Test solutions accelerate USB 3.1 compliance

19th January 2015

Tektronix

Mick Elliott

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A comprehensive set of USB 3.1 compliance test solutions that allows designers to quickly verify designs against the latest USB specifications and achieve fast time to market while minimising costs has been launched by Tektronix. The new release expands Tektronix’ already extensive USB 3.1 and USB 2.0 test capabilities to include a new USB 3.1 receiver test solution supporting the 10 Gb/s data rate, a new USB Power Delivery test solution and a new USB Type-C cable test solution.

As speeds continue to increase, USB testing has become far more complex than in the past. Testing will be critically important to the success of USB 3.1 silicon and product designs which must meet performance expectations, maintain backward compatibility with previous USB specifications and interoperate smoothly with other low-cost USB products. Moreover, USB 3.1 designs must address challenging new requirements including 128b/132b encoding, lower jitter budgets, higher loss (with likelihood of integrated repeaters), and more complex equalisation.

The new solution reduces the complexity of performing USB 3.1 compliance tests while also supporting debug and margin analysis.

Receiver testing is now a mandatory requirement for USB 3.1 certification. Due to faster data rates, it is critical to ensure that the receiver properly interprets the incoming bit stream. The new BSAUSB31 solution for Tektronix BERTScope bit error rate testers significantly simplifies receiver testing. No longer must the end user be an expert in USB.

Processes for defining test parameters, putting the device into the proper test mode, measuring errors, showing results after each frequency is executed, and printing/storing the test results are all fully automated, saving time and improving accuracy.

The solution provides all of the required signal impairments for USB 3.1, including SJ, RJ, SSC, and signal attenuation with a compliance channel.

The need for USB power that can be transmitted through cables has grown beyond USB Battery Charging capabilities. This limitation is addressed with the USB Power Delivery specification which can provide up to 100W power at 20V in either direction.

Developed in conjunction with Tektronix partner Granite River Labs, the new GRL-USB-PD software supports critical PHY layer testing as detailed in chapter 5 of the Power Delivery specification.

Tests include rise/fall time, transmitter and receiver eye mask and others. In addition, the software provides pattern decode of the Binary Mark Coded (BMC) signals for further debug and analysis.