Date: 22/07/2009

USB 2.0 and 3.0 power measurement features in LeCroy USB analyzer platform

LeCroy USB power measurements feature called Power tracker into its USB analyzer platform.

Due to USB interface/ability to power the devices it's getting connected to and also due to limit of power available, measuring power parameters is important for USB interface designer. The USB 2.0 specification allows devices to draw a maximum of 100 mA. With the introduction of USB 3.0, this was increased to 150 mA but also added mandatory power management mechanisms. USB 3.0 developers will use these power management policies to extend laptop battery life and reduce power consumption during idle periods. Power Tracker allows developers to monitor and confirm current draw while their devices are following the defined policies.

The Power Tracker samples voltage and current during normal operations. It displays volts, amps, and watts in a graphical histogram format. Cursors provide fine-grained timing measurements between any two points in the display. The Power Tracker display is synchronized to the CATC trace view to allow quick correlation of power consumption to the standby and suspend transitions of the protocol.

"With USB 2.0, power management was largely implemented in software. With the new 3.0 specification, power-save timers are built-in to the hardware". Said Michael Romm of LeCroy's Protocol Solutions Group. " The Power Tracker allows users to precisely verify power draw at the physical layer while correlating logical link states at the upper levels."

The integrated Power Tracker feature is available as a value add feature for the Voyager USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 analyzer system at $2500 (US).

For more details visit http://www.lecroy.com.