In a digital modem design, the integration of the Analog to Digital Converters (ADC)\nand Digital to Analog Converters (DAC) with the core processor is usually a major issue for the\ndesigner. In this paper an FPGA scalable Software Defined Radio platform based on a Spartan-6\nas a control unit is presented, developed for both educational and research purposes, which can fit\nthe different application requirements in terms of analog front-end performance, processing unit\nand cost. The resolution and sampling frequency of the analog front-end are its main adjustable\nparameters. The processing core requirements involve the FPGA and the communication ports.\nA multidisciplinary working group was required to design a high performance system for both analog\nfront-end and digital processing core in terms of signal integrity and electromagnetic compatibility.\nThe platform has 5 different peripheral ports ranging from 16 kbps to 2.5 Gbps. The communication\nports allow our students to develop a high range of applications for both on-site and online courses\napplying teaching methodology based on learning by doing using a real system to help them to reach\nother transversal skills.
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