Tektronix boosts PCIe 3.0 Tx/Rx automation test

A new interference test set and other enhancements to Tektronix’ BERTScope bit-error-rate testers and PCI Express test software give silicon, host, and card designers a powerful automated transmitter/receiver compliance and debug platform for the PCI Express 3.0 bus standard.

At speeds of 8 Gbps, PCI Express 3.0 testing involves complex receiver stress conditioning, BER compliance testing, and numerous transmitter compliance tests. According to Tektronix, its updated platform provides the industry’s most integrated level of support for physical-layer test automation and debug of PCI Express 3.0.

For PCIe 3.0 receiver testing, stressed pattern generation as required by PCI-SIG test specifications are automated and now include integrated support for clock multiplication and eye-opening tests. Additionally, DUT loopback control is automated. New tools that enable these capabilities include the DPP125C digital pre-emphasis processor, which adds pre-emphasis to the stressed pattern; the BSAITS125 integrated interference combiner with variable ISI (intersymbol interference); and the BSAPCI3 automated calibration, loopback, and link-training software.

To accelerate PCIe 3.0 transmitter testing, Tektronix has incorporated the PCI-SIG’s SigTest utility software for compliance testing directly into its TekExpress automation framework on the DSA70000 series digital oscilloscopes. With this integration, the updated PCE3 software automates test instrumentation and DUT control, pattern validation, data acquisition, and analysis with SigTest and allows custom reporting of multiple SigTest results. The PCE3 software also provides a seamless transition to debugging when compliance testing fails.

More information: www.tek.com/technology/pci-express

Tektronix, www.tek.com