Sample-Accurate Synchronization of RFSoC 4x2 and USRP (B210, X310) for Distributed Antenna Array

I have an RFSoC 4x2, a USRP B210, and a USRP X310, and I would like to use them together as an antenna array.

I am aware that each platform supports multiple receive channels. However, for the purpose of this experiment, I intentionally want each device to capture only a single RF channel.

The challenge is synchronization: I need all devices to be sample-synchronous. In other words, I can configure the same sampling rate on all of them, but I also need them to start sampling at the exact same time.

Has anyone encountered this setup before? Has anyone tried using a combination of RFSoC and USRP devices in a synchronized receive configuration?

If you have scripts, reference designs, or example workflows for achieving cross-device time and sample synchronization, I would greatly appreciate it.

1 Like

Hi @yahav

The RFSoC4x2 does provide ports for external clocks and synchronisation (1PPS, CLK_IN, and SYNC_IN), but I’m not aware of any reference designs that use them unfortunately.

The 4x2 uses the same RFSoC chip and clocking infrastructure as the ZCU208. So, if you could find a reference design for that, it might be possible to port that design to the 4x2.

1 Like