Hardware-based Error Rate Testing of Digital Baseband Communication Systems

We present a flexible architecture for evaluating the bit-error-rate (BER) performance of prototype digital baseband communication systems. Using an efficient elastic buffer interface, an arbitrary baseband module can be added to the cascaded architecture of a digital baseband communication system, independent of the module´s operating rate, its position in the cascade structure, and its latency. The proposed BER tester uses an accurate fading channel model and a Gaussian noise generator to provide a realistic and repeatable test environment in the laboratory. This evaluation environment should reduce the need for time-consuming field tests, hence reducing the time-to-market and increasing productivity.