Choosing an Oscilloscope for Protocol Analysis Applications
Application Notes
Serial buses are pervasive in today’s electronic designs to provide critical communication between ICs, subsystems, boards and systems. I2 C and SPI have found their way into a broad array of chips and peripherals including FPGAs, a variety of I/O, ADCs, sensors, ASICs and processors. JTAG serial buses, test chips and boards also provide debug ports for microprocessors and other integrated circuits. CAN, LIN and FlexRay enable noise-immune communication networks for automotive and industrial products. USB ports have become pervasive on mobile and other consumer products, and PCIe has gained a foothold by passing large amounts of data quickly. Even legacy serial buses like RS-232/485/485 and MIL-STD 1553 continue to prosper despite their age. Low cost, minimal pin usage and a protocol layer that eases software implementation make serial buses ideal for a wide variety of applications across a range of industries.