Powerful USB Digital Pattern Generators

With an internal 16 or 32MB embedded memory buffer and 100 MHz operation on all 16 digital lines, GP-241xx devices provide powerful general purpose and expandable PC-based tools that ideally complement existing system debug equipment such as logic analyzers and high-speed oscilloscopes. The GP-241xx can be used as an arbitrary digital pattern generator, logic analyzer or serial protocol master / analyzer, with 16 address/data lines and 6 control lines, offering up to 100 MHz (200MB/s burst) performance. The ADWG / Pattern Generator mode of operation allows the generation of extended depths of arbitrary digital stimuli directly from a PC via a USB connection, while the Analyzer mode transforms the GP-241xx into a convenient logic analyzer to collect and examine digital data.

While GP-241xx devices are able to sustain a theoretical continuous throughput of 48MByte/s, actual throughput for continuous transfer will depend on the host PC's performance and can be expected between 11 MB/s and 30 MB/s. For 3.3V I/O standards, GP-241xx is powered directly via the host PC's USB port, enabling very quick device setup. Alternatively, an external power supply can be connected when higher current or another I/O voltage is required.

8PI Control Panel software provided with GP-241xx devices offers free graphical, scripting (TCL/tk), and programming (C/C++) interfaces to automate tasks and connect programming environments to real-world hardware prototypes. GP-241xx supports many input formats from binary to ASCII file and also features an advanced C/C++ interface (through DLL function call) which allows easy reuse of existing tabular input patterns.

For designers, the GP-241xx is an essential stimulus source and a potentially enormous time-saver for almost any type of digital device or application: digital and mixed-signal ASIC, FPGA, microprocessors and microcontrollers. GP-241xx can be used early in the design cycle to substitute for system components that are not yet available. For example, it might be programmed to send interrupts and data to a newly developed bus or circuit when the chip is still being designed. Or when a radio frequency chip is received from the fab after manufacturing, its analog front-end can be tested and characterized by programming parameters through a digital interface and measuring the resulting behavior of the chip. Applications for the GP-241xx include: versatile ADWG (Arbitrary Digital Waveform Generator) / Digital Pattern Generator / Logic Analyzer; board access through serial protocols SPI, I²C, I²S, RS232; 8/16 bit microcontroller interfacing; bus master emulation; SRAM and Flash memory interfacing; system and prototype debug; IP evaluation; digital recorder/player tools; JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) access; repetitive DAC control; exercising custom IP in an FPGA or sending specific bit-patterns in real-time to ASIC designs at up to 100 MHz and capturing output responses; testing and characterizing RF IC's analog circuitry through sequential SPI programming; validation of SoC image-processing functionality by custom interfacing to system buses; intercepting microcontroller/FPGA data traffic during problematic code execution for faithfully reproducing faults; extracting SPI data for debug, modifying functional system parameters in real-time; running automatic tests and collecting trace values, etc.

The GP-24116 and GP-24132 will be shown at DesignCon 2011 (Feb. 1- 2 in San Jose, CA).