Oscilloscope software automates automotive ASA-ML serial link tests

QPHY2-ASA software from Teledyne LeCroy lets you perform physical-layer tests on ASA-ML v1.1 devices.

SerDes devices transfer data from sensors and cameras to an in-vehicle processing unit, which then sends instructions to the motion systems that drive autonomous vehicles. Teledyne LeCroy has released the QPHY2-ASA oscilloscope software, which automates testing of the Automotive Serdes Alliance (ASA) Motion Link (ML) v1.1 specification. ASA-ML is one of several automotive serializer/deserializer (SerDes) in-vehicle network standards. Several competing automotive SerDes standards are vying for the top spot in high-speed automotive data buses. They include ASA’s ML, MIPI’s A-PHY, and Analog Devices/OpenGMSL’s Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link (GMSLTM).

The QPHY2-ASA compliance test software for ASA Motion Link v1.1 derives from Teledyne LeCroy’s extensive and early ASA ML standards committee and plugfest involvement. The compliance test software anticipates testing requirements based on what ASA member companies are in the process of finalizing and is available early now that ASA ML v1.1 chips are available. The software provides the following test cases:

Transmitter Linearity
Transmitter Droop
Transmitter Power Spectral Density & Power Level
Transmitter Clock Stability
Transmitter Disabled
Transmitter Clock Precision
Transmitter Peak Output
MDI Return Loss

The QPHY2-ASA software runs on Teledyne LeCroy’s WaveMaster 8000HD series, which delivers up to 65 GHz of bandwidth with 12-bit resolution. This oscilloscope bandwidth is more than enough for current automotive SerDes baud rates and provides capabilities to test future, faster baud rates as ASA ML standards evolve. The WaveMaster 8000HD’s 12-bit resolution lets you characterize and measure pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) multi-level signaling that ASA ML uses. The software also runs on the company’s WaveRunner 9000, WavePro HD, and WaveMaster 10 Zi-A oscilloscopes.

You may have heard that in May 2024, ASA released ASA-MLE v2.0, which adds Ethernet physical layer to the SerDes standard. Currently, ASA-ML v1.1 chips are in production, Teledyne LeCroy Product Manager Thomas Stueber told EE World. The chips now available for ASA Motion Link are based on the 1.1 specification. ASA-MLE v2.0 chips are still in development