Domain Analysis and Persona Adoption: The input material is a technical meeting transcript from the Open Research Institute (ORI) concerning Open Source FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) development, Software Defined Radio (SDR), and satellite communications. I am adopting the persona of a Senior Systems Architect and Lead FPGA Engineer. My vocabulary will prioritize technical specifications, architectural frameworks, and project lifecycle milestones.

Abstract

This transcript details the weekly technical meetup of the Open Research Institute (ORI) held on March 7, 2026. The session serves as a retrospective and planning forum for several high-complexity open-source hardware and software projects. Key technical updates include the integration of CI/CD pipelines for OpenCPI across multiple Xilinx and Analog Devices platforms, the advancement of the "Opulent Voice" digital protocol toward over-the-air (OTA) validation, and a proposal for a multi-stream Consistent Overhead Byte Stuffing (COBS) protocol to optimize channel utilization.

The meeting also covers international collaborations, specifically the Mode Dynamic Transponder project with AMSAT UK, which utilizes Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) on low-power Lattice iCE40 FPGAs. Additional segments highlight the use of the Amaranth HDL framework for Python-to-VHDL synthesis, real-time machine learning inference for aerospace telemetry at the University of Puerto Rico, and preparation for deep-space Doppler tracking of the Artemis II mission. The session concludes with a strategic roadmap for upcoming demonstrations at international venues, including Friedrichshafen and Defcon.

Technical Summary and Project Milestones

• 02:11 – OpenCPI Development & CI/CD Pipelines:

  • CI/CD Integration: Successful integration of GitLab runners with Vivado and Docker environments, overcoming PID-related blocking issues during bitstream generation.
  • Platform Targets: Current builds verified for Pluto SDR, LibreSDR, ZC706, and ZCU102.
  • Application Layer: Developed a UDP-based spectrum viewer application capable of handling 40 Msps. Demonstrated a combined DVB-S2 encoder and spectrum viewer bitstream on the LibreSDR.
  • Next Steps: Finalizing the Quick Start Guide and initiating Opulent Voice implementation within the OpenCPI framework.

• 09:12 – Opulent Voice Protocol Progress:

  • Architecture: An open-source digital protocol using Minimum Shift Keying (MSK) for UHF+ frequencies. It integrates voice (Opus codec @ 16kbps), data, and control messaging into a single prioritized stream.
  • Testing Status: Moving from lab-conducted testing to over-the-air (OTA) residential links. Identified software bugs in the interlocker and keep-alive configurations.
  • Multi-stream COBS Proposal: A technical proposal to modify the COBS (Consistent Overhead Byte Stuffing) protocol to support multiple simultaneous streams, allowing data backfilling during silence periods in variable-bit-rate voice packets.

• 21:18 – AMSAT UK & Mode Dynamic Transponder (MDT):

  • Mission Profile: Payload for the "FunCube Plus" satellite, now rescheduled for a 2027 launch.
  • FPGA Implementation: Targeted at the Lattice iCE40 (low power/LEO-suitable). The design features a polyphase channelizer with 87% logic utilization.
  • DSP Approach: Utilizes Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) to extract weak signals from a 30 kHz window in the 430 MHz band.
  • Resource Requirements: The project requires KiCad PCB layout expertise for 1U space-rated cards and peer reviews of the existing VHDL and STM32L4 firmware.

• 32:23 – Upcoming Demonstrations & Capture The Flag (CTF):

  • B-Sides San Diego (April 2026): Educational CTF based on a reimplementation of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander’s radar altimeter logic in Python.
  • Friedrichshafen (June 2026): Presentation to the European Space Agency (ESA) regarding regenerative transponder designs (on-board reconstitution) versus traditional bent-pipe architectures for future geostationary payloads.

• 37:51 – Maya SDR & Amaranth HDL:

  • Fast Sweep Capability: Achievement of a 4 GHz spectrum sweep using an AD9361-based Pluto clone via Python scripting.
  • Amaranth Framework: Utilization of the Amaranth (formerly nMigen) Python-to-VHDL layer for rapid prototyping.
  • LLM Integration: Exploration of using Large Language Models (Claude) to generate Amaranth-based hardware descriptions.

• 48:39 – Real-Time ML in Aerospace (UPR):

  • Hardware: Implementation of the Hailo-8 Neural Processing Unit (NPU) and quad-core ARM processors for sounding rocket payloads (NASA RockSat X).
  • In-Flight Inference: Shifting from post-flight data analysis to real-time ML-driven telemetry analysis during the flight sequence.

• 51:42 – Deep Space Exploration Society (DSES):

  • Artemis II Support: Preparation of a 60-foot (18m) parabolic dish for Doppler tracking of the upcoming Artemis II lunar mission (potential April launch).
  • Earth-Venus-Earth (EVE) Experiment: Planned for October 2026 during Venusian inferior conjunction. Requires a 2kW 2.4 GHz transmitter to attempt data modulation (beyond simple carrier reflection) over the EVE path.

• 1:08:44 – Community Onboarding:

  • Strategy: Recommendation for new contributors to start with SatNOGS or RTL-SDR projects to gain foundational experience in SDR and digital signal processing.