4 ms·
Radar is cheap now, thanks to semiconductors getting smaller and faster the analog front-end which used to be a long expensive chain of components is now much s
by MadnessASAP 16d ago
Radar is cheap now, thanks to semiconductors getting smaller and faster the analog front-end which used to be a long expensive chain of components is now much smaller, the ADC is now faster, more accurate, and cheaper, the processor is now fast enough to keep up with a higher bandwidth signal. You could probably drive a very rough radar system directly off a Pico's GPIO and ADC, maybe toss in a decently fast op-amp for a receive amplifier.
Where you will run into issues is processing radar signals into usable data. If you're happy with the results that radar was giving 30 years ago then it's fine and dandy, but the magic of modern radar is in the software, not the hardware.
- jonathanlydall 16d agoSomeone I know has developed radar hardware, specifically around signal processing, and while they couldn’t say much, my impression from them was that due the very large amount of data involved using off the shelf CPUs would be very limiting, which is why his job for a period of years was developing a design to be put on an ASIC which is significantly more effective at the task.
- MadnessASAP 15d agoCan confirm, radar signal processing is very bandwidth heavy and not suited to a typical CPU. Can also confirm that it is generally regarded as impolite to talk too much about it!
- jonathanlydall 14d ago"impolite" is probably an understatement in the context of discussing details about the development of defense systems outside of work.