TVRX2+USRP (serial > 500) 'invalid EEPROM contents' problem

GNU Radio
1

Hi,

We’re using two older USRP boards:

  1. Rev. 4.5, Ser. #3542,
  2. Rev. 3, Ser. #290 with a clocking scheme modified according to the
    http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio/wiki/USRPSerialBelow500 .

We’re also using a BasicRX daughterboard with both of these motherboards
and
have no problems receiving 150 MHz signals using our code.

We were planning to use the newer TVRX2 receivers for the 400 MHz
signals
so we purchased a couple of TVRX2 Rev. 1.1 daughterboards. No changes
were
made to them. After plugging any of the two TVRX2 daughterboards -
either in
addition to BasicRX or separately in any of the receiver slots of any of
the
two USRPs - and trying to execute our code (or any other basic code like
usrp_benchmark_usb.py) we get a standard error message:

*> Warning: Treating daughterboard with invalid EEPROM contents as if it
were a “Basic Rx.”

Warning: This is almost certainly wrong… Use appropriate burn--eeprom
utility.

We’ve tried three different ways of installing the GNU/Radio and UHD:

  1. Installing GNU/Radio 3.2+UHD as a binary package (from
    http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio/wiki/DebianPackages) on
    clean
    Ubuntu 11.04.
  2. Installing GNU/Radio 3.3+UHD on clean Ubuntu 11.04 following the
    instructions from
    http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio/wiki/UbuntuInstall#Building-GNU-Radio-on-Ubuntu-Linux
  3. Using the Marcus L.'s script (from
    http://www.sbrac.org/files/build-gnuradio) to install GNU/Radio 3.3+UHD
    on
    Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (previously upgraded from Ubuntu 8.10)

All three systems receive 150 Mhz from BasicRX beautifully and produce
same
error message after trying to access the TVRX2.

With BasicRX in RXA slot and TVRX2 in RXB slot the uhd_usrp_probe output
is
as follows:

linux; GNU C++ version 4.4.3; Boost_104000; UHD_003.002.003-1df3e9b

– Loading firmware image: /usr/local/share/uhd/images/usrp1_fw.ihx…
done
– Opening a USRP1 device…
– Loading FPGA image: /usr/local/share/uhd/images/usrp1_fpga.rbf…
done
– Using FPGA clock rate of 64.000000MHz…
U _____________________________________________________
/
| Device: USRP1 Device
| _____________________________________________________
| /
| | Mboard: USRP1 (Classic)
| | serial: 499b1cad
| |
| | Time sources: none
| | Clock sources: internal
| | Sensors:
| | _____________________________________________________
| | /
| | | RX DSP: 0
| | | Freq range: -32.000 to 32.000 Mhz
| | _____________________________________________________
| | /
| | | RX DSP: 1
| | | Freq range: -32.000 to 32.000 Mhz
| | _____________________________________________________
| | /
| | | RX Dboard: A
| | | ID: Basic RX (0x0001)
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | RX Subdev: AB
| | | | Name: Basic RX (0x0001) - AB
| | | | Antennas:
| | | | Sensors:
| | | | Freq range: -250.000 to 250.000 Mhz
| | | | Gain Elements: None
| | | | Connection Type: IQ
| | | | Uses LO offset: No
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | RX Subdev: BA
| | | | Name: Basic RX (0x0001) - BA
| | | | Antennas:
| | | | Sensors:
| | | | Freq range: -250.000 to 250.000 Mhz
| | | | Gain Elements: None
| | | | Connection Type: QI
| | | | Uses LO offset: No
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | RX Subdev: A
| | | | Name: Basic RX (0x0001) - A
| | | | Antennas:
| | | | Sensors:
| | | | Freq range: -250.000 to 250.000 Mhz
| | | | Gain Elements: None
| | | | Connection Type: I
| | | | Uses LO offset: No
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | RX Subdev: B
| | | | Name: Basic RX (0x0001) - B
| | | | Antennas:
| | | | Sensors:
| | | | Freq range: -250.000 to 250.000 Mhz
| | | | Gain Elements: None
| | | | Connection Type: Q
| | | | Uses LO offset: No
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | RX Codec: A
| | | | Name: ad9522
| | | | Gain range pga: 0.0 to 20.0 step 1.0 dB
| | _____________________________________________________
| | /
| | | RX Dboard: B
| | | ID: TVRX2 (0x0046)
| | | Serial: E7R10ZBRT
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | RX Subdev: RX1
| | | | Name: TVRX2 (0x0046)
| | | | Antennas: J100
| | | | Sensors: lo_locked, rssi, temperature
| | | | Freq range: 42.000 to 870.000 Mhz
| | | | Gain range IF: 0.0 to 30.0 step 0.5 dB
| | | | Connection Type: Q
| | | | Uses LO offset: No
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | RX Subdev: RX2
| | | | Name: TVRX2 (0x0046)
| | | | Antennas: J140
| | | | Sensors: lo_locked, rssi, temperature
| | | | Freq range: 42.000 to 870.000 Mhz
| | | | Gain range IF: 0.0 to 30.0 step 0.5 dB
| | | | Connection Type: I
| | | | Uses LO offset: No
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | RX Codec: B
| | | | Name: ad9522
| | | | Gain range pga: 0.0 to 20.0 step 1.0 dB
| | _____________________________________________________
| | /
| | | TX DSP: 0
| | | Freq range: -44.000 to 44.000 Mhz
| | _____________________________________________________
| | /
| | | TX DSP: 1
| | | Freq range: -44.000 to 44.000 Mhz
| | _____________________________________________________
| | /
| | | TX Dboard: A
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | TX Subdev: 0
| | | | Name: Unknown - Unknown (0xffff)
| | | | Antennas:
| | | | Sensors:
| | | | Freq range: 0.000 to 0.000 Mhz
| | | | Gain Elements: None
| | | | Connection Type: IQ
| | | | Uses LO offset: No
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | TX Codec: A
| | | | Name: ad9522
| | | | Gain range pga: -20.0 to 0.0 step 0.1 dB
| | _____________________________________________________
| | /
| | | TX Dboard: B
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | TX Subdev: 0
| | | | Name: Unknown - Unknown (0xffff)
| | | | Antennas:
| | | | Sensors:
| | | | Freq range: 0.000 to 0.000 Mhz
| | | | Gain Elements: None
| | | | Connection Type: IQ
| | | | Uses LO offset: No
| | | _____________________________________________________
| | | /
| | | | TX Codec: B
| | | | Name: ad9522
| | | | Gain range pga: -20.0 to 0.0 step 0.1 dB

If the solution requires burning the EEPROM, please advise on the steps

  • we
    weren’t able to find a step-by-step procedure.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Dmitry Shatskiy.

2

On 09/12/2011 02:25 PM, Dmitry Shatskiy wrote:

We were planning to use the newer TVRX2 receivers for the 400 MHz signals

It looks like UHD is recognizing you daughterboard just fine, hence the
string “Name: TVRX2 (0x0046)” in the probe output.

I think you are trying to use the old libusrp1-gnuradio driver, when you
should be using the gr-uhd source and sink blocks:
http://code.ettus.com/redmine/ettus/projects/uhd/wiki#Gnuradio-UHD

-Josh

3

Good morning,
My name is Javier Mauricio Suarez, I am a student of electronics
engineering at Santander Industrial University in Colombia. I am working
with the USRP1 and GNU Radio for my graduate project. Some days ago I
had a problem that I haven’t been able to solve. I try to verify that
GNU Radio works with the USRP1, for doing that I write the following
code lines in the terminal:
From the gnu radio directory:

cd gnuradio-examples/python/usrp
./usrp_benchmark_usb.py

cd usrp/host/apps
./test_usrp_standard_tx
./test_usrp_standard_rx

this provided by the web page of gnu radio:
http://gnuradio.org/redmine/projects/gnuradio/wiki/UbuntuInstall#Configuring-USRP-support

In both cases, when I run these code lines I have the following warning
and error:

Warning: Treating daughterboard with invalid EEPROM contents as if it
were a “Basic Tx.”
Warning: This is almost certainly wrong… Use appropriate
burn-*-eeprom utility.

I am using the next hardware:
USRP1
motherboard: Rev:4.5 serial number:6296

daughter board: RFX 2200 STM-5 94 V Rev 30 2400-2500 MHz
transceiver

I would be very greatful if you can help me with that.

Sincerely,
Javier Mauricio Suarez