LimeSDR Mini 2.0 - An open, full-duplex, USB stick software defined radio

LimeSDR Mini 2.0 is an upgraded, drop-in replacement for LimeSDR Mini, a hardware platform for developing and prototyping high-performance and logic-intensive digital and RF designs that use an FPGA coupled with Lime Microsystems’ LMS7002M RF transceiver.

Goodbye, LimeSDR Mini

Since we first introduced LimeSDR Mini nearly five years ago, we’ve shipped tens of thousands of units to engineers around the world for use in everything from satellite ground stations to digital television. Whether you’re a hobbyist using LimeSDR Mini to learn about software defined radio, or a company integrating hundreds of LimeSDR Minis into your commercial product, we’ve been thrilled at the breadth and depth of LimeSDR Mini applications you’ve come up with. Which is why it’s been especially difficult to watch all of this come to a grinding halt over the last year due to the global electronics and chip shortage.

Hello, LimeSDR Mini 2.0

Rather than wait indefinitely and hope the supply chain rewinds to a time we’re unlikely to see again soon, we went back to the drawing board. The result is LimeSDR Mini 2.0, a software defined radio with the same form factor as the original LimeSDR Mini, the same LMS7002 RF transceiver, but a new FPGA – the Lattice ECP5. Not only is the ECP5 more readily available than the Intel MAX10 FPGA used in the previous design, but it has an extensive set of open source tools and a great community of developers.

Comparisons

	LimeSDR Mini 2.0	LimeSDR Mini	LimeSDR	HackRF One	Ettus B200	Ettus B210	BladeRF x40	RTL-SDR
Frequency Range	10 MHz – 3.5 GHz	10 MHz – 3.5 GHz	100 kHz – 3.8 GHz	1 MHz – 6 GHz	70 MHz – 6 GHz	70 MHz – 6 GHz	300 MHz – 3.8 GHz	22 MHz – 2.2 GHz
RF Bandwidth	40 MHz	40 MHz	61.44 MHz	20 MHz	61.44 MHz	61.44 MHz	40 MHz	3.2 MHz
Sample Depth	12 bits	12 bits	12 bits	8 bits	12 bits	12 bits	12 bits	8 bits
Sample Rate	30.72 MSPS	30.72 MSPS	61.44 MSPS	20 MSPS	61.44 MSPS	61.44 MSPS	40 MSPS	3.2 MSPS
TX Channels	1	1	2	1	1	2	1	0
RX Channels	1	1	2	1	1	2	1	1
Duplex	Full	Full	Full	Half	Full	Full	Full	N/A
Interface	USB 3.0	USB 3.0	USB 3.0	USB 2.0	USB 3.0	USB 3.0	USB 3.0	USB 2.0
Programmable Logic Gates	44K	16K	40k	64 macrocell CPLD	75k	100k	40k (115k avail)	N/A
Chipset	LMS7002M	LMS7002M	LMS7002M	MAX5864, MAX2837, RFFC5072	AD9364	AD9361	LMS6002M	RTL2832U
Open Source	Full	Full	Full	Full	Schematic, Firmware	Schematic, Firmware	Schematic, Firmware	No
Oscillator Precision	±1 ppm initial, ±4 ppm stable	±1 ppm initial, ±4 ppm stable	±1 ppm initial, ±4 ppm stable	±20 ppm	±2 ppm	±2 ppm	±1 ppm	?
Transmit Power	max 10 dBm (depending on freq.)	max 10 dBm (depending on freq.)	max 10 dBm (depending on freq.)	-10 dBm+ (15 dBm @ 2.4 GHz)	10 dBm+	10 dBm+	6 dBm	N/A

Open Source

We pride ourselves on the openness of LimeSDR Mini 2.0. Before going to production, we will release the following source files:

Board schematics
Board layout
Manufacturing files (e.g., Gerbers, drill, and part placement files)
FPGA gateware
USB 3.0 firmware
Host software
Documentation
Toolchain configuration

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