Teledyne LeCroy has launched the industry’s first Manchester non-return-to-zero (NRZ) configurable protocol decoders for a wide range of oscilloscope platforms.
The decoders enable users to specify a broad range of physical layer characteristics for Manchester- or NRZ-encoded signals. They define the grouping of bits into words and words into frames, shortening analysis times for custom or proprietary protocols based on those generic encoding schemes. Decoded information is then shown in a colour-coded overlay directly on top of the physical layer waveform.
Many of today’s data communication protocols are built on Manchester or NRZ encoding. Protocols like this range from specialised buses such as Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) for control of building lighting and the Peripheral Sensor Interface 5 (PSI5) used to connect sensors, to controllers in automotive applications, to proprietary, custom buses used for non-standardised applications.
In all of these cases, basic Manchester and NRZ schemes are modified to create the more complex, specialised protocols. Designers around the globe are developing and debugging systems with these protocols and looking for bus analysis tools to simplify the process.
The decoders aid in the process of designing and debugging such custom protocols by providing broad flexibility in terms of physical layer characteristics, protocol word and frame structure, as well as other parameters. Users may specify bit rates from 10 bps to 10 Gbps. Idle states, sync bits, header and footer information can all be configured to decode custom preambles or CRC details.
Decoding is highly flexible. Data mode can be in bits or words; viewing in hex, ASCII, or decimal; and bit order either LSB or MSB. Decoded information is displayed with a colour-coded overlay, which expands or contracts as the user adjusts the oscilloscope time base or zooms in on the waveform for more details.
Powerful search capabilities allow users to search long captures of decoded Manchester and NRZ waveforms quickly for specific bus details such as data, sync or interframe gap. Decoded data is conveniently displayed in an interactive table. Clicking on any line in the table opens a zoomed view of that instance in the waveform.
For more information contact Comtest, +27 (0)11 608 8520, [email protected], www.comtest.co.za
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