TLF3000 RF PHY tester is a wideband, ultra-high dynamic range 2.4 GHz software-defined receiver, signal analyzer and signal generator. It captures and analyses the entire 2402-2480 MHz band simultaneously providing RF PHY testing, signal generation, signal analysis in one powerful package.
The TLF3000 is a highly portable and flexible test platform that due to unique parallel architecture can execute testing much faster than traditional RF test systems.
The TLF3000 Bluetooth LE Tester is available in two configurations for Developer and Production line test environments.
Developer Configuration
The Bluetooth LE developer configuration is specifically designed for use in a development lab environment for regression and pre-compliance testing.
PHY Tester mode provides access to embedded test scripts to execute all* of the PHY test cases specified in Bluetooth Test Specification without the need for additional test equipment. The test scripts are set to the requirements of the specification by default for pre-compliance testing. Individual test case parameters can be altered to test above and beyond the specification.
*Separate license is required for the AoA/AoD test scripts
Signal generator mode permits manual control over all the signal sources used in the Bluetooth RF PHY Test Specification. Any combination of the following signals can be generated simultaneously:
- Packetized LE test signal, including a CTE
- GFSK modulated interferer signal which may be either continuous or packetized
- Up to two in-band CW signals
- In-band AWGN (2395MHz to 2485MHz)
- Out-of-band CW signal*
All signal sources are fully parameterized
*CW Blocking limited to 6GHz
Signal analyzer mode performs transmitter tests on conducted or off-air signals monitoring all 40 LE channel simultaneously. Any packets which match a specified access address are captured and analyzed in accordance with the Bluetooth RF PHY Test Specification.
Example of test speed - the in-band emissions test, which can be completed in 2.5ms.
If the captured packet is not a standard test packet, then an ‘off-air’ mode can be selected which performs accurate approximations to the standard Bluetooth RF test specification, but which is agnostic to the packet payload. This permits RF testing to be performed on live links. Whilst in signal analyzer mode, a single DUT can be controlled over a serial interface. This permits the user to control the transmissions from the DUT, including constant tone extensions, when supported.
Advertise/Scan mode permits RF testing of devices when there is no access to either HCI or DTM. In this mode of operation, the DUT is provoked by issuing advertising or scan request packets. The sensitivity of the DUT can be deduced from the signal level required to provoke a response, whilst the transmitter quality is ascertained by analyzing the packets sent by the DUT.
Production Configuration
The Production configuration provides a limited GUI allowing the user to preselect relevant test cases which, when saved as a script, can then be run remotely in a production line test environment. The TLF3000 has a native language to control test case functionality and an API that can be driven via Python or C++ scripts.
Production license is specifically designed for use in the Production line environment and is not suitable for hands-on lab use. Signal Generator and Signal Analyzer functionality is not accessible via GUI with the Production license.