Zynq SDR Course - Block Maturity Matrix¶
This page summarizes the maturity of the 12-block course track. The detailed status board lives in Course status, while this page is a compact planning view for reviewers, students and contributors.
Maturity legend¶
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
ready |
Stable learner-facing material exists. |
executable |
Scripts, tests, generated figures or reproducible checks exist. |
measured |
Real hardware or real IQ evidence exists. |
draft |
Structure exists, but the block still needs stronger examples or reports. |
portfolio-target |
The block is close to a complete reviewer-facing result but still needs final packaging. |
Block-level maturity¶
| Block | Topic | Status | Key artifacts | Next improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Intro to SDR | ready / measured | RTL-SDR observation, controlled tone witness, learner report path | Add compact comparison report for passive capture vs controlled tone. |
| 02 | Signals and sampling | executable | Python labs, generated figures, sampling/aliasing tasks | Add C++ bridge and metadata-mistake replay examples. |
| 03 | DSP basics | executable | FFT, FIR, mixing, decimation, MATLAB/C++ links | Add direct-vs-FFT convolution threshold demo and more fixed-point tables. |
| 04 | Simulink and fixed-point | executable | Fixed-point references and BPSK Simulink models | Tighten the HDL Coder handoff constraints. |
| 05 | FPGA / HDL flow | measured / signoff-target | 18 HDL tests plus a timing-clean, board-qualified vendor-snapshot bitstream selected at WNS +0.096 ns | Demonstrate repeat-build/seed timing robustness. |
| 06 | RF frontend and AD9363 | measured | RX-only observation, zero-IF lab, controlled tone evidence | Add gain/overload table and cabled measurement package. |
| 07 | TX/RX chains | executable | DUC/DDC demos, loopback metrics models | Add measurement package and report-ready examples. |
| 08 | Modulation and synchronization | executable | CFO, phase, timing, BER/EVM demos, OFDM mini-link | Add impairment sweeps and dashboard-style metric summaries. |
| 09 | Recording and analysis tools | executable | CI16/CU8/CF32 readers, WAV IQ path, QPSK replay analysis | Keep dataset manifests and analyzer thresholds synchronized. |
| 10 | KiCad and basic electronics | draft | RF safety, attenuator and schematic templates | Add measured bench photos and exported KiCad artifacts. |
| 11 | Integrated SDR project | measured / portfolio-target | ExtraTiming QPSK fabric qualification plus 3/3 RTL-SDR baseline sessions and 90/90 bursts at BER=0 | Add controlled-cabled/long-duration statistics on a stable capture backend. |
| 12 | Final projects | measured / portfolio-target | Filled report with internal and external QPSK evidence | Add repeatable cabled/OTA measurement statistics on a stable capture backend. |
Review rule¶
A block should not be promoted to portfolio-target unless a reviewer can see:
- the engineering goal;
- executable or measurable evidence;
- expected metrics;
- limitations;
- the next action needed to make the result reproducible by another engineer.