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Sidekiq™
X2 / X4 PDK
RF Transceiver
High Performance
GETTING STARTED GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
The Sidekiq X2 / X4 PDK includes either a Sidekiq X2 or X4 FMC card mounted on an FPGA carrier card and
PCIe Gen3 x4 interface all hosted in a Thunderbolt™ 3 (TB3) PCIe carrier card chassis. The chassis connects
to a TB3 enabled Linux laptop via the included TB3 cable. A USB cable is also included to connect the
laptop with the GPS USB port to provide GPS configuration and raw data. The PDK laptop is pre-loaded with
Epiq Solutions' libsidekiq API, test applications, ERA (Spectrum Analyzer), and device drivers. All support-
related questions, product documentation, software, and FPGA reference designs are managed through Epiq
Solutions' private web-based support forum* available at epiqsolutions.com/support.
*Registration is required to use the Epiq Solutions Customer Support Center. You can register at
PROPER CARE AND HANDLING
Each Sidekiq X2 or X4 PDK is fully tested by Epiq Solutions before shipment, and is guaranteed functional at
the time it is received by the customer.
Improper use of Sidekiq can cause it to become non-functional. In particular, a list of actions that may cause
damage to the hardware include the following:
•
Handling the unit without proper electrostatic precautions (ESD protection) when the housing is
removed or opened up
•
Inserting or removing Sidekiq from a host system when power is applied to the host system
•
Connecting a transmitter to the RX port without proper attenuation – refer to Sidekiq X2 or X4
Hardware Users Manual for additional information.
•
Executing custom software and/or an FPGA bitstream that was not developed according to our
guidelines
AVAILABLE DOCUMENTATION
Documentation for Sidekiq X2/X4 can be accessed at epiqsolutions.com/docs. After providing the product's
serial number and a valid email address, you will be granted immediate access to documentation, so you can
get started even before your access to our support forums has been approved.
ES024-513-A
epiqsolutions.com/support
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Related Manuals for Epiq Solutions Sidekiq X2
Summary of Contents for Epiq Solutions Sidekiq X2
- Page 1 INTRODUCTION The Sidekiq X2 / X4 PDK includes either a Sidekiq X2 or X4 FMC card mounted on an FPGA carrier card and PCIe Gen3 x4 interface all hosted in a Thunderbolt™ 3 (TB3) PCIe carrier card chassis. The chassis connects to a TB3 enabled Linux laptop via the included TB3 cable.
- Page 2 USB-A port on the laptop (b); for more details, see “RF Ports” on the next page. 5. Connect an antenna or RF source to RXA1, J2 for the Sidekiq X2 or J2 for the Sidekiq X4, before using any of the test applications or ERA; for more details, see “RF Ports” on the next page.
- Page 3 8. Launch a terminal window (can be launced by pressing Ctrl-Alt-T) 9. Verify that the TB3 / PCIe connection to the Sidekiq X2 / X4 is established by running the lspci command the PCI identifier for the Sidekiq X2 or X4 is 19aa:5832.
- Page 4 Max RF input signal ( without damage ): +27 dBm GPS DISCIPLINED OSCILLATOR The Sidekiq X2/X4 TB3 platform includes a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) add-on card which is based on a uBlox LEA-M8F GNSS module (www.u-blox.com/en/product/lea-m8f-module). The GPS module is capable of using GNSS (9BeiDou, GLONASS, GPS/QZSS), external 10 MHz frequency sources, and an internal VCTCXO as its disciplining source.
- Page 5 Raw I/Q Capture A user can perform an RF capture of I/Q samples using the default configuration by executing the rx_samples application as follows: Sidekiq X2 ./rx_samples -b 25000000 --rate=30720000 -c 0 -d /tmp/out -f 1000000000 --handle=A1 –words=25000000 This command will save I/Q samples to a file named /tmp/out.a1 using values for 30.72 Msps sample rate, 25 MHz channel bandwidth, 1 GHz tune frequency.
- Page 6 ERA - Epiq RF Analyzer EPIQ RF Analyzer (ERA) is installed on the Sidekiq X2 / X4 PDK laptop. ERA is an application that provides a realtime view of spectrum and allows you to configure radio frequency, sample rate, and filtering configuration of an Epiq radio.
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