uhd/host/docs/sync.dox

/*! \page page_sync Device Synchronization

\tableofcontents

The following application notes explain how to synchronize multiple USRP
devices with the goal of transmitting or receiving time-aligned samples
for MIMO or other applications requiring multiple USRP devices operating
synchronously.

<b>Note:</b> The following synchronization notes do not apply to USRP1,
which does not support the advanced features available in newer
products.

\section sync_commonref Common Reference Signals

USRP devices take two reference signals in order to synchronize clocks
and time:

-   A 10 MHz reference to provide a single frequency reference for both
    devices.
-   A pulse-per-second (PPS) to synchronize the sample time across
    devices.
-   A MIMO cable transmits an encoded time message from one device to
    another.

\subsection sync_commonref_pps PPS and 10 MHz reference signals

Connect the front panel SMA connectors to the reference sources.
Typically, these signals are provided by an external GPSDO. However,
some USRP models can provide these signals from an optional internal
GPSDO.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.cpp}
usrp->set_clock_source("external");
usrp->set_time_source("external");
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<b>Note:</b> Sometimes the delay on the PPS signal will cause it to arrive
inside the timing margin the FPGA sampling clock, causing PPS edges to
be separated by less or more than 100 million cycles of the FPGA clock.
If this is the case, you can change the edge reference of the PPS signal
with this parameter:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.cpp}
usrp->set_time_source("_external_");
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<b>Note2:</b> For users generating their own signals for the external SMA
connectors, the PPS should be clocked from the 10 MHz reference. See the
application notes for your device for specific signal requirements.

\subsection sync_commonref_mimo MIMO cable reference signals

Use the MIMO expansion cable to share reference sources (USRP2 and
N-Series). The MIMO cable can be used synchronize one device to another
device. Users of the MIMO cable may use Method 1 (explained below) to
synchronize multiple pairs of devices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.cpp}
    usrp->set_clock_source("mimo");
    usrp->set_time_source("mimo");
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\section sync_time Synchronizing the Device Time

The purpose of the PPS signal is to synchronously latch a time into the
device. You can use the uhd::usrp::multi_usrp::set_time_next_pps() function to either
initialize the sample time to 0 or an absolute time, such as GPS time or
UTC time. For the purposes of synchronizing devices, it doesn't matter
what time you initialize to when using uhd::usrp::multi_usrp::set_time_next_pps().

\subsection sync_time_reg Method 1 - poll the USRP time registers

One way to initialize the PPS edge is to poll the "last PPS" time from
the USRP device. When the last PPS time increments, the user can
determine that a PPS has occurred:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.cpp}
    const uhd::time_spec_t last_pps_time = usrp->get_time_last_pps();
    while (last_pps_time == usrp->get_time_last_pps()){
        //sleep 100 milliseconds (give or take)
    }
    // This command will be processed fairly soon after the last PPS edge:
    usrp->set_time_next_pps(uhd::time_spec_t(0.0));
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\subsection sync_time_gpsdo Method 2 - query the GPSDO for seconds

Most GPSDOs can be configured to output a NMEA string over the serial
port once every PPS. The user can wait for this string to determine the
PPS edge, and the user can also parse this string to determine GPS time:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.cpp}
    //call user's function to wait for NMEA message...
    usrp->set_time_next_pps(uhd::time_spec_t(0.0));

    -- OR --

    //call user's function to wait for NMEA message...
    //call user's function to parse the NMEA message...
    gps_time = VALUE_IN_NMEA_MESSAGE;
    // At the next PPS edge, set the device time to the GPS time:
    usrp->set_time_next_pps(uhd::time_spec_t(gps_time+1));
    // Now the device time should be in sync with the GPS time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Take a look at the `sync_to_gps` example for more detail.

\subsection sync_time_mimocable Method 3 - MIMO cable

Note: This only applies to USRP2 and N200/N210. This method does *not*
require a separate PPS input to the devices, but it is limited to
a total of 2 USRPs.

A USRP2 device can synchronize its time to another USRP device via the
MIMO cable. Unlike the other methods, this does not use a real "pulse
per second". Rather, the USRP device sends an encoded time message over
the MIMO cable. The slave device will automatically synchronize to the
time on the master device. See \ref usrp2_mimocable for more detail.

\section sync_phase Synchronizing Channel Phase

\subsection sync_phase_cordics Align CORDICs in the DSP

In order to achieve phase alignment between USRP devices, the CORDICS in
both devices must be aligned with respect to each other. This is easily
achieved by issuing stream commands with a time spec property, which
instructs the streaming to begin at a specified time. Since the devices
are already synchronized via the 10 MHz and PPS inputs, the streaming
will start at exactly the same time on both devices. The CORDICs are
reset at each start-of-burst command, so users should ensure that every
start-of-burst also has a time spec set.

For receive, a burst is started when the user issues a stream command.
This stream command should have a time spec set:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.cpp}
    uhd::stream_cmd_t stream_cmd(uhd::stream_cmd_t::STREAM_MODE_NUM_SAMPS_AND_DONE);
    stream_cmd.num_samps = samps_to_recv;
    stream_cmd.stream_now = false;
    stream_cmd.time_spec = time_to_recv;
    usrp->issue_stream_cmd(stream_cmd);
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For transmit, a burst is started when the user calls send(). The
metadata should have a time spec set: :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.cpp}
    uhd::tx_metadata_t md;
    md.start_of_burst = true;
    md.end_of_burst = false;
    md.has_time_spec = true;
    md.time_spec = time_to_send;

    //send a single packet
    size_t num_tx_samps = tx_streamer->send(buffs, samps_to_send, md);
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\subsection sync_phase_lo Align LOs in the front-end (SBX, UBX)

Using timed commands, multiple frontends can be tuned at a specific
time. This timed-tuning ensures that the phase offsets between VCO/PLL
chains will remain constant after each re-tune. See notes below:

-   Phase synchronization with the UBX is only supported on the X3x0 Series
-   Phase synchronization with the SBX works on both N2x0 and X3x0 Series
-   There is a random phase offset between any two frontends
-   This phase offset is different for different LO frequencies
-   This phase offset remains constant after retuning
-   This phase offset will drift over time due to thermal and other characteristics
-   Periodic calibration will be necessary for phase-coherent applications

Code snippet example, tuning with timed commands:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{.cpp}
    //we will tune the frontends in 100ms from now
    uhd::time_spec_t cmd_time = usrp->get_time_now() + uhd::time_spec_t(0.1);

    //sets command time on all devices
    //the next commands are all timed
    usrp->set_command_time(cmd_time);

    //tune channel 0 and channel 1
    usrp->set_rx_freq(1.03e9, 0); // Channel 0
    usrp->set_rx_freq(1.03e9, 1); // Channel 1

    //end timed commands
    usrp->clear_command_time();
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\subsection sync_phase_lootherfe Align LOs in the front-end (others)

After tuning the RF front-ends, each local oscillator may have a random
phase offset due to the dividers in the VCO/PLL chains. This offset will
remain constant after the device has been initialized, and will remain
constant until the device is closed or re-tuned. This phase offset is
typically removed by the user in MIMO applications, using a training
sequence to estimate the offset. It will be necessary to re-align the
LOs after each tune command.

*/
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