Picocom, TI team on 5G Open RAN outdoor radio unit reference design
Texas Instruments has developed a complete reference design for a 5G open RAN outdoor radio using the UK design chip from Picocom.
The 5G open RAN small cell radio unit reference design from TI and Picocom meets the O-RAN Alliance specification for a 5W 4T4R 200MHz 5G outdoor radio unit (O-RU). It is based on TI’s AFE7769D quad-channel RF transceiver integrating DPD/CFR with Picocom’s PC802 5GNR/LTE PHY System-on-Chip (SoC). The reference design hardware is also LTE compatible.
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The platform is designed for seamless interfacing and evaluation of AFE77xxD with Picocom’s PC802 for split 7.2 radio unit (O-RU) with low PHY functionality, solving essential design challenges to expedite development. The digital board contains TI’s AFE77xxD transceiver with integrated DPD & CFR as well as a single PC802 which is connected to a co-processor (TI’s Sitara’s AM64xx). Design includes baseline software architecture for 7.2x split, PTP stack & servo, PA biasing and protection and VSWR.
“We are pleased to announce our collaboration with TI and unveil the results of our joint labours. We’ve been working closely to ensure the seamless integration of Picocom’s PC802 and TI’s AFE77xxD transceiver family to offer small cell and O-RU design solutions to market, bringing benefits to new and existing customers,” said Vicky Messer, VP of Product Management at Picocom.
“With this design, engineers can take advantage of an O-RAN-standard SoC and RF transceiver to optimise power transfer and ease system integration for their small cell designs,” said Karthik Vasanth, General Manager of Data Converters & Clocks at TI. “Our transceivers with integrated digital pre-distortion, paired with Picocom’s SoC and software, align to today’s demands for small cell efficiency.”
The TI PCM-3P-PC802 open RAN reference design includes specifications for PCBs, cables, an enclosure, complete mechanical design schematics and evaluation and manufacturing support – everything required for manufacture, providing a rapid assessment and prototyping tool for small cell radio units.
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