01 July 2019
Category: Oscilloscopes
Pico Technology has added generic Manchester protocol decoding to PicoScope 6 software.
Manchester encoded signals are used widely in network communications standards such as MIL-STD-1553, 10BaseT Ethernet as well as RFID and consumer IR devices. Customized versions are used in numerous embedded system applications.
Manchester waveforms are “self-clocked”; the clock signal is embedded in the transmitted data using an exclusive-OR Boolean function. Embedding the clock means that only one signal line is required, rather than two or three that are needed with standards such as I2C and SPI.
Data is normally sent in frames that are arranged in fields to make up the complete protocol for a particular application. Field definitions include # of start bits, word length, bit order (LSB or MSB), preamble, header, data and checksum. The generic Manchester decoder settings panel in PicoScope allows each field to be matched to the definition for a given implementation.
Trevor Smith, Business Development Manager at Pico Technology Ltd., commented: “Serial communications are the arteries of modern electronic system designs, but they often account for signal integrity problems that need to be identified and resolved before committing a design to production and deployment.”
“Manchester based designs are popular because they simplify PCB layouts, and offer versatile data structures for a wide range of needs. The PicoScope Manchester decoder can be configured to match almost any frame structure, enabling engineers to get a clear view of their data, and the corresponding signal waveforms, and from there to the root cause of design errors.”
The Manchester decoder is included as standard with all current PicoScope hardware, from the entry-level 2000 Series to the high-end 6000 Series with 500 MHz bandwidth, 5 GS/s sampling and up to 2GS capture memory. Existing PicoScope users can download the latest version 6.14 free-of-charge from https://www.picotech.com/downloads
Read more about the PicoScope Manchester decoder here: https://www.picotech.com/library/oscilloscopes/manchester-encoded-signals-serial-protocol-decoding
About Pico Technology
Pico Technology has spent over 28 years leading the industry in the design, development and manufacture of high-performance PC Oscilloscopes and Data Loggers, while engineers at our Eastern Europe office have been working in the RF and microwave market since 1974.
Together we have built up an impressive and innovative portfolio of small-footprint, high-performance products and software, often at uniquely low prices. Examples are the PicoScope PC Sampling Oscilloscope range with bandwidths up to 25 GHz; real-time oscilloscopes with fixed and flexible hardware resolutions up to 16 bits, deep buffer memories and mixed-signal capability; the TC‑08 and PT‑104 Temperature Data Loggers; and the multi-award-winning Automotive Oscilloscope Kit.
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