Compatible with Upcoming LimeSDR Mini 2.0
A quick note to confirm that LimeRFE will indeed be compatible with LimeSDR Mini 2.0, the replacement for the EOL'd LimeSDR Mini. There are currently limited quantities of LimeRFE in stock now and we hope to start production of the next batch soon. Read the full update.
Now In Stock & New RF Filter Bank Demo
It's been a long road, but LimeRFE is finally in stock! Quantities are limited, but we've managed to avoid any show-stopping supply chain problems with LimeRFE and can continue manufacturing them in small batches. We're also excited to share a video demo of a new software-controlled frontend filter bank (a.k.a. preselector). Read the full update.
First Batch on the Way!
We are pleased to report that the first batch of approximately 50 production LimeRFE boards has completed testing, been packaged, and shipped out to Crowd Supply today. Read the full update.
Production Testing Underway
Assembly of the first production boards has now been completed and these are being put through comprehensive testing before being sent on to Crowd Supply. In the short video below you can see the test setup, with performance being measured in the transmit path for cellular Band 3. Read the full update.
Assembly Has Begun
We are pleased to report that the first production batch of LimeRFE boards is now going through assembly. Our engineering team are lined up to carry out detailed lab testing of these units on Monday. This will be followed by comprehensive production testing before the first shipment goes out to Crowd Supply for order fulfillment, which we expect to be in around 10 working days time. This update includes a video of the first set of boards going through the pick-and-place line at the fab. Read the full update.
PCBs Manufactured
The LimeRFE printed circuit boards have now been manufactured, and very soon they will be packaged together with the rest of the components and sent on to the assembly house. We are still on track for boards to ship out to backers before the end of January and will aim to provide another update in the coming weeks. Read the full update.
Manufacturing Has Begun at a New Factory; On Track for January Delivery
Good news and bad news. The bad news is we missed our scheduled October delivery date. The good news is that we now have all parts, production has commenced, and we're on track to ship in January. Read the full update.
New Ship Date
We missed our August ship date, but have a new ship date based on an updated design that doesn't rely on long-lead-time components. Read the full update.
Lime Suite 20.07.1 Released
The new release of Lime Suite includes numerous improvements, along with support for the LimeRFE RF front-end and packaging for Ubuntu 20.04. Read the full update.
Demonstration of SDR Console
We are pleased to report that the latest version of SDR Console—the popular, easy-to-use Windows application—now includes support for LimeRFE. This update includes a brief description of SDR Console's new features along with a video demonstration. Read the full update.
Revised Shipping Estimate
We are pleased to report that we now have firm delivery dates for the long-lead parts and expect to have them all at our assembly house by the end of next month. Assembly is envisaged to take about six weeks, which pushes delivery out to the third week in August. We expect to start shipping before then, however, since we plan to supply units in batches, as they come off the assembly line and complete production testing. Read the full update.
Shipping Delay
Unfortunately, the situation with COVID-19 has resulted in a further delay to manufacturing. We're not able to provide a revised date just yet, but we're hoping to have confirmation by the end of next week (Friday 10th April) and plan to provide another update in due course. Read the full update.
New Shipping Estimate & Acrylic Case
Due to lead times on some parts, we have had to push our estimated ship date back to 31st March 2020. This includes both crowdfunding orders and pre-orders. If you backed our campaign or placed a pre-order, keep reading to see a photograph of the acrylic case we'll be sending you along with your LimeRFE! Read the full update.
Developer Boards & Shipping Update
The first production boards have gone out to developers for application integration, but we are waiting on a few remaining parts before we can assemble backer boards. We'll update you when we have a firmer date, but right now we're estimating late-January. Read the full update.
Verifying the 1v0 Hardware Design
In this short video, you can see one of the first assembled 1v0 boards and learn from the LimeRFE engineering team about the final work that we are doing before volume manufacturing begins. Read the full update.
QO-100 Satellite Uplink with LimeNET Micro and LimeRFE
Daniel Estévez paired a LimeNET Micro with a LimeRFE prototype to access the QO-100 narrowband transponder using an off-the-shelf 24 dBi Wi-Fi grid antenna. Read the full update.
DVB Test with Three Watts on 437 MHz
We sent a LimeRFE 0v3 prototype board to Evariste Courjaud, who decided to try it out with digital video broadcasting. The result was a strong, clean three watt signal. Read the full update.
Performance of the Final Production Board
Two days left! In this update, we will look at the performance of our final LimeRFE 1v0 design by combining measurements from the prototype 0v3 board with simulated results for the newly added amateur radio bands (50/70 MHz, 220 MHz, and 920 MHz) and the updated 1280 MHz band. Read the full update.
WSPR Test
We sent a 0v3 prototype board to radio amateur and GNSS engineer Daniel Estévez (EA4GPZ), so he could put it through its paces and provide feedback as we fine tune the design. Even with a damaged prototype, his Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) transmissions from Madrid were being picked up as far away as the Canary Islands, Netherlands and Northern England. Read the full update.
Reduced Cost Version Without Cellular Bands
We are pleased to announce a limited run of 50 boards, without support for cellular bands, at a reduced price of $449. Read the full update.
LimeRFE in Action!
Our engineering team has put together a short video that shows a LimeRFE, driven by a LimeSDR Mini, transmitting a signal on both the two meter amateur radio (HAM) band and on LTE Band 3. Read the full update.
Schematics Published
Schematic diagrams are now available on our new LimeRFE hardware design repository. Read the full update.
Thanks, Teardown & Stay Tuned
We are delighted to have met the crowdfunding target for LimeRFE in around 24 hours and with all of our Early Bird rewards having gone literally overnight! Read the full update.
Crowdfunding Begins!
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our crowdfunding campaign for LimeRFE, a highly configurable RF front-end that adds multi-band power amplification (PA) and a low noise amplifier (LNA), plus filtering and support circuitry for use with LimeSDR, LimeSDR Mini, and LimeNET Micro. Read the full update.