All-in-one, super-portable, multi-protocol Type-C analyzer with voltage tracking, integrated logic analysis, and Alternate Mode support.
Pocket-sized and bus-powered, the Ellisys Type-C Tracker delivers comprehensive support for a multitude of protocols and electrical signaling that operate over the USB Type-C connection standard.
Detailed decoding of packets, transactions, and other communications is provided in a flexible and easy to understand manner over the field-proven and ubiquitous Ellisys software application. The Tracker provides a variety of error detections, precision timing tools, and performance measurement tools. Designed with ease-of-use in mind, the Type-C Tracker is the ideal companion for a wide variety of tasks associated with Type-C product development.
Powerful Ellisys Features
All-in-One: Concurrent and tightly synchronized capture of USB Power Delivery protocol, Type-C voltage tracking (Vconn, Vbus, SBU, and CC), USB 2.0, Thunderbolt™ 3 / USB4 Sideband and DisplayPort™ auxiliary (AUX) signaling over the Type-C SBU lines, alternate (ALT) mode support for DisplayPort, HDMI, and Thunderbolt / USB4, and capture and decoding of Serial Wire Debug (SWD) protocol, UART, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) I2C vendor-specific protocols, and Type-C Port Controller Interface traffic over I2C.
Bus-Powered: Just attach to your computer’s USB port and go, no bricks to carry around.
Super Portability: Pocket-sized at 63.5 x 63.5 x 12 mm (2.5” x 2.5” x 0.47”)
Real-Time Display: Visualize captured traffic in real time with the efficiency of 5th generation Ellisys protocol analysis software.
Precision Timing: Understand timing issues quickly with highly accurate timing characterizations of all captured protocols, electricals, and logic signals.
Professional Software: Use the acclaimed, widely adopted and highly flexible Ellisys multi-protocol analysis software.
Secure Cloud Access: Quickly and easily exchange captures and bookmarks with colleagues using the built-in secure cloud feature.
Detailed Protocol Decoding: All elements from the latest specifications to the fields bits and bytes.
Integrated Logic Analysis: Visualize digital signals such as GPIOs, interrupts, debug ports, etc., concurrently and perfectly synchronized with all other captured traffic.
Free Maintenance: Free lifetime software updates as well as free fully-featured viewer software.
Field Upgradeability: Type-C Tracker analyzers are field upgradeable to allow the addition of features (i.e., to advance from one Edition to another).
Typical Setups
Type-C Communications and Voltages
Products under test (PUTs) are connected to the Type-C receptacles on the front panel of the Tracker, with a Control Computer connected to the Tracker for power and application control. All supported traffic is captured and uploaded real-time to the Control Computer. Gigabit signaling is passed through the analyzer. Conveniently, the Tracker’s capture engine will automatically determine which Type-C Communications Channel (CC) pin is being used for USB Power Delivery communications and which pin is being used for Vconn. Various protocols operating over the Type-C Sideband Use (SBU) lines are also captured, in addition to USB 2.0 traffic. A special cable (not shown) is supplied to manage proper signal routing.
Logic Signals, TCPCI/I2C, and Other Serial Protocols
The Logic connection can be used to capture logic /general purpose IO signals and several protocols, such as I2C, UART, SWD, and SPI. This traffic is displayed in various windows throughout the Tracker software application, including protocol-specific Overviews and the Instant Timing view, for various protocol analyses and precision timing-related characterizations. All Logic Connection traffic and signaling can be captured concurrently and in precise synchronization with all other Logic Connection inputs as well as all captured front-panel Type-C traffic (CC, SBU, and USB 2.0), including voltage states. Logic signals captured can be grouped into user-named buses for added convenience.
Protocol Analysis
Captured protocols and voltages, along with captured logic signals, are presented to the user real-time by the Ellisys application software. An assortment of displays provides an intuitive understanding of traffic, protocol sequences, performance criteria, error conditions, electrical characteristics, timing details, standard/class decoding, protocol decoding, and more.
The physical capture of supported communications is accomplished using latest-generation hardware capture technology to non-intrusively tap and reliably pass through supported protocols while passively passing gigabit traffic.
Integrated Logic Analysis
The integrated logic analysis provides developers with efficient and convenient visualization of external digital signals (such as discrete outputs of FPGA/ ASIC) in synchronization with all other captured traffic. Captured GPIOs can be grouped into buses and given user-defined names for easy identification.
Precision Timing Characterization
All protocol traffic, logic signals, and voltages of Type-C signaling and power lines (CC, Vconn, SBU_A, SBU_B, and Vbus) are tracked using the Instant Timing view. These events are perfectly synchronized with each other and with the Overview windows. Precision timing measurements can be made between any events within the Timing view to precisely characterize timings. Throughput and statistical information is also provided. Events selected in the Overviews are highlighted and aligned to the Instant Timing view.
Voltage State Tracking
Tracking Type-C electrical signaling is crucial to understand state machine behaviors. Timings and voltage levels of the various Type-C signaling and power lines have specific meanings and purposes. When not properly implemented, they can wreak havoc with an implementation. Additionally, it is important to precisely relate these voltage values and states to protocol events for performance characterizations and debug exercises. The Type-C Tracker application provides accurate monitoring of Vbus, Vconn, SBU_A, SBU_B, and CC in the Instant Timing view, associated with any captured logic signals and protocol packets and events.
Alternate Mode Traffic
USB Power Delivery protocol provides a wide array of mechanisms to negotiate power, and can also be used as a sideband channel for standard and vendor-defined messages. Additionally, Power Delivery provides methods to discover, enter, and exit alternative modes, identified by a unique identifier (SVID) and defined by vendors or standards bodies outside of the scope of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). The Type-C Tracker supports capture and decoding of ALT Mode entry, discovery, and exit protocols as well as ALT Mode commands. Additionally, the Tracker supports several ALT Mode protocols that are conveyed over the Type-C sideband lines (SBU_A and SBU_B), including DisplayPort Auxiliary (AUX) traffic and UART for Thunderbolt 3 / USB4.
Type-C Port Controller and I2C
Located between a Type-C Port Manager (TCPM) and a Type-C Port Controller (TCPC), the Type-C Port Controller Interface (TCPCI) is a standardized connection between I2C devices. The Type-C Tracker captures and decodes TCPCI traffic over the Logic GPIO connection, and can be configured to capture other vendor-specific I2C protocols (multiple such protocols, concurrently).
UART, SPI, and SWD Protocols
The Type-C Tracker supports capture of UART, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), and Serial Wire Debug (SWD) protocols over its logic connection interface. Traffic captured is displayed in tight synchronization with all other traffic captured by the analyzer. Detailed decoding is provided and each protocol is displayed chronologically in dedicated Overview windows.
Overview
Detailed decoding of packets, transactions, and other communications is provided in a flexible and easy to understand manner over the field-proven and ubiquitous Ellisys software application.
Click the image to expand it
Protocol-Specific Overviews
The Overviews are the main display window, and each protocol is provided an its own Overview. Packets, transactions, transfers, and other events are displayed chronologically from top to bottom in a very flexible format. These windows are highly configurable with columns and content that are fully controlled by the user. Instant Filters are provided for standard or user-added columns to create an efficient work environment by reduce the need to search or scroll through unneeded information.
Overviews can be stacked, placed side by side, or hidden as needed to create ideal working conditions and enhance visual understandings of Type-C traffic of various types. Smart approaches to the display of packets and transactional groupings are provided and are designed to meet the needs of a wide variety of high- and low-level debug and validation tasks.
Click the image to expand it
Precision Timing Analysis
The Instant Timing view is another Ellisys innovation, popular with our users across all our product platforms. All packets and other protocol events captured by the Tracker are presented in this view with tight precision and with precise synchronization to other views, to other protocols or logic signals, and to USB Power Delivery and Type-C voltage states. A variety of manual timing cursors and fly-over indications are provided.
External logic signals can be captured over the Logic / GPIO connection and displayed in discrete formats and in grouped bus formats, in synchronization with all other events captured. Bus throughput information is also provided to assist with characterizations of data transfer issues.
Click the image to expand it
Detailed Decoding
Protocol traffic captured by the Tracker is smartly decoded to a progression of levels, from fields to bytes, to raw data. Overview selections are displayed in the Details view, broken down by fields and values defined by the pertinent specification. Selections in the Details view are highlighted in the Raw Data view, which provides options for binary, ASCII, hex and octal views. A variety of export formats are provided for each of these displays. Fields in the Details view can be inserted into the corresponding Overview to define a precise working environment for the task at hand.
Click the image to expand it
Multi-Protocol Support
Having one tool to manage several protocols and electrical states over USB Type-C is economical and provides the user with time-saving approaches to debug and validation exercises. The protocols supported by the Tracker can be captured concurrently and visualized in real time with precise timings. The flexibility of the Ellisys software suite allows the user an unlimited number of options to present information, based on the requirements of the task at hand.
Click the image to expand it
