SDRPlay RSP1B

[BinaryMode]

Story of my life, as soon as I buy something, another item comes out for just a little bit more money that is arguably a bit better. (sigh)

Reminds me of my trip to Vegas... Damn that Heather...

 

[dlwtrunked]

Really, if there was going to be a change, it should be to USB-C. It's not "all the rage" - it's the connector that's been in common use since 2018 and is here to stay. Mini is terrible due to the lack of the mechanical latch. Micro has nothing over USB-C anymore, it isn't rated for as many cycles and only works one way round. Some people stick with full size B over those, but C would be the choice here.

USB-C is now mandated in certain countries as the standard USB-C connector for some devices. In near term, it will likely be "the" USB connector. The new SDRplay should have been a USB-C connector.

Long-awaited common charger for mobile devices will be a reality in 2024 | News | European Parliament

Following Parliament’s approval, EU consumers will soon be able to use a single charging solution for their electronic devices.

www.europarl.europa.eu

 

[KMG54]

So My 5 year old 1A is the same as the 1B because I bought the metal case for the 1A years ago when available. It seems that is all they did and the metal case on the 1A lowered my noise floor on it also. Not being a smart ### but is it not the same thing?

 

[BinaryMode]

USB-C is now mandated in certain countries as the standard USB-C connector for some devices. In near term, it will likely be "the" USB connector. The new SDRplay should have been a USB-C connector.

Long-awaited common charger for mobile devices will be a reality in 2024 | News | European Parliament

Following Parliament’s approval, EU consumers will soon be able to use a single charging solution for their electronic devices.

www.europarl.europa.eu

This is exactly my sentiments. But reading about its apparent cost to implement is ridiculous. Well, the whole USB Spec as of late is monumentally ridiculous.

 

[Pape]

USB-C is now mandated in certain countries as the standard USB-C connector for some devices. In near term, it will likely be "the" USB connector. The new SDRplay should have been a USB-C connector.

Long-awaited common charger for mobile devices will be a reality in 2024 | News | European Parliament

Following Parliament’s approval, EU consumers will soon be able to use a single charging solution for their electronic devices.

www.europarl.europa.eu

Device being phones, reason: to unify the charger.
Since the RSP1b does not use a charger, there is no incentive for doing so.

 

[sunwave]

I like the USB-B connection. It is very strong. I don't care if it is 1 month or 20 years in existence. It's a good connector. There is no specific standard for sdr's. It is up to the manufacturer. USB-B connectors has worked for SDRPlay. It contributes to SDRPlay's uniqueness.

I don't like USB-C. It just feels weak plugging it in. I am always scared to put to much force on it. If you want a usb-c sdr get an airspy.

"Live and let live" It is fine as is.

 

[thewraith2008]

^
Yes, that and as @foxtail wrote cost. USB C is still relatively new, and probably still under copyright, so licensing fees might be an issue as well. I don't know how many of these devices are manufactured and sold by this company annually, but obtaining a vender number is about $6K and a two year license to even use the logo is $3.5K. This means if it were only to raise the price to about a dollar, they would have to sell close to 100,000 of these in the first two years.

The USB vendor (VendorID=7671 - 0x1DF7) is Mirics Semiconductor, not SDRPlay.
Not sure what is required of SDRPlay when it comes to using the Mirics silicon in their SDRs but I doubt that level of fees are required.

The use of a different USB connector will come down to production costs:

• Cost of the connector
• Refactoring the SDR PCB for connector
• Refactoring the SDR case for connector

These costs would then increase if it was decided to start using USB 3.x transfer protocol:

• New USB 3.x controller and refactoring the SDR PCB
• Creation of a new driver to work with the new SDR USB 3.x controller
• Refactoring SDRUno to work with new driver.
• R&D time

For the end user, using USB 3.x transfer protocol would not really offer any SDR performance improvements but would cost SDRPlay a lot for the 'improvement'. The real improvement may come with allowing more running SDRs to be connected at once to the USB 3 bus.

 

[Omega-TI]

"Live and let live" It is fine as is.

Agreed, if it's not broken, don't fix it.

 

[Omega-TI]

The USB vendor (VendorID=7671 - 0x1DF7) is Mirics Semiconductor, not SDRPlay.
Not sure what is required of SDRPlay when it comes to using the Mirics silicon in their SDRs but I doubt that level of fees are required.

The use of a different USB connector will come down to production costs:

• Cost of the connector
• Refactoring the SDR PCB for connector
• Refactoring the SDR case for connector

These costs would then increase if it was decided to start using USB 3.x transfer protocol:

• New USB 3.x controller and refactoring the SDR PCB
• Creation of a new driver to work with the new SDR USB 3.x controller
• Refactoring SDRUno to work with new driver.
• R&D time

For the end user, using USB 3.x transfer protocol would not really offer any SDR performance improvements but would cost SDRPlay a lot for the 'improvement'. The real improvement may come with allowing more running SDRs to be connected at once to the USB 3 bus.

You make some good points, and I was simply referring to the USB-C socket style licensing rights SDRplay would have to pay simply to use it. I know a guy who designed a really nice upgrade to a project of his a couple of years ago, and got an eye opener when the HDMI socket/standard would have cost 10 grand to licence and use (for a period of time). Years later that project was never released due to limited projected sales.

I wondering if any politicians were greased, because government mandating a socket style that is still under copyright is a sweet deal.

 

[thewraith2008]

The reply to post here: "Are USB protocol and connector free or are they patented?" seems to think there is no cost to use the USB connectors themselves, only the use of logo and the wording USB (not sure in what context "USB" it can be used).

I don't think SDRPlay use the USB logo in any of their documentation.

I never found the USB-B socket/connector that much of a problem with my RSP1A, but it does collect more dust than signals anyway so what do I know.

 

[dlwtrunked]

Device being phones, reason: to unify the charger.
Since the RSP1b does not use a charger, there is no incentive for doing so.

But it does need a cable and having a lot of one type around makes it easier to grab one. I just bought a different SDR that used to have a micro-USB connector and now, next to that is a USB-C. The other connectors and cables are mostly going to disappear.

 

[Pape]

But it does need a cable and having a lot of one type around makes it easier to grab one. I just bought a different SDR that used to have a micro-USB connector and now, next to that is a USB-C. The other connectors and cables are mostly going to disappear.

Until we go back to proprietary cables

 

[belvdr]

You make some good points, and I was simply referring to the USB-C socket style licensing rights SDRplay would have to pay simply to use it. I know a guy who designed a really nice upgrade to a project of his a couple of years ago, and got an eye opener when the HDMI socket/standard would have cost 10 grand to licence and use (for a period of time). Years later that project was never released due to limited projected sales.

I wondering if any politicians were greased, because government mandating a socket style that is still under copyright is a sweet deal.

You don't need licensing if you don't use the USB logo and use a unique vendor ID. Here's a great rundown:

Are USB protocol and connector free or are they patented?

For a hobbyist developing a device, certification is not pleasant. I am wondering if implementing USB in any way is patented or needs a certification? I am concerned about both protocol (USB-2,3...

electronics.stackexchange.com

I'm guessing the manufacturing facility is tooled for USB B ports. Since the RSP1B is a slight modification of the RSP1A, retooling would be an expensive venture and not worth the time. I'd rather have a worthwhile product with an old port. It means more cables but that's about the only downside I see.

If they included USB C at the current price point, you'd have folks complaining about the cost and wondering why they didn't use the "less expensive" USB B that has always been there.

HDMI is an entirely different animal, which is why so many things have migrated to DisplayPort.

 

[cybergibbons]

^
Yes, that and as @foxtail wrote cost. USB C is still relatively new, and probably still under copyright, so licensing fees might be an issue as well. I don't know how many of these devices are manufactured and sold by this company annually, but obtaining a vender number is about $6K and a two year license to even use the logo is $3.5K. This means if it were only to raise the price to about a dollar, they would have to sell close to 100,000 of these in the first two years.

There's no licensing fees to use USB-C, and no copyright concerns. Anyone is free to use a USB-C connector. The device uses an already existing VID from the chipset they use. If you use the USB logo, the cost would be the same regardless of the type of connector you use. I really doubt they are paying for the logo, as it's not on their site, the box, or the device itself. We're now in the 6th year of widespread adoption of USB-C. Other upsides are that good quality, shielded cables can be easily obtained, whereas many of the USB type-B ones are poor quality.

 

[GTR8000]

Yeah so anyway...RSP1B uses a USB B connector, maybe when they eventually release the RSP1C it'll have a USB C connector.

Now, maybe we can discuss something other than the choice of USB port, such as the performance of this supposedly improved version of the RSP1A? Does anyone actually have one of them yet, and if so what are you impressions of it?

I own an RSP2pro, which is housed in a nice metal box, something I've always appreciated about it. The RSP1x is more appealing to me now that it's also available in a metal box, rather than a plastic one.

 

[Omega-TI]

If someone wanted a metal case so badly for their RSP1A, they could always <<CLICK HERE>> and buy one from Amazon for under $14.00. If your unit is out of sight, no biggie right?

Or you could go to Walmart and buy one of those close out popcorn tins for next to nothing.

 

[GTR8000]

Or we could just buy the model that has a nice fitted, purpose built metal housing? Good grief, a popcorn tin, really? 🤦‍♂️

 

[KevinC]

Or we could just buy the model that has a nice fitted, purpose built metal housing? Good grief, a popcorn tin, really? 🤦‍♂️

And be sure to get some bubble wrap to insulate it and keep it from moving around as well as an ice pick to poke the necessary holes in the popcorn tin.

 

[Omega-TI]

Or we could just buy the model that has a nice fitted, purpose built metal housing? Good grief, a popcorn tin, really? 🤦‍♂️

I was trying to be funny with the popcorn tin crack. Seriously though, I just bought my RSP1A a couple of weeks ago, I'm not about to buy another one just because the case is metal. I did try to buy the metal case that was available, but no longer. So if a person wanted to enclose it in metal, they could do so with a metal box for a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a new one. Now if you don't have one already, by all means, go for the B.

 

[PDXh0b0]

I lined the inside of my plastic case with aluminum tape