Quick Start

This section describes the prerequisites and basic workflow for building gateware and firmware for the supported boards. The build process relies on several common tools (LiteX, SBT, GHDL, and openFPGALoader) as well as board-specific FPGA toolchains.

Requirements

Before building the project, install the following required tools:

  • LiteX Tag 2025.08 is required. Follow the installation instructions in the LiteX repository. Ensure RISC-V toolchain support is installed together with LiteX.

  • SBT (Scala Build Tool) Installation instructions are available in the official SBT documentation.

  • GHDL Version 4.1.0 is required for VHDL-to-Verilog conversion on some targets. See the GHDL repository for installation instructions.

  • openFPGALoader Version 1.1.1 is required. This tool is used to program supported FPGA devices. See the openFPGALoader repository for installation instructions.

In addition, each board requires a specific FPGA toolchain:

Board-specific FPGA toolchains

Board

Toolchain

Version

Notes

LimeSDR XTRX

Vivado

2022.1

Ensure Vivado is available in $PATH or that its environment has been sourced.

LimeSDR Mini V1

Quartus

23.1

The free edition can be used.

LimeSDR Mini V2

Project Trellis + Yosys and nextpnr;

Diamond

Trellis: latest from source;

Diamond: 3.14

Diamond is required for final bitstream generation.

HiperSDR-44xx

Vivado

2022.2

Exact version required. Also requires AMD patch AR000035576.

sSDR rev2

Vivado

2022.1

Ensure Vivado is available in $PATH or that its environment has been sourced.

Consult the respective toolchain documentation for installation details.

Note

Other tool versions may work, but the versions listed above are recommended to avoid compatibility issues.

Cloning the Repository

To clone the repository and initialize its submodules, run:

git clone https://github.com/myriadrf/LimeSDR_GW.git
cd LimeSDR_GW
git submodule init
git submodule update

Build, Load, and Flash

Gateware for a selected target can be built with the following command:

python3 -m boards.targets.<target> --build

Replace <target> with the appropriate board target module name.

Note

  • Ensure that the required toolchain is installed and configured before building. See Requirements for the toolchain required by your board.

  • Run the build command from the project root directory.

Detailed build, load, and flash instructions for each supported board are provided below: