Ethernet-Interface DAB/DAB+ Modulator with WIZnet W5500 – EasyDAB v2
EasyDAB v2 off-loads Ethernet TCP/IP via WIZnet W5500, uses FPGA for DAB/DAB+ modulation, and web UI for ETI stream reception and live DAB broadcast.
Utilization of WIZnet Product
The EasyDAB v2 board integrates a Wiznet W5500 module over SPI to provide 10/100 Mbps Ethernet with full hardware TCP/IP off-load, minimizing MCU load when receiving ETI streams
Technology & Innovative Techniques
All ETI processing and DAB/DAB+ modulation (error coding, DQPSK, COFDM, etc.) are implemented as custom IP cores inside the Xilinx XC6SLX9 FPGA.
A PicoBlaze6 soft CPU with AXI4-Stream and SPI peripherals handles control logic, while large FIFOs, time/frequency interleavers, IFFT, and FIR filters form a high-speed hardware pipeline
System Flow
Power on → W5500 initializes network → awaits ETI TCP stream at configured IP/port.
User connects via web browser (port 80) to set ETI source (IP/port), RF frequency, and output level.
On apply, W5500 connects to ETI source; FPGA processes and modulates ETI frames in real time.
Modulated DAB/DAB+ signal is output via DAC (AD9957), amplified, and sent to the antenna
Technical Synergy Analysis
Off-loading TCP/IP to W5500 frees the FPGA and PicoBlaze6 to focus solely on modulation and control, ensuring jitter-free, reliable streaming.
Ethernet delivers low-latency, high-throughput ETI transport, and the built-in web UI simplifies field configuration and firmware updates, enhancing maintainability
Potential Applications & Ideas
Mobile DAB Broadcasts: Portable digital radio transmitters for events/festivals.
Emergency Alerts: On-site wireless dissemination of disaster info.
Campus/Enterprise Radio: In-house broadcasting/music streaming.
Digital Broadcast Research: SFN network trials and educational platform.
IoT DAB Broadcasting: Sensor data (weather, traffic) broadcast over DAB channels.