The ADRV904x-RD reference design from Analog Devices includes an 8T/8R transceiver and covers from RF to optical.

At MWC, Analog Devices launched The RadioVerse ADRV904x-RD open radio unit (O-RU) reference design platform for radio designers. The platform is a complete optical front-haul to RF signal chain that lets 4G and 5G radio design engineers customize hardware and software for macro and small cell radio units (RUs). It includes support for all sub-6 GHz bands and power variants, including multi-band applications.

The ADRV904x-RD O-RU reference design platform includes Analog Devices’ fifth generation 8T8R RadioVerse SoC with advanced digital front end and digital pre-distortion (DPD). The platform’s commercial O-RAN 7.2a IP Stack is hosted on Intel’s Agilex 7 F-series FPGA. Analog Devices has tested the platform with Radisys Layer 2/3 software running on Intel FlexRan server hardware.

By synchronizing and harmonizing active components on a small signal board, ADI’s O-RU reference designs simplify the development process and significantly shorten the design cycle by eliminating many common design hurdles and minimizing risk.

The reference platform includes standard connectors for flexible PA modules for rapid testing. It allows the development of all 4G or 5G bands and power variants from 0.25 W to 60 W. The fully supported, commercial O-RAN 7.2a IP facilitates rapid setup for interoperability testing.

The ADRV904x-RD radio platform addresses critical power consumption and design challenges of next-generation networks. Analog Devices claims that the ADRV904x with digital front end is the lowest power integrated transceiver, with architecture that reduces RF front-end complexity and relaxes filter requirements. The digital front end (DFE) includes algorithms for digital pre-distortion (DPD), crest factor reduction (CFR), and channel digital up/down conversion (CDUC/CDDC). The power signal chain is tuned to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio, improving the performance and efficiency of the radio unit.