RadioSlate: A Software-Defined Radio Tablet
A fully-contained software-defined radio solution in tablet form opens new doors for field testing.
Tools like signal and spectrum analyzers are extremely important in the RF world, however they can be extremely expensive pieces of equipment to purchase and not the most portable or space friendly. To fill the gap, software-defined radio (SDR) hardware and software has become extremely popular as much of a radio structure can be digitized to make use of less expensive RF circuitry and fit into a compact package.
The market for SDRs has grown over the past few years as makers and hobbyists have sought out better understanding of the wireless capabilities of their hardware. Engineers in industry have also started taking advantage of SDRs for mobile testing setups in the field or just to take advantage of a tight lab bench. The only downside is that the set up can end up being rather delicate between the antenna cabling and the need to be connected to a laptop for the host end processing software (such as GNU Radio).
The RadioSlate serves as a sturdy aluminum tablet powered by an Intel M3 8100Y dual-core SoC for a CPU, an Arduino Leonardo for an MCU, Intel UHD Graphics 615 GPU, 8 GB LPDDR3 RAM, and 1024 x 600 pixel touchscreen. RadioSlate is a fully-contained computer loaded with Ubuntu LTE (but also supports Windows 10 if a user desired to re-image it).
Alongside the standard dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2, RadioSlate contains a slot for either a LimeSDR Mini or HackRF One to connect to the CPU. Based on RadioSlate's Crowd Supply page, this will be an option selected at time of purchase.
There are internal aluminum mounting brackets for the LimeSDR Mini board that leave access to its SMA ports for antenna connection while the USB is connected to one of the three internal USB Type-A connectors within the RadioSlate.
While the LimeSDR Mini seems to be a direct install in the RadioSlate, the HackRF One is customized to add a TCXO clock and the necessary RF shielding. Its USB port and SMA clock-in/out are removed for space considerations.
The RadioSlate appears to be powered by two batteries: lithium-ion 18650-sized cells for the main battery, and a CR927 coin cell battery for the RTC (real-time clock) backup.
The campaign page mentions the batteries will not be included, but these are common batteries that can easily be found at hardware stores and electronics suppliers.
Stay tuned to RadioSlate's Crowd Supply page for future updates on pricing and release dates. This will be a great tool to have on hand if you're any sort of radio enthusiast or engineer.