DABUSB

Timeframe: 1999-2002 (including side projects)

Type: Own development of HW&SW

Status: Engineering samples available at BayCom, later licensed to Terratec (DR Box 1)

Keywords: DAB, USB, 8051, FPGA, VHDL, PCB design, Linux and Windows drivers

Description:

  • PCB containing
    • DAB receiver module (Bosch DFIRE-1)
    • FPGA (FIFOs, glue logic)
    • Anchor/Cypress EzUSB with 8051 core
    • Audio DAC
    • SPDIF converter
    • LCD and keyboard interface
    • Power supply
  • 8051 firmware
    • FPGA download
    • Controlling DAB module via USB commands
    • USB handling of I2S (192kbyte/s) and RDI (384kByte/s)
    • Full DAB radio in standalone mode
  • Windows and Linux drivers
    • RDI and control interface to user level application (DAB-Server, data service decoders)

The Box can be attached to any computer with USB port.

The Terratec DR-Box 1 is software compatible with our DAB-USB. If you want to use the DR-Box 1 with Linux, you need the packages dabusb-linux-drivers and dabusb-linux-i386 from our download page.


Technical data of the DAB-USB-Interface:

  • Operating System: Linux, 2000, XP
  • Port: USB (Universal Serial Bus) for RDI und decoded Audio (I2S)
  • Receiver: Bosch DFIRE-1, (DFIRE-2 from 02/2000)
  • Analog audio outputs: 1 fixed volume (line output), 1 variable volume (headphones output)

DAB-Applications

Fig: DAB-Server architecture

The ‘DAB server’s communication protocol is based on HTTP and supports these features:

  • Web-based and authenticated configuration of server parameters, like tuned frequency etc.
  • User accessible statistic page of tuned ensemble.
  • Simple HTTP-based API to retrieve FIGs,
  • Streamserver support for MPEG- and Packet-data-streams.
  • Playlist support for all common MPEG players like ” winamp, xmms etc.

The Data-Decoder is a client-application that supports these features:

  • Decodes all known packet types of PAD and Packet streams (MOT 2.4, Dynamic label, XPAD, IP Over DAB, DGPS via DAB)
  • All decoded data can be displayed using any web browser.
  • All dataservices of an ensemble are decoded simultaneously.
  • Dynamic labels are kept in a history list.

Software Download