Epiq Solutions, an engineering firm specializing in the development of flexible RF transceiver modules and complete turnkey wireless sensing solutions, has introduced the Sidekiq NV100 - a radically small software-defined radio (SDR) transceiver module that enables simultaneous, multi-channel signal processing in challenging RF environments.
Sidekiq NV100 is Epiq Solutions' first SDR product to leverage Analog Devices’ newest wideband transceiver RFIC (ADRV9004), resulting in a module that delivers both extended RF tuning capabilities as well as exceptional RF fidelity and instantaneous dynamic range. Multiple RF operating modes are supported, including single channel 1 Rx + 1 Tx FDD/TDD, dual-channel phase coherent Rx or Tx, and dual-channel independently tunable Rx or Tx. Rx pre-select filtering is automatically, intelligently configured by Epiq Solutions' libsidekiq API.
While other solutions need to connect to a bulky, external filtering mechanism, Sidekiq NV100 integrates on-board Rx pre-select filters and a GPS disciplined oscillator (GPSDO) into its small size, providing enhanced performance and allowing you to either save space and reduce your product size or free up space to accommodate other technology needs.
With an M.2 2280 Key M form factor measuring just 22 x 80 mm, Sidekiq NV100 can be used in any small compute platform such as a laptop or tablet, making it ideal for on-the-go electronic warfare (EW), signal intelligence (SIGINT), and command, control, communication, computers, cyber, intelligence, and reconnaissance (C5ISR) applications.
Key highlights of the Sidekiq NV100:
- RF tuning range from 30 MHz to 6 GHz (with extended RF access down to 10 MHz)
- Flexible bandwidths between 12 KHz and 40 MHz per channel
- 16-bit A/D and D/A converters for exceptional instantaneous dynamic range
- Two U.FL antenna ports supporting the following modes: 1Rx + 1Tx (FDD or TDD), 2x independently tunable or phase coherent Rx, or 2x independently tunable or phase coherent Tx
- Integrated sub-octave Rx pre-select filtering provides out-of-band interference protection on both RF receiver paths from 400 MHz to 6 GHz
- On-board GPSDO (uBlox ZOE-M8Q) provides a high stability timebase
- Xilinx Artix-7 XC7A50T FPGA with a Gen2 x2 PCIe interface to host for ultra high-end connectivity bandwidth, logic capacity, and signal processing capability for demanding high-performance applications
- Platform Development Kit (PDK) available supported by our standard libsidekiq software API and FPGA reference design utilized across our portfolio of Sidekiq SDR cards
“Sidekiq NV100 is our latest example of a high performance SDR-based solution pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in an exceptionally small form factor,” commented John Orlando, CEO and co-Founder at Epiq Solutions. “As RF environments become more congested and more challenging, our customers’ requirements for our SDR-based RF transceivers increase accordingly. With Sidekiq NV100, our team continues to be committed to helping our customers keep pace with the changing RF landscape while maintaining a radically small size and weight profile.”
Sidekiq NV100 Platform Development Kits (PDKs) are available for order now with production units shipping in September 2021. This kit includes one Sidekiq NV100 integrated into an Intel NUC computer running Linux (to serve as a reference development platform), as well as a second NV100 card mounted to a Thunderbolt 3 development board.
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