System-on-module aids next-generation 5G connectivity

It targets developers working on applications that require next-generation 5G connectivity by accelerating valuable development and production time.

As developers bring the newest applications to market, they are increasingly reliant on emerging 5G connectivity to enable their devices and deployments.

With the XRF16 module and a comprehensive software suite, developers can begin prototype and application development immediately and move quickly to production with the same hardware, significantly reducing time to market.

“Developers require the latest, most advanced technology to deliver on their 5G initiatives and projects,” said Jim Beneke, vice president of engineering and technology, Avnet. “Together with Xilinx, we created a production-ready solution module that frees developers to focus on the differentiating features of their products. This is just our latest offering designed to accelerate time-to-market, and by leveraging this groundbreaking new standard of connectivity developers can more quickly deliver real business value.”

The Avnet XRF16 is a 16-channel transceiver module capable of RF direct conversion of waveforms with analogue bandwidth up to 5GHz.

The module takes advantage of the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC Gen-2 device, a single-chip, adaptable radio platform, making it ideal for RF applications such as 5G massive MIMO radio, phased array radar and multi-channel RF instrumentation, which demand small-footprint, low-power and real-time processing.

“The Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC Gen-2 family has been developed to extend the analogue bandwidth of the 16T16R integrated multi-gigasample RF data converters for enhanced performance in demanding RF applications,” said David Brubaker, Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC product line manager, Xilinx. “Optimised for performance, size and power, the Avnet XRF16 brings a drop-in solution to customers seeking fast-track integration of RFSoC Gen-2 technology into their products.”

The XRF16 ADCs and DACs can operate at sampling rates of 2.22 GSPS and 6.554 GSPS, respectively, on 16 channels.

High-speed digital connectivity is available for 100G Ethernet and PCIe, and baseband processing and network interface are handled by the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC integrated quad Arm Cortex-A53 processing subsystem and programmable logic.

Standard peripherals such as USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet and serial UART are included.

To support hardware prototyping and software development, Avnet has also launched a carrier card to provide convenient interface to RF test equipment as well as 100G Ethernet and PCIe over cable (OCuLink).