ASA Releases M1 V4.08 to Include PCI Express

ASA Corp. released its latest version of M1 Oscilloscope Tools™ mid February, to accommodate customers who develop components that utilize PCI Express. The new test script will allow users to test their parts against the PCIe v1.0a spec, including Transmitter, Receiver, and Card Electromechanical sections for voltage, timing, and Eye Mask tests.

Version 4.08 launched at the beginning of February and included additional features such as:

• Unattended Fault Detection: This capability allows customers continuously take scheduled acquisitions using the M1 software. Users can now run M1, unattended, at full speed and be assured they are capturing every failed acquisition, as well as timed, normal acquisitions to compare the behavior of the device.

• I²C Compliance Test: I²C is a bus technology used to attach low-speed peripherals to a motherboard, embedded system or cellphone. Our application will allow you to ensure your device is in compliance with the I²C specification.

• I²C Decode: I²C Decoding allows you to view and debug your signal at a higher level, by automatically displaying the actual data packet contents (bus address, data, Stop/Start/Ack bits, etc) that are being sent across the bus. This feature helps you quickly determine whether a problem is due to a gross timing error that causes the bus to contain incorrect data, or whether a more subtle process is at work, requiring more detailed analysis.

• HDMI Compliance Test Capability: Also known as "High Definition Multimedia Interface." HDMI is an interface used for transmitting digital television audiovisual signals from DVD players, set-top boxes and other audiovisual sources to television sets, projectors and other video displays. You can download the TestScript by visiting www.ScopeApplications.com

• Overshoot/Undershoot Area & Ringback: These new capabilities will help enable you to take the measurements necessary for the DDR2 and PCIe specifications and may also be useful when debugging similar issues in other products.

• Animation: This capability provides users with added insights by converting the usual static ScopeView into an active screen, rapidly changing the data it displays. This feature provides the customer with an interface that looks similar to a screen that is continuously acquiring data on a scope.

"One of the biggest issues for customers today is a la carte pricing and the burden of having to pay thousands of dollars for each compliance test or capability," said Mike Williams. "The vision of M1 OT is about being inclusive and saving the customer a lot of money. With V4.08 you're getting compliance tests, decode capabilities and two significant new features at absolutely no cost." Applications that run in the M1 OT automation environment can be found at no cost to anyone who holds a no charge Scope Applications membership. The latest M1 capabilities are available now by accessing the download page.

Mike B's Tip of the Month

As a frequent but new user of M1 OT, I'm constantly stumbling upon new features that are extremely useful for the work I'm trying to do. M1 has such a rich set of tools that I want to bring those rather obscure, but helpful features to the surface and inform our customers about something that may make their job easier.

One of these useful, yet not widely known features of M1 is ScopeTrack™. ScopeTrack synchronizes all X-axes that are using Time as units. Therefore, when you change the X-axis properties (such as delay or scaling) it will change on all views.

This allows you to easily correlate multi-domain views, as well as correlate identical points in time on different views. It's also an effective way to keep track of the big picture when you are zoomed deep into a waveform.

To turn on ScopeTrack, all you need to do is click the little padlock icon on the Main screen of M1. The button toggles it on and off; there is no need to select which views to synchronize.

Have a useful M1 Feature you want to learn more about? Then tell us! Contact Mike at Micheal_Biasetti@Amherst-Systems.com

Scope Applications Gets an Update and a Face-Lift

Are you looking for no cost Testscripts or ways to automate your measurement workflow? ASA's scope application site is a repository for these features and we've just made it over to increase ease of use. "The purpose of the site is to connect customers who have created, or are in need of TestScripts, as well as provide compliance tests at no cost," said Mike Williams, President of ASA. "Our plan is to open this site to a wide variety of users so that customers can make use of our TestScript function to its fullest potential." All applications currently found on scopeapplications.com have been recently updated, including the addition of I²C and PCIe compliance tests. The new scope applications site launched mid-February and requires no cost to join.

Employment Opportunities at ASA

ASA Corp. is currently seeking imaginative electrical engineering programmers to join our team. These individuals must have solid programming experience, but more importantly, be willing to bring energy and the passion to dominate the industry to ASA.

ASA is also seeking an exceptional individual to provide the necessary care and feeding of our domestic and international sales channels. Experience in consulting work selling test and measurement equipment is a minimum, as it at least 7 years in sales and channel management. Experience with transactional selling methods is a strong plus.

If you're interested in employment at ASA click here for more information or send an e-mail to: jobs@amherst-systems.com.