The Data Center Software is one of Total Phase’s most well-known test and measurement tools. With its ability to display detailed, real-time data as it takes place on the bus, it is a must-have tool for debugging embedded systems. In the Data Center Software series, we dive into specific features that make the Data Center Software so valuable, including understanding the Block View Window, the Capture Control Window, the USB Configuration Management feature, and learning more about the Bus Pane. In this post specifically, we will be dissecting the Details Window and learning more about all that it has to offer.
About the Details Window
Our line of Beagle analyzers can be interfaced using the Data Center Software which allow users to non-intrusively monitor I2C, SPI, and USB data in true, real time. Once a data trace begins, the Details Window becomes available to users.
Data and Timing tabs in the Details Window in the Data Center Software.The Detail Window provides lower-level detailed information about a specific data transaction. Within the Details Window there are two types of panes available: the Data pane and the Timing pane, which will be discussed in more detail below.
Using the Details Window
Now let's discuss how to use the Details Window in the Data Center Software.
Enabling the Details Window
To enable the Details Window within software, users can click on the "Details" icon at the top of the software, as shown below.
Enabling the "Details Window" in the Data Center Software.Data Pane in the Details Window
Once the Details Window is enabled, users will see the the Data pane populate with data as specific transactions are clicked in the Transaction Window. The data displayed in the image below is configuration data from a USB thumb drive. Here, the data selected in the Transaction Window (highlighted in blue) corresponds with the data displayed in the Details Window below.
Data in the Details pane corresponding to data selected in the transaction window.The raw data is displayed in hexadecimal and ASCII formats and allows users to examine the raw bytes of a transaction, regardless of the protocol specific structure of the data. Right-clicking in the Details Window will bring up a context menu that allows the user to configure the view by adding additional panes and adjusting each pane's size, grouping, and radix.
Context Menu
The context menu allows users to change how data is displayed in the Data pane. Data is shown in byte size hexadecimal and ASCII formats by default. Sometimes it is beneficial to change the viewing parameters of the Data pane to fit specific viewing needs. The context menu allows users to do just that.
Context menu options.Address Radix
The first customizable option is the Address Radix. The Address Radix option allows users to change between decimal and hexadecimal data viewing formats. These viewing options can be changed at any time without losing the user's data.
Address Radix option in the details window.Columns
The "Columns" tab allows users to change the number of bytes displayed in each data column in the Details pane. Depending on your application, viewing data in different byte sizes could be helpful.
Columns option in the details window.Pane Radix
The "Pane Radix" allows users to select from various data viewing options, including binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal, ASCII, and 8b/10b views.
Pane Radix option in the details window.Pane Grouping
Changing the pane grouping allows users to view the data in different size groupings. The default grouping method is byte size or 8-bit sequences, but users can change the groupings to include 16, 32, and 64 bits.
Pane Grouping option in the details window.Other Options
Users can also add or remove data panes, zoom in and out, copy and or paste data using the "edit" button, and restore all options to the default mode.
Right click option in the details window.Timing Pane in the Details Window
The Timing pane of the Details Window provides bit-level timing for the data of I2C and SPI transactions and is only available for these protocols. Each byte of the transaction appears as a row in this pane. All the bytes from the transaction will be displayed in this pane, including start and stop conditions.
The first line of the table displays the transaction timestamp and the transaction duration, both to nanosecond precision.
Each row contains the following information:
Timing pane in the details pane. Offset
The offset row is the offset position of the selected data byte.
Time
The time column shows, in nanoseconds, the time from the start of the transaction to the beginning of the byte.
Value
The value column shows the hexadecimal value of the byte.
Timing
The timing column includes a graphic display of each individual bit of a byte. Each bit is displayed as being either high or low with the time in nanoseconds from the start of the current bit to the beginning of the next bit.
The lengths of the timing blocks in the graph are not drawn to scale and are intended merely to provide a hint to the relative time scale of one-bit time to the next.
Conclusion
The Details Window within the Data Center Software provides lower-level detailed information about a specific transaction and enables users to see their data in a quick and easy-to-understand format. At Total Phase, we try to make the debug process as fast and straightforward as possible, and the Details Window is just one of many features that makes our tools so easy to use. For more information about the Data Center Software, check out the Data Center Software User Manual.
If you have any additional questions on this feature and how it can benefit your own debugging requirements, please email us at sales@totalphase.com.