Empathy List Archives

CC

Claudio Cicconetti

Mon, Sep 5, 2016 7:33 AM

Dear USRP lovers,
Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under
the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source
(rather than power adapter)?

The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final
application and it is not negotiable.

I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB
alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected
to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific
device with this specific constraint in mind.

Best regards,
Claudio

--
Claudio Cicconetti, PhD
Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy

Dear USRP lovers, Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source (rather than power adapter)? The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final application and it is not negotiable. I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific device with this specific constraint in mind. Best regards, Claudio -- Claudio Cicconetti, PhD Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy

SK

Steven Knudsen

Mon, Sep 5, 2016 4:05 PM

Hey Claudio,

Putting aside for the moment the specification of “safest”, I can recommend the B2xxmini. I have not seen any stability issues over many consecutive hours of operation in a TDMA mode. I assume that since you mention the Bxxmini series, you are satisfied with their specs for your application.

By “safest” I assume you mean reliable/stable as per your third paragraph comment. A reliable and compatible USB3 host on a GR host platform is a must, which you have to determine by either using what other people have had success using or empirically of you are going to use a COTS embedded system. After that, you need reliable, clean power.

I know these are pretty generic answers, but you did ask a pretty general question :-)

Steven Knudsen, Ph.D., P.Eng.
www. techconficio.ca
www.linkedin.com/in/knudstevenknudsen

Du bist die Aufgabe. Kein Schüler weit und breit. - Franz Kafka

On Sep 5, 2016, at 01:33, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users usrp-users@lists.ettus.com wrote:

Dear USRP lovers,
Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under
the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source
(rather than power adapter)?

The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final
application and it is not negotiable.

I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB
alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected
to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific
device with this specific constraint in mind.

Best regards,
Claudio

--
Claudio Cicconetti, PhD
Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy

USRP-users mailing list
USRP-users@lists.ettus.com
http://lists.ettus.com/mailman/listinfo/usrp-users_lists.ettus.com

Hey Claudio, Putting aside for the moment the specification of “safest”, I can recommend the B2xxmini. I have not seen any stability issues over many consecutive hours of operation in a TDMA mode. I assume that since you mention the Bxxmini series, you are satisfied with their specs for your application. By “safest” I assume you mean reliable/stable as per your third paragraph comment. A reliable and compatible USB3 host on a GR host platform is a must, which you have to determine by either using what other people have had success using or empirically of you are going to use a COTS embedded system. After that, you need reliable, clean power. I know these are pretty generic answers, but you did ask a pretty general question :-) Steven Knudsen, Ph.D., P.Eng. www. techconficio.ca www.linkedin.com/in/knudstevenknudsen Du bist die Aufgabe. Kein Schüler weit und breit. - Franz Kafka > On Sep 5, 2016, at 01:33, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users <usrp-users@lists.ettus.com> wrote: > > Dear USRP lovers, > Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under > the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source > (rather than power adapter)? > > The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final > application and it is not negotiable. > > I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB > alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected > to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific > device with this specific constraint in mind. > > Best regards, > Claudio > > -- > Claudio Cicconetti, PhD > Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy > > > _______________________________________________ > USRP-users mailing list > USRP-users@lists.ettus.com > http://lists.ettus.com/mailman/listinfo/usrp-users_lists.ettus.com

CK

Chris Kuethe

Mon, Sep 5, 2016 6:56 PM

A few suggestions:

measure your bus and board voltage at idle and under full load. this
might help you isolate the cause of the stability issues.
good cables. I have a 2m super-speed cable that simply will not work with
my B200. The stock 1m cable works very well. I haven't bothered to try find
a USB analyzer to see what the problem might be.
good host power. some hosts are better than others at powering USB3
devices. My Microsoft Surface Pro2 could only run my B200 when it was
plugged into wall power, my Lenovo can do it on batteries.
if you have a spare USB port, consider using a Y cable to get a little
bit of extra power ...
https://www.amazon.com/USB-3-0-Male-Cable-Female/dp/B007VUF1HY
consider whether or not the GPSDO is necessary for your application (if
applicable) - it can draw 0.5W

On Mon, Sep 5, 2016 at 9:05 AM, Steven Knudsen via USRP-users <
usrp-users@lists.ettus.com> wrote:

Hey Claudio,

Putting aside for the moment the specification of “safest”, I can
recommend the B2xxmini. I have not seen any stability issues over many
consecutive hours of operation in a TDMA mode. I assume that since you
mention the Bxxmini series, you are satisfied with their specs for your
application.

By “safest” I assume you mean reliable/stable as per your third paragraph
comment. A reliable and compatible USB3 host on a GR host platform is a
must, which you have to determine by either using what other people have
had success using or empirically of you are going to use a COTS embedded
system. After that, you need reliable, clean power.

I know these are pretty generic answers, but you did ask a pretty general
question :-)

Steven Knudsen, Ph.D., P.Eng.
www. techconficio.ca
www.linkedin.com/in/knudstevenknudsen

Du bist die Aufgabe. Kein Schüler weit und breit. *- Franz Kafka *

On Sep 5, 2016, at 01:33, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users <
usrp-users@lists.ettus.com> wrote:

Dear USRP lovers,
Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under
the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source
(rather than power adapter)?

The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final
application and it is not negotiable.

I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB
alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected
to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific
device with this specific constraint in mind.

Best regards,
Claudio

--
Claudio Cicconetti, PhD
Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy

USRP-users mailing list
USRP-users@lists.ettus.com
http://lists.ettus.com/mailman/listinfo/usrp-users_lists.ettus.com

--
GDB has a 'break' feature; why doesn't it have 'fix' too?

A few suggestions: - measure your bus and board voltage at idle and under full load. this might help you isolate the cause of the stability issues. - good cables. I have a 2m super-speed cable that simply will not work with my B200. The stock 1m cable works very well. I haven't bothered to try find a USB analyzer to see what the problem might be. - good host power. some hosts are better than others at powering USB3 devices. My Microsoft Surface Pro2 could only run my B200 when it was plugged into wall power, my Lenovo can do it on batteries. - if you have a spare USB port, consider using a Y cable to get a little bit of extra power ... https://www.amazon.com/USB-3-0-Male-Cable-Female/dp/B007VUF1HY - consider whether or not the GPSDO is necessary for your application (if applicable) - it can draw 0.5W On Mon, Sep 5, 2016 at 9:05 AM, Steven Knudsen via USRP-users < usrp-users@lists.ettus.com> wrote: > Hey Claudio, > > Putting aside for the moment the specification of “safest”, I can > recommend the B2xxmini. I have not seen any stability issues over many > consecutive hours of operation in a TDMA mode. I assume that since you > mention the Bxxmini series, you are satisfied with their specs for your > application. > > By “safest” I assume you mean reliable/stable as per your third paragraph > comment. A reliable and compatible USB3 host on a GR host platform is a > must, which you have to determine by either using what other people have > had success using or empirically of you are going to use a COTS embedded > system. After that, you need reliable, clean power. > > I know these are pretty generic answers, but you did ask a pretty general > question :-) > > > Steven Knudsen, Ph.D., P.Eng. > www. techconficio.ca > www.linkedin.com/in/knudstevenknudsen > > Du bist die Aufgabe. Kein Schüler weit und breit. *- Franz Kafka * > > On Sep 5, 2016, at 01:33, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users < > usrp-users@lists.ettus.com> wrote: > > Dear USRP lovers, > Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under > the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source > (rather than power adapter)? > > The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final > application and it is not negotiable. > > I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB > alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected > to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific > device with this specific constraint in mind. > > Best regards, > Claudio > > -- > Claudio Cicconetti, PhD > Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy > > > _______________________________________________ > USRP-users mailing list > USRP-users@lists.ettus.com > http://lists.ettus.com/mailman/listinfo/usrp-users_lists.ettus.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > USRP-users mailing list > USRP-users@lists.ettus.com > http://lists.ettus.com/mailman/listinfo/usrp-users_lists.ettus.com > > -- GDB has a 'break' feature; why doesn't it have 'fix' too?

NT

Nate Temple

Mon, Sep 5, 2016 9:56 PM

Hello Claudio:

A few other points to consider:
Does your application require SISO or MIMO capability? ( B20Xmini/B200 vs B210 )

Will you be operating in Half Duplex or Full duplex mode? Depending upon the mode and configuration, the power consumption will vary. We have a table outlining the power consumed in various modes in the FAQ section on the Bus Series Knowledge Base Hardware Resources page located here: https://kb.ettus.com/B200/B210/B200mini/B205mini

Does your application require a GPSDO ? (B20Xmini vs B200) The TCXO GPSDO can operate on the B200 while it is powered via USB, using the OCXO it is recommended to use external power.

Regards,
Nate Temple

On Sep 5, 2016, at 12:33 AM, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users usrp-users@lists.ettus.com wrote:

Dear USRP lovers,
Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under
the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source
(rather than power adapter)?

The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final
application and it is not negotiable.

I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB
alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected
to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific
device with this specific constraint in mind.

Best regards,
Claudio

--
Claudio Cicconetti, PhD
Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy

USRP-users mailing list
USRP-users@lists.ettus.com
http://lists.ettus.com/mailman/listinfo/usrp-users_lists.ettus.com

Hello Claudio: A few other points to consider: Does your application require SISO or MIMO capability? ( B20Xmini/B200 vs B210 ) Will you be operating in Half Duplex or Full duplex mode? Depending upon the mode and configuration, the power consumption will vary. We have a table outlining the power consumed in various modes in the FAQ section on the Bus Series Knowledge Base Hardware Resources page located here: https://kb.ettus.com/B200/B210/B200mini/B205mini Does your application require a GPSDO ? (B20Xmini vs B200) The TCXO GPSDO can operate on the B200 while it is powered via USB, using the OCXO it is recommended to use external power. Regards, Nate Temple > On Sep 5, 2016, at 12:33 AM, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users <usrp-users@lists.ettus.com> wrote: > > Dear USRP lovers, > Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under > the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source > (rather than power adapter)? > > The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final > application and it is not negotiable. > > I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB > alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected > to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific > device with this specific constraint in mind. > > Best regards, > Claudio > > -- > Claudio Cicconetti, PhD > Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy > > > _______________________________________________ > USRP-users mailing list > USRP-users@lists.ettus.com > http://lists.ettus.com/mailman/listinfo/usrp-users_lists.ettus.com

CC

Claudio Cicconetti

Tue, Sep 6, 2016 7:28 AM

Dear all,
Thank you for your precious feedback and insightful comments on my issue.

My application is very simple indeed: tx only, single channel, no GPSDO
required.

Based on your comments, I believe a B20Xmini will do just fine!

Best regards,
Claudio

On 09/05/2016 11:56 PM, Nate Temple wrote:

Hello Claudio:

A few other points to consider:
Does your application require SISO or MIMO capability? ( B20Xmini/B200 vs B210 )

Will you be operating in Half Duplex or Full duplex mode? Depending upon the mode and configuration, the power consumption will vary. We have a table outlining the power consumed in various modes in the FAQ section on the Bus Series Knowledge Base Hardware Resources page located here: https://kb.ettus.com/B200/B210/B200mini/B205mini

Does your application require a GPSDO ? (B20Xmini vs B200) The TCXO GPSDO can operate on the B200 while it is powered via USB, using the OCXO it is recommended to use external power.

Regards,
Nate Temple

On Sep 5, 2016, at 12:33 AM, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users usrp-users@lists.ettus.com wrote:

Dear USRP lovers,
Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under
the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source
(rather than power adapter)?

The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final
application and it is not negotiable.

I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB
alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected
to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific
device with this specific constraint in mind.

Best regards,
Claudio

--
Claudio Cicconetti, PhD
Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy

USRP-users mailing list
USRP-users@lists.ettus.com
http://lists.ettus.com/mailman/listinfo/usrp-users_lists.ettus.com

Dear all, Thank you for your precious feedback and insightful comments on my issue. My application is very simple indeed: tx only, single channel, no GPSDO required. Based on your comments, I believe a B20Xmini will do just fine! Best regards, Claudio On 09/05/2016 11:56 PM, Nate Temple wrote: > Hello Claudio: > > A few other points to consider: > Does your application require SISO or MIMO capability? ( B20Xmini/B200 vs B210 ) > > Will you be operating in Half Duplex or Full duplex mode? Depending upon the mode and configuration, the power consumption will vary. We have a table outlining the power consumed in various modes in the FAQ section on the Bus Series Knowledge Base Hardware Resources page located here: https://kb.ettus.com/B200/B210/B200mini/B205mini > > Does your application require a GPSDO ? (B20Xmini vs B200) The TCXO GPSDO can operate on the B200 while it is powered via USB, using the OCXO it is recommended to use external power. > > Regards, > Nate Temple > > >> On Sep 5, 2016, at 12:33 AM, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users <usrp-users@lists.ettus.com> wrote: >> >> Dear USRP lovers, >> Which device among B200/B210mini/B205mini/etc would you suggest, under >> the constraint that the device will have to be powered from USB source >> (rather than power adapter)? >> >> The requirement is due to mechanical constraints on the final >> application and it is not negotiable. >> >> I know that in principle all bus series device should operate from USB >> alone, but I had serious stability issues with a B210 when not connected >> to external adapter and I wonder if you would recommend a specific >> device with this specific constraint in mind. >> >> Best regards, >> Claudio >> >> -- >> Claudio Cicconetti, PhD >> Software Engineer - MBI S.r.l. - Pisa, Italy >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> USRP-users mailing list >> USRP-users@lists.ettus.com >> http://lists.ettus.com/mailman/listinfo/usrp-users_lists.ettus.com >

SW

Steve Wiseman

Tue, Sep 6, 2016 7:52 AM

On 6 September 2016 at 08:28, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users
usrp-users@lists.ettus.com wrote:

Based on your comments, I believe a B20Xmini will do just fine!

USB power meters are sometimes handy just for a quick check, and saves
chopping up USB leads to insert meters.
Stuff like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142093315336
although there are many more and less spiffy versions. A search for
USB power meter should find most of them - I've bought from both ebay
and aliexpress.

Steve

(New to this list, sorry if this has been done to death already!)

On 6 September 2016 at 08:28, Claudio Cicconetti via USRP-users <usrp-users@lists.ettus.com> wrote: > Based on your comments, I believe a B20Xmini will do just fine! USB power meters are sometimes handy just for a quick check, and saves chopping up USB leads to insert meters. Stuff like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142093315336 although there are many more and less spiffy versions. A search for USB power meter should find most of them - I've bought from both ebay and aliexpress. Steve (New to this list, sorry if this has been done to death already!)

usrp-users@lists.ettus.com

Which bus series device is safest to power via USB?