SPMI protocol decode speeds mobile device debug

SPMI is used to connect processors in mobile devices to one or more power controllers and enables processors to dynamically increase or decrease power to specific subsystems for reduced power consumption.

With Tektronix’ SPMI decode option, users can easily decode bus activity, saving time and reducing frustration compared to attempting to decode bus activity manually.

Bus sequences are displayed with clear colour-coding indicating sequence starts, master IDs, commands, addresses, data, and acknowledgments.

“As our support for SPMI indicates, we are following through on our commitment to deliver long-term investment protection for both the 5 Series MSO and the new 6 Series MSO,” said Brian Ice, general manager, Mainstream Oscilloscopes at Tektronix. “Now engineers working to reduce the power consumption of mobile devices can speed through debug and analysis tasks with exceptional convenience and confidence.”

The SPMI software option goes beyond simple decode and gives users the ability to trigger the scope on specific bus activity and search through acquisitions.

Other features include the ability to check bus sequence timing and compare bus activity to embedded software with a time-stamped decode table and to correlate bus activity with precision voltage and current measurements on voltage regulator outputs.