Tektronix claims industry first with PCI Express 6.0 test 

Customers can transition to PCIe 6.0 PAM4 signalling, just weeks after the PCI-SIG (Special Interest Group) released PCI Express (PCIe) 6.0 Base specifications and validation requirements, said Tektronix at the release of the PCIe 6.0 Base transmitter test for oscilloscopes.

PCIe 6.0 is a scalable standard for data-intensive markets such as data centre, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) and high performance computing (HPC). It transitions to PAM4 signalling and new error correcting techniques. The Tektronix test therefore includes PCIe 6.0 measurement-specific software, enhanced PAM4 DSP capabilities and noise compensation on the oscilloscope. The Tektronix test is further enhanced by the analysis tools for SNDR and uncorrelated jitter measurements which are both mandated requirements for the PCIe 6.0 standard.

The PCIe 6.0 standard transmitter validation for high performance and data-intensive markets is available worldwide for use with DPO70000SX ATI Performance Oscilloscopes. 

Tektronix’s customer, silicon IP provider, Alphawave collaborated with Tektronix for early validation of PCIe 6.0 physical layer designs. “Tektronix was deeply involved in defining the PCIe 64 GT/s measurement methodologies, which enabled our engineers to increase their confidence in meeting this challenging new standard prior to release,” said Clint Walker, vice president of marketing at Alphawave.  

Tektronix’s Swapnil Mane, marketing director of wired solutions, agreed: “Our PCIe 6.0 standard test and debug solution easily integrates into the engineers’ workflow for test and debug. With the complexity of PAM4 signalling, our analysis tools make it easier to test their design and ensure it meets the new 6.0 standard requirement with a high degree of confidence”.

The test includes PCIe 6.0 (64 GT/s) standard automated base transmitter running on Tektronix DPO70000SX real time oscilloscopes with 50GHz and above bandwidth. It has enhanced PAM4 DSP capabilities with the Tektronix PAMJET application and support for measurements developed for the PCI Express 6.0 standard including SNDR, RLM, uncorrelated jitter, and pulse width jitter. In addition, instrumentation noise compensation techniques are tailored to individual measurements to achieve the most accurate results, said Tektronix.

http://www.tek.com 

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Tracealyzer 4.6 is designed for easier porting says Percepico

Tracealyzer 4.6 has official support for Zephyr RTOS and Microsoft Azure RTOS ThreadX. The release also includes Percepio’s next generation trace recorder library with improved support for snapshot trace. Snapshot recording allows users to access DevAlert, Percepio’s cloud service for monitoring application code executing in deployed IoT devices.

The trace recorder library is for runtime monitoring that benefits both Tracealyzer and DevAlert, said the company. It is designed to be far easier to port to other software platforms and to allow more efficient monitoring of deployed IoT systems and tracing of multi-core systems. The recorder library features more efficient snapshot recording, where trace data is saved in a ring buffer on the target system, for both Zephyr and ThreadX, in addition to the previously supported streaming recording.

CEO, Johan Kraft said: “Both streaming trace and snapshot trace are now supported in the same solution and use the same trace format, which makes it far easier to maintain and improve. Moreover, this will soon enable us to provide an official SDK [software development kit] for partners and customers that wish to integrate Tracealyzer and DevAlert with their RTOS of choice, or with bare-metal firmware.”

Kate Stewart, vice president of Dependable Embedded Systems, The Linux Foundation, commented: “Tracealyzer support for Zephyr is a very welcome addition to the embedded and IoT ecosystems. The ability to visualise code execution is a key tool for developers working with resource constrained devices to be able to efficiently debug defects and release products”. 

Another innovation in this edition is the dynamic legend feature, which improves legibility of Tracealyzer’s timeline views, so users can quickly see which events belong to which process or thread. This is particularly valuable for operating systems such as Linux, where the number of threads can become unwieldy, explained Percepio.

The new Tracealyzer recorder library is now integrated into Zephyr and will be included in the upcoming Zephyr 3.0 release.

Tracealyzer 4.6 is available now from Percepio’s web store and through its worldwide network of distributors.

Percepio provides visual trace diagnostics for embedded and IoT software systems in development and in the field. Percepio Tracealyzer combines software tracing with powerful visualisations, allowing users to visually spot and analyse issues in software recordings during development and testing. 

Percepio DevAlert is a cloud service for monitoring deployed IoT devices, combining automatic, real-time error reporting with visual trace diagnostics powered by Tracealyzer. Complimentary evaluation licenses are available for both products.

Percepio collaborates with leading vendors of processors, operating systems and development tools within embedded system and IoT such as Arm, IAR Systems, Infineon, NXP Semiconductors, STMicroelectronics, Renesas Electronics, Wind River Systems, as well as IoT cloud vendors such as Amazon Web Services. 

Percepio is based in Västerås, Sweden. 

http://www.percepio.com

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Compact antennas are designed for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E applications

Two series of three antennas each by Linx Technologies support Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E applications in the 2.4, 5.0 and 6.0GHz bands. Both series are compact and therefore suitable for IoT applications, said the company.

Antennas in the ANT-W63-MON series are compact monopole tilt/swivel whip antennas that work with multiple ground plane configurations. The hinged design allows for the antenna to be positioned for optimum performance. The MON series is available with an SMA plug (male pin) or an RP-SMA (female socket) connector.

The ANT-W63-WRT series are panel-mount di-pole antennas. The compact size allows low-profile mounting making them less likely to be accidentally damaged, said Linx. The WRT antennas are designed with an integrated counterpoise that eliminates the need for additional groundplane, making them suitable for applications with non-conductive or RF-transparent enclosures. The ANT-W63-WRT antennas are available in a variety of cable length and connector options, including SMA plug (male pin), RP-SMA plug (female socket), MHF1/U.FL type plug (female socket), and MHF4-type plug (female socket.

The antennas add 6GHz variations to the company’s WRT and MON product lines. CEO Tolga Latif, said: “With the continued expansion of Wi-Fi 6 in industry, . . . . customers will be better prepared to meet the growing demand for increased signal coverage and faster Wi-Fi 6 / 6E devices.”

The WiFi 6 antennas are available now from Linx Technologies’ distributor and manufacturer representative networks. 

Linx Technologies strives to minimise the risk, delays, and technical challenges for design engineers to make products wireless and connect them to the IoT. Linx manufactures wireless components including antennas, RF connectors and cables, RF modules, and remote controls. 

https://linxtechnologies.com

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Offline switcher IC reduces BoM for bias power supplies

A universal AC high voltage input, non-isolated offline switcher IC from Diodes addresses the challenges associated with using a bias power supply. The AP3928 switcher IC is optimised for situations where higher power levels are mandated, such as in industrial control or home automation systems, home appliances, and IoT devices.

The AP3928 has a 600mA maximum output current that allows for a 10W output power rating. A key differentiator of this high voltage switcher IC is that it supports conventional offline, non-isolated flyback configurations, as well as more streamlined non-isolated buck configurations, keeping the bill of materials (BoM) spend to a minimum, claimed Diodes.

Peak current and switching frequency will continuously reduce as the load decreases, meaning that the IC can achieve heightened degrees of efficiency in light load conditions and is therefore suitable for use in equipment that spends prolonged time in sleep mode.

The AP3928’s low standby power of less than 30mW is suitable for small domestic appliances and IoT devices, where it is important to conserve available battery power.

The AP3928 switcher IC is supplied in a compact SO-8 package. It meets high voltage creepage requirements and can support operational junction temperatures up to +150 degrees C. Over-temperature, output short, overload and open-loop protection functions are included and there is also under-voltage lockout. 

Diodes is a Standard and Poor SmallCap 600 and Russell 3000 Index company. It delivers semiconductor products to companies in the consumer electronics, computing, communications, industrial, and automotive markets. Its portfolio includes discrete, analogue and mixed-signal products and packaging technology. The company has 31 sites around the world, including engineering, testing, manufacturing, and customer service.

http://www.diodes.com

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