Tektronix Delivers Automated USB Type-C Compliance and Debugging Solutions

May 17 2021, 00:35
As manufacturers intensify their efforts to meet consumer demand for ever faster data downloads, from live streaming videos to global videoconferences, multiple industries are now accelerating adoption of the latest USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 specifications over USB Type-C connectors. Tektronix announced three new testing solutions to help drive these efforts, which can easily be integrated into test environments, enabling higher speed data transfers.
 

The new Tektronix USB4, TBT4, and DP2.0 solutions are available worldwide for use with DPO/MSO70000SX/DX oscilloscopes with 23 GHz bandwidth and above, and 100 GS/s sample rate. The scope setup can additionally be used for USB2.0/USB3.2/DP1.2/DP1.4 testing, providing a single test station for the USB, TBT and DP.

The new transmitter automated test solutions are designed to meet the demanding requirements of next-generation technologies for large, rapid data transfers and low-latency video displays. Tektronix USB4, Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort 2.0 automated compliance and debugging solutions address the most common challenges design engineers face, including test time, signal integrity and Device Under Test (DUT) control. The solutions also boast physical layer electrical testing and characterization, which is crucial for designers to comply with the next-generation standards over the USB-C connector.

“These solutions easily integrate into custom test environments and will enable our customers to test and debug USB4 designs that go into any device with a USB4 or TBT4 port – from laptops to tablets and cell phones to televisions,” says Matt Ochs, general manager at Tektronix. “The results will be faster charging times and data transfers, plus a sleek new design that allows connection of up to six devices in parallel.”

The new USB4 standard increases data transfer rates up to eight times faster than the USB 3.0 standard and delivers fast and secure 100W USB-C charging. DisplayPort 2.0 is set to triple data bandwidth performance compared to the DisplayPort 1.4 and includes 16K video resolution, higher refresh rates, and improved user experience with augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) displays.

Graphics card maker MSI is already relying on the Tektronix solution to continue to advance its innovations. “The Tektronix TekExpress USB4 automation software was the first to offer USB4 DUT automation, which helped us reach our required compliance patterns,” says Anthony Liang, signal integrity department manager at MSI. “Tektronix and MSI’s collaboration has defined the next generation of USB4 compliance automation software.”
 

Electronic design automation company Synopsys also leverages Tektronix technology for its semiconductor chip design work. “The USB-C IO solutions, in our case for DisplayPort 2.0, are must-haves. When using the TekExpress DisplayPort 2.0 Tool, we were not only able to understand how to meet compliance, but we were also able to debug and understand the limits of our physical layer. Also, the tool is very user friendly,” says Andre Merlo, senior test engineer at Synopsys.

The Tektronix USB4 solution offers compliance with the USB4 Specification Ver1.0 and USB4 Router Assembly Electrical Compliance Test Specification Rev 1.0, and completes both Lane 0 and Lane 1 Transmitter tests without flipping the USB Type-C connector or USB4 High-Speed fixture. The solution supports all 4 data rates (10G, 10.3G, 20G & 20.6G), provides automatic DUT control support both TenLira/TDT (Intel’s scripts) and USB4 ETT, and offers a pre-compliance solution with Tektronix’s Proposed measurement for the Ultra High Bit Rate (UHBR) speeds. It also supports the P76xx tri-mode probe with multiple probe tip options. The TekExpress Signal Validation feature validates compliance pattern to ensure result accuracy, while the TekExpress Pre-Recorded mode supports offline analysis and baseline for future specification changes.
www.tek.com
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