Open Hardware and Open Source, will be available in a few months. Here's an Overview of Whitebox and HT of the Future.
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HackRF is designed to be test equipment rather than a legal radio transceiver. It doesn't meet the FCC specifications for spectral purity, especially when amplified. You could probably make filters to help it produce a legal output.
Whitebox is meant to meet FCC specifications for spurious signals that are required when amplification of 25 watts or higher is used. Amplifiers also contribute spurious signals and will usually incorporate their own filters.
HackRF is something that sticks on your laptop via USB. Whitebox is meant to be a stand-alone system or one that is controlled from your Smartphone via a WiFi or Bluetooth link.
Whitebox is optimized for battery power. Using a FLASH-based gate-array rather than the conventional SRAM one makes a big difference.
Bruce Perens.
Chris can explain this much better than I, but we are definitely conscious of the gate-array resource use. Currently we are running within the space of the least expensive SmartFusion II chip, which I think you can get for $18 in quantity. Smartfusion 1 was more of a problem as it didn't have any multiplier macrocells and we had to make those out of gates. SmartFusion II provides 11 multipliers in the lowest end chip, and thus the fixed-point multiply performance of a modern desktop chip for a lot less power.
We are also aware of algorithmic costs. For example we were using Weaver's third method and will probably go to something else, maybe a version of Hartley.
Bruce Perens.