This presentation will focus on Software Communications Architecture (SCA) application development environments and detail the latest major upgrade to PrismTech's Spectra advanced SCA-compliant Software Defined Radio (SDR) development and test environment. Central to the environment is the Spectra DTP4700 radio. The Spectra DTP4700 is a Linux-based, small form-factor platform with low power consumption which is ideally suited to the Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) constraints of the next generation of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) SDR environments. The Spectra DTP4700 comes complete with the SCA 2.2.2 compliant Spectra Core Framework and CORBA compliant Spectra ORB middleware. Also, the newly released Radio Devices and Services package for the Spectra DTP4700 provides the JTNC standard set of APIs to the Spectra DTP4700 radio devices and services ensuring greater portability of waveforms to target radio systems. Standard interfaces now supported include Audio Port Device, Ethernet Device, Serial Port Device, GPS Device, Frequency Reference Device, Timing Service, and Vocoder Service. Spectra DTP4700 is fully supported by PrismTech’s market leading Spectra CX tool for SCA component modeling, code generation and compliance validation. Spectra CX code generation eliminates the tedious and error prone process of writing code for all of the standard SCA interfaces. In addition to the original FM waveform example provided with the system, the Spectra DTP4700 now includes a new SCA compliant data carrying waveform example, including source code and waveform model that used conjunction with the Spectra CX SCA modeling tool.

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Portable Waveform Development with
Spectra DTP4700
Vincent J. Kovarik Jr, Ph.D. – CTO
August, 2015

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Introduction
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►Signal processing is performed digitally via
software.
►The Software Communications Architecture
(SCA) promotes portable, reusable
waveforms.
►The SCA was the foundation for the Joint
Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program.
►However, the initial projects encountered
multiple problems including poor portability
of waveforms.

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Waveform Portability
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►The SCA defines a core set of APIs related to
the management and control of a radio
system and the applications (waveforms)
that were hosted on the system.
►However, a key element of the software
architecture was overlooked – the definition
of a standard set of interfaces for radio
devices and services.

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► Standard interfaces for
devices and services
promote waveform
portability by
providing a consistent
API across multiple
platforms.
► It isolates the
waveform and other
applications from
different I/O drivers
and board support
packages (BSP) for
each radio platform.
Device and Service APIs

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DTP4700 System Overview
►The DTP4700 is comprised of two systems:
►Host system Thunder SDR system
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DTP4700: Host System
► Supplied as a bootable LiveUSB
► Ubuntu 12.04 LTS:
► Includes all the tools necessary to develop SCA applications
for the Thunder SDR system:
► Texas Instruments Linux DVSDK
► DataSoft’s Thunder SDK
► Spectra ORB C edition for x86, ARM and DSP
► Spectra ORB C++ edition for x86 and ARM
► Spectra Core Framework + basic DTP4700 SCA Platform
► Demonstration SCA waveform applications (FM audio and data
carrying examples with source code)
► Spectra CX (Optional)
► Spectra Probes Toolbox (Optional)
► Spectra Radio Services and Devices (Optional) – implementations of
standard JTNC APIs
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DTP4700: Thunder SDR System
► AM/DM37x OMAP based digital
baseband processing system:
► ARM Cortex A8 GPP & TI C64x DSP
► Xilinx Spartan 6 FPGA
► Full duplex RF Transceiver with RF
front end supporting a wide
frequency range
► DTP4700H – 400 MHz to 4 GHz
► DTP4700L – 30 MHz to 1.6 GHz
► Test and Debug
► JTAG DSP/ETM assembly
► FPGA/CPLD connectors
► Tx and Rx test points
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Thunder SDR – Front Panel
TX Out RX In
SD/MMC
Card Slot
USB-OTG
Ethernet
10/100
Audio In Audio Out
LEDs
Ethernet
100/1G
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Thunder SDR – Back Panel
GPS RF
Antenna GPS 1PPS
In/Out
COM2 Port Fan
DC Power
9-18V
Power
Switch
COM1 Port
External
Clock In
External
Clock Out
AUX
In/Out
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Baseband Subsystem
► Based on TI AM/DM37x OMAP
processor and Xilinx Spartan 6 FPGA
► AM/DM37x OMAP Processor features:
► 1 GHz ARM© Cortex™ A8 RISC core
► 800 MHz C64x DSP core
► POWER SGX Graphics Accelerator
► 2000 Dhrystone MIPS – capable of
supporting the RTOS and complex WFs
► DSP can be selectively powered down
► Ethernet, Gig-E, USB, SD, RS232 and
audio interfaces
► Integrated GPS receiver with 1PPS
output
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RF Front End Subsystem
► Full duplex with programmable signal
bandwidths from 40 KHz to 40 MHz
► Tx/Rx frequency range:
► DTP4700H – 400 MHz to 4 GHz
► DTP4700L – 30 MHz to 1.6 GHz
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► Dual-channel 12-bit 100Msps ADCs
► Dual-channel 16-bit 800Msps DACs
► TX: Quadrature modulator
► RX: Direct Conversion
► MCSP system for board-level control

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Spectra Probe Toolbox
► Data Probe
► Inject or capture GPP/DSP data
stream
► Synchronize and trigger multiple
probe points
► Capture block data
► Interface to MATLAB/Simulink
► Traffic Probe
► Capture and display network traffic
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► Resource Probe
► Memory and CPU utilization
graphs
► CPU resource detail
► Memory Peeks and Pokes
► Latency Probe
► Capture and display timestamp
information
► Synchronized time base across
the GPP and DSP

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DTP4700 Software Stack
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Spectra CX Model Driven Development
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DTP4700 SCA Platform Model
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SCA Device Description
ExecutableDevice
The ExecutableDevice extends the LoadableDevice providing additional
interfaces to manage the processes and tasks, via Process ID (PID). This
enables the execution or termination of programs and tasks.
DSPDevice
The DSPDevice is a “proxy” ExecutableDevice that runs on the baseband
board’s GPP and is used to load and execute components on the DSP
processor.
WFFPGAProxy
The WFFPGAProxy provides the interface to send and receive waveform
signal processing data between the baseband board and the transceiver
board.
RfCtrlDevice
The RfCtrlDevice provides an SCA Device implementation of the RF front
end of the DTP4700. This device enables access to status information
and control points for the RF elements.
Standard Devices

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SCA Service Description
LogService
The LogService implements the standard OMG Lightweight
Log Service used by the SCA.
EventService
The EventService provides the means for send event
information between components in the system.
NamingService
The NamingService implements the OMG CORBA
NamingService standard used by the SCA.
Standard Services

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SCA Device Description
EthernetDevice
The EthernetDevice provides a standard interface across
radio platforms for interacting with a physical Ethernet
device.
FrequencyReferenceDevice
This device provides a standard interface to the
frequency reference device providing the 1PPS for the
system.
SerialPortDevice
The SerialPortDevice provides a standard interface to the
RS-232 supported by the platform.
GPSDevice
The GPSDevice provides a common set of interface calls
to receive and set GPS information related to the GPS
receiver.
AudioPortDevice
The AudioPortDevice provides a standard interface to
the speaker and microphone devices provided by the
radio system.
Extended Device APIs

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SCA Service Description
PacketService
The PacketService provides a standard API to the IP or Ethernet
networking stack managed by the operating system.
TimingService
The TimingService implements the JTRS API providing a standard
set of calls to obtain and receive time-of-day, system time and
other time related information.
VocoderService
The VocoderService provides a standard interface and container
that enables different Vocoder implementations to be plugged
into the voice data stream.
Extended Service APIs

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In Conclusion…
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►Lack of standard interfaces to the radio
platform devices and services significantly
hindered JTRS waveform portability.
►JTRS APIs were developed to provide a
standard set of interfaces across multiple
radio systems.
►Together, the SCA and JTRS APIs provide a
comprehensive set of standard interfaces
between a waveform application and the
radio.

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In Conclusion…
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►The Spectra DTP4700 provides a capable and
flexible development system *and* a rich set
of standardized APIs.
►The standard APIs simplify porting
waveforms across multiple radio systems by
reducing the level of code rework.

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For Additional Information
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►PrismTech Website:
►www.prismtech.com/spectra
►E-mail:
►info@prismtech.com