Bridging Microcontrollers and High-Speed RF Instrumentation (Download)
High-speed RF acquisition and generation was once firmly in the domain of lab equipment and specialized FPGA platforms. But modern workflows increasingly demand ways to integrate RF measurements into embedded prototypes, test rigs, and field systems built around microcontrollers. Developers want the simplicity of Arduino-class platforms while still accessing instruments capable of MHz-range sampling, deterministic control, or waveform synthesis.
A growing set of open-source projects now bridge this gap by enabling microcontrollers and single-board computers (SBCs) to coordinate external RF front ends or software-defined instruments. In many cases, these projects pair MCUs with compact, network-controlled devices such as the Red Pitaya.
