Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] USRP heating up !

[Matt Ettus]

Quoting Javs <address@hidden>:

> Dear all,
>
> The Analog Device chips on my USRP (and to some extent the FPGA) seem to be
> heating more than usual now. On a touch basis, I observed that they are much
> heated (burning sensation) than they were before. I've been using it for
> about 40 days now. I haven't done anything unusual with it. However, it seems
> to be running the software perfectly the way it should. Am I the only one who
> is experiencing this ? I am thinking of a fan to cool the chips to avoid
> burning them.  Any suggestions ?


During normal operation, the AD chips can get pretty warm.  Try this:

1 - Take off all daughterboards.

2 - Plug in the the USRP.  Do not run any software.  Leave it for a few minutes.
   Every chip other than the power supply on there should be at room temp.  The
LED should be flashing about 2-3 times per second.

3 - Run some of the examples, and quit them normally (no ctrl-C).  A few minutes
later the FPGA and AD chips should be back to room temp.  The LED should be
flashing slower.

4 - Run a receive program (like usrp_fft).  After a few minutes, the AD chip
should be just slightly warm.

5 - Leave the receive program running.  In another window start up a transmit
program (like usrp_siggen).  The codec chips should get pretty hot, but not
painfully hot.  The FPGA should only show the slightest hint of warmness.

6 - Quit the receive program.  The chips shoul get much cooler now.

7 - quit the transmit program.  Everything should return to room temp.

Let me know if your experience matches what I outlined above.

Matt