The Zynq™ UltraScale+™ RFSoC architecture combines FPGA fabric with the flexibility and capabilities needed for direct RF sampling, offering highly reconfigurable logic and software programmability. This makes it ideally suited for applications requiring rapid data acquisition, high-speed digital signal processing, and efficient RF communication—such as phased array radars, 5G and wireless infrastructure, radio telescopes, and test and measurement systems.
In RF applications like phased array radar, distributed antenna systems, and MIMO networks, phase synchronization across multiple channels is essential. These systems often employ multiple boards working in unison to capture and process data across wide-area arrays or complex networks. However, this multi-board setup introduces a significant challenge: synchronization. Without accurate timing alignment, systems can suffer from data inaccuracies, signal degradation, and reduced performance. Ensuring synchronization across all boards is critical to maintain data integrity and coherence throughout the system.
Explore iWave’s demonstration of multi-board synchronization using RFSoC System on Modules and PCIe Cards, showcasing our expertise in building scalable, high-performance RF systems for advanced applications.
Support Hardware
- iW-RainboW-G42M: ZU49DR RFSoC System on Module
- iW-RainboW-G42P: RFSoC ADC DAC PCIe Card
- Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (CRO)
- Power Splitter
- Clock Board
Achieving multi-board synchronization in RFSoC-powered systems requires careful management of several technical parameters such as clock drift, phase alignment, data coherence, and environmental variations. This article and demonstration delve into how synchronization is implemented across multiple boards to ensure system-wide timing accuracy and consistency.
Key considerations involved in multi-board synchronization:
- Clock Alignment: All boards must operate using a unified reference clock, typically sourced from a common clock generator, to maintain synchronized timing across the system.
- Phase Matching: Fine-tuning the phase offset between signals is crucial so that data is processed simultaneously across all boards, this is especially important in phased-array radar and similar applications.
- Data Coherence: It’s essential to maintain consistent and synchronized data across all participating boards, ensuring seamless integration of multiple data streams for accurate processing and analysis.
How is Synchronization achieved?
A key technique used in RFSoC systems is Multi-Tile Synchronization (MTS), which aligns multiple tiles or analog channels on a single RFSoC chip. MTS plays a vital role in applications that demand coherent, phase-aligned signal processing across several high-speed channels, enabling precision in complex RF systems.
This demonstration uses iWave’s iW-RainboW-G42P ZU49DR RFSoC platform to illustrate multi-board synchronization. Utilizing Vitis tools in conjunction with Octave, the setup successfully achieves synchronized waveform generation and data capture across two RFSoC boards, effectively validating system-wide timing alignment.
Asynchronized DAC Output on CRO without MTS
Synchronized DAC Output on CRO with MTS
Demo Setup Configuration Highlights
- One RFSoC board is configured as the master, generating triggers for both playback and capture operations across both boards.
- A total of four DAC and four ADC channels are involved in testing:
- Cross-board Connections: Two DAC and two ADC channels are used for transmitting signals between boards to demonstrate inter-board coherence.
- Loopback Connections: Each board routes a DAC output back to an ADC channel to validate internal synchronization.
- External Monitoring: A DAC channel on each board sends output to a CRO for real-time waveform observation.
- Cross-board Connections: Two DAC and two ADC channels are used for transmitting signals between boards to demonstrate inter-board coherence.
- Both DAC and ADC operate at 2.4 GSPS, with the DAC configured to output a 100 MHz signal.
- A balun with a 10 MHz to 3 GHz frequency range ensures accurate wideband signal compatibility and clean signal handling.
Key Applications for RFSoC Multi-Board Synchronization:
- Phased Array Systems: Enables precise beamforming for improved radar resolution and targeting accuracy.
- 5G and MIMO Networks: Ensures coherent transmission across antenna arrays for high-throughput wireless communication.
- Electronic Warfare and SIGINT: Supports accurate, time-aligned signal detection and analysis across multiple sensors.
- Scientific Applications: Essential in domains such as radio astronomy and particle physics, where synchronized data capture ensures fidelity across distributed sensors.
iW-RainboW-G42P: RFSoC ADC-DAC PCIe Card
The iW-RainboW-G42P is a high-performance RFSoC PCIe card designed to showcase and validate the capabilities of the Zynq® UltraScale+™ RFSoC (ZU49/39/29DR) SoM. It features 16-channel RF-DACs operating up to 10Gsps and 16-channel RF-ADCs up to 2.5Gsps, enabling a wide spectrum of applications such as 5G, LTE, phased-array radar, and satellite communication across the entire sub-6GHz range.
This PCIe card includes 8GB of DDR4 memory, M.2 NVMe storage support, and compliance with PCIe Gen 1/2/3 standards. Equipped with multiple SMA connectors and an FMC+ interface, the platform ensures seamless integration with external devices for signal input/output validation and robust signal integrity testing.
iW-RainboW-G42M: Powered by ZU49/ZU39/ZU29DR
Built on the AMD Zynq® UltraScale+™ RFSoC architecture, the iW-RainboW-G42M SoM integrates 16 ADC channels (up to 2.5Gsps) and 16 DAC channels (up to 10Gsps) into a compact, production-ready module. With two 400-pin board-to-board connectors, the SoM offers wide-ranging interface support, including 16 high-speed PL-GTY transceivers with data rates of up to 28.21Gbps.
The SoM is equipped with 8GB of 64-bit DDR4 RAM with ECC for the processing system and an additional 8GB DDR4 RAM for the programmable logic, enabling advanced real-time RF processing and AI inference at the edge.
Coming Soon: iW-RainboW-G60M: RFSoC System on Module Powered by ZU48/47/43/28/27/25DR
iWave will soon launch the iW-RainboW-G60M, a high-performance RFSoC System on Module built on the AMD Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC ZU48/47/43/28/27/25DR series. This module is engineered to support up to 8 ADC channels operating at 5Gsps and 8 DAC channels up to 9.85Gsps, catering to applications that demand ultra-fast data conversion and processing.
The SoM integrates high-speed GTY transceivers (up to 28.21Gbps), onboard 8GB 64-bit DDR4 RAM for both PS and PL, and offers a compact form factor of 82mm x 100mm.
iWave equips developers with a comprehensive set of tools, libraries, and software resources to fully leverage the capabilities of its Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC System on Modules and PCIe Card. Both the SoM and PCIe Card are production-ready and market-deployable solutions, backed by detailed documentation, software drivers, and a complete board support package.
To learn more about iWave’s Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC ADC/DAC PCIe Card, System on Modules, and design services, please visit www.iwave-global.com or reach out to us at mktg@iwave-global.com.
