Calibrator Tool¶
Overview¶
The CC33xx Network Terminal Example provides the calibrator tool to configure the CC33xx device for various transmit and receive operations enabling measurement of RF performance of the device-under-test. The calibrator tool also provides an easy way to select the desired channel and power level. This enables the RF verification both in the lab and at certification test houses to perform the regulatory conformance tests and measure spectrum mask. The Calibrator tool can also be used for production line testing.
Prerequisites¶
To run the calibrator tool you must build and flash the Network Terminal Example. Please reference the
Getting Started Guide and The Network Terminal Application to get up and running.
Commands¶
power_mode¶
Before running any of the commands, the device and the driver needs to be configured in Production Line Test (PLT) mode. Use the following commands to configure the device to PLT mode:
calibrator power_mode on
To exit PLT Mode use the below command:
calibrator power_mode off
tune_channel¶
The purpose of the tune_channel command is to configure the CC33xx device to operate in a specific Wi-Fi
band and channel. The tune_channel command can be called using the following format:
calibrator tune_channel <CHAN> <BAND> <BANDWIDTH>
Where each argument is defined as the following:
| Parameter | Option | Description |
| CHAN | 1 - 14 | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Channels |
| 34 - 180 | 5 GHz Wi-Fi Channels | |
| BAND | 0 | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Band |
| 1 | 5 GHz Wi-Fi Band | |
| BANDWIDTH | 0 | Bandwidth Allocation |
Note
Channel tune must be executed before any other calibrator activities. There is are no default channel tune parameters, thus they must be set before executing anything else.
Example
The following tune_channel command configures the chip to operate in the 2.4 GHz band on channel 6:
calibrator tune_channel 6 0 0
start_rx¶
The start_rx command triggers the device to gather RX statistics
calibrator start_rx [-source_mac <address>] [-ack_enable <enable>] [-aid <aid>] [-rate <rate>] [-preamble_type <type>]
| Parameter | Option |
| source_mac | FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF |
| ack_enable | 0 (Disabled) |
| 1 (Enabled) | |
| aid | Specify requested AID for PHY configuration |
| rate | 1 - 1Mb/s |
| 2 - 2Mb/s | |
| 3 - 5.5Mb/s | |
| 4 - 11Mb/s | |
| 5 - 6Mb/s | |
| 6 - 9Mb/s | |
| 7 - 12Mb/s | |
| 8 - 18Mb/s | |
| 9 - 24Mb/s | |
| 10 - 36Mb/s | |
| 11 - 48Mb/s | |
| 12 - 54Mb/s | |
| 13 - MCS0 (6.5Mb/s) | |
| 14 - MCS1 (13Mb/s) | |
| 15 - MCS2 (19.5.5Mb/s) | |
| 16 - MCS3 (26Mb/s) | |
| 17 - MCS4 (39Mb/s) | |
| 18 - MCS5 (52Mb/s) | |
| 19 - MCS6 (58.5Mb/s) | |
| 20 - MCS7 (65Mb/s) | |
| preamble_type | 0 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_SHORT |
| 1 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_LONG | |
| 2 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_OFDM | |
| 3 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_N_MIXED_MODE | |
| 4 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_GREENFIELD | |
| 5 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_AX_SU | |
| 6 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_AX_MU | |
| 7 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_AX_SU_ER | |
| 8 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_AX_TB | |
| 9 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_AX_TB_NDP_FB | |
| 10 - PREAMBLE_TYPE_AC_VHT |
get_rx_stats¶
The get_rx_stats command will retrieve the RX statistics when rx has been turned on.
calibrator get_rx_stats
set_tx¶
The set_tx command can control the entire TX datapath and front-end on the CC33xx device. This command is
able to set preamble types, phy datarates, output power, control the number of data packets to transmit and the
data value within the packets, and many other functions.
Default TX settings are described in Table 5 and can be enabled with the command:
calibrator set_tx -default 0
The full command format is provided below. Please note that it is not necessary
to include every argument in the set_tx command.
calibrator wlan0 cc33xx_plt set_tx -preamble_type <PREAMBLE_TYPE> -phy_rate <PHY_RATE> -tx_power <TX_POWER> -gi_ltf_type <GI_LTF_TYPE> -dcm <DCM> -length <LENGTH> -delay <DELAY> -pkt_mode <PACKET_MODE> -num_pkts <NUM_PACKETS> -data_mode <DATA_MODE> -data_const_val <DATA_VALUE> -cca <CCA> -bss_color <BSS_COLOR> -src_addr <SRC_ADDR> -dst_addr <DST_ADDR> -nominal_pkt_ext <PKT_EXT> -feed_status <FEED_STATUS> -aid <AID> -group_id <G_ID>
The arguments are defined in the table below:
| Parameter | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| preamble_type | 0 | 11b short preamble |
| 1 | 11b long preamble | |
| 2 | 11a/g legacy OFDM | |
| 3 | 11n mixed mode | |
| 4 | 11n GF (not supported) | |
| 5 | 11ax SU | |
| 6 | 11ax MU (not supported) | |
| 7 | 11ax SU ER | |
| 8 | 11ax TB | |
| 9 | 11ax TB NDP FB | |
| 10 | 11ac VHT (5 GHz Only) | |
| phy_rate | 1 | 1 Mbps |
| 2 | 2 Mbps | |
| 3 | 5.5 Mbps | |
| 4 | 11 Mbps | |
| 5 | 6 Mbps | |
| 6 | 9 Mbps | |
| 7 | 12 Mbps | |
| 8 | 18 Mbps | |
| 9 | 24 Mbps | |
| 10 | 36 Mbps | |
| 11 | 48 Mbps | |
| 12 | 54 Mbps | |
| 13 | MCS0 | |
| 14 | MCS1 | |
| 15 | MCS2 | |
| 16 | MCS3 | |
| 17 | MCS4 | |
| 18 | MCS5 | |
| 19 | MCS6 | |
| 20 | MCS7 | |
| tx_power | 0-30 | Integer value with a range of -10 dBm to 20 dBm with 1 dB steps |
| gi_ltf_type | 0 | 1xLTF + 1.6 µs GI |
| 1 | 2xLTF + 1.6 µs GI | |
| 2 | 4xLTF + 3.2 µs GI | |
| 3 | 2xLTF + 0.8 µs GI | |
| 4 | 1xLTF + 0.8 µs GI | |
| 5 | 4xLTF + 0.8µs GI | |
| dcm | 0 | Disable DCM |
| 1 | Enable DCM | |
| length range <start_length> <end_length> | 100-3500 | Number of data bytes excluding MAC 802.11 header. “Range” string in LENGTH requires arguments of <start_length> and <end_length>. This is only supported in Continuous Mode or PACKET_MODE <0>. -length range 0 100 |
| length const packet <length> | Non MCS rate: 0 - 3500 MCS rate: 0 - 16000 | Number of data bytes excluding MAC 802.11 header. The “const packet” string in LENGTH requires argument of <length> -length const packet 2000 |
| delay | 50 - 1000000 | Delay between packets (µs) |
| pkt_mode | 0 | Continuous mode - transmits packets continuously until TX_STOP command is sent |
| 1 | Transmits a single packet | |
| 2 | <NUM_PKTS> is required if using this packet mode Transmits <NUM_PKTS> packets | |
| num_pkts | 1 - 10000 | Used when <PKT_MODE> = 2 Specifies number of packets to send |
| data_mode | 0 | <DATA_VAL> is required if using this data mode Constant value |
| 1 | Increment value | |
| 2 | Random value | |
| data_const_val | 0 - 255 | Required if <DATA_MODE> is 0 Data value used in all packets |
| cca | 0 | Disable CCA |
| 1 | Enable CCA | |
| bss_color | 0 - 63 | This field is relevant for HE_SU and HE_SU_ER |
| src_addr | xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx | Source MAC Address |
| dest_addr | xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx | Destination MAC Address |
| nominal_pkt_ext | 0 | 0 µs |
| 1 | 8 µs | |
| 2 | 16 µs | |
| feed_status | 0 / 1 | Indicates the value of the one bit used to modulate the tones in each tone set. This field is relevant for HE TB NDP FB transmissions only. |
| aid | 0 - 16383 | AID of station can be up to 16383 (14 bits) |
Set_TX Default Parameters¶
| Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PREAMBLE_TYPE | 2 | 11a/g legacy OFDM |
| PHY_RATE | 5 | 6 Mbps |
| TX_POWER | 0 | -10 dBm |
| GI_LTF_TYPE | 2 | 4xLTF + 3.2 µs GI |
| DCM | 0 | Disable DCM |
| LENGTH | 100 | 100 data bytes |
| DELAY | 3000 | 3000 µs delay between packets |
| PACKET_MODE | 0 | Continuous mode |
| NUM_PACKETS | 300 | N/A when PACKET_MODE = 0 (Continuous Mode) |
| DATA_MODE | 2 | Random Value |
| DATA_VALUE | 0x55 | N/A when DATA_MODE = 2 (Random Value) |
| CCA | 1 | Enable CCA |
| BSS_COLOR | 13 | |
| SRC_ADDR | 0x665544332222 | |
| DEST_ADDR | 0x060504030202 | |
| PACKET_EXT | 1 | 8 µs |
| FEED_STATUS | 0 | |
| AID | 11 |
get_tx_params¶
The get_tx_params command will retrieve the TX params for PLT.
calibrator get_tx_params
set_tb_tx¶
The set_tb_tx command is used to set the trigger based transmission parameters in the CC33xx device.
The set_tb_tx command is formatted as such:
calibrator set_tb_tx -he_ltf_num <NUM_HE_LTF> -pre_fec_padding_factor <PRE_FACTOR> -ru_alloc <RU_ALLOC> -ul_bw <UL_BW> -tb_auto <TB_AUTO>
The arguments are defined below:
| Parameter | Option | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NUM_HE_LTF | 0 | 1 HE LTF |
| 1 | 2 HE LTF | |
| 2 | 4 HE LTF | |
| 3 | 6 HE LTF | |
| 4 | 8 HE LTF | |
| RU_ALLOC | 0 - 60 | Resource Unit Allocation |
| UL_BW | 0 | 20 MHz |
| 1 | 40 MHz | |
| 2 | 80 MHz | |
| TB_AUTO | 0 | Disabled |
| 1 | Enabled |
beacon_rssi¶
The beacon_rssi command displays the RSSI of the last beacon received. The command will be formatted as such:
calibrator beacon_rssi
gi_ltf¶
The gi_ltf command sets the gi_ltf (gaurd interval and long training field) value
calibrator gi_ltf <Value>
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1xLTF + 1.6 µs GI |
| 1 | 2xLTF + 1.6 µs GI |
| 2 | 4xLTF + 3.2 µs GI |
| 3 | 2xLTF + 0.8 µs GI |
| 4 | 1xLTF + 0.8 µs GI |
| 5 | 4xLTF + 0.8µs GI |
psm¶
The psm command is used to configure the powersave mode. The format and parameters are provided below:
calibrator psm <INDEX> <VALUE>
| Parameter | Option | Description | Parameter | Option | Description |
| INDEX | 0 | ACTIVE_MODE_RX_TH | VALUE | 0 - 255 | RX Threshold value |
| 1 | ACTIVE_MODE_TX_TH | 0 - 255 | TX Threshold value | ||
| 2 | ACTIVE_MODE_RX_TO | RX Timeout Value (microseconds) | |||
| 3 | ACTIVE_MODE_TX_TO | TX Timeout Value (microseconds) | |||
| 4 | FORCE_POWER_MODE | 0, 1, 2 | 0 - No Force 1 - Force Active 2 - Force Power Save |
Note that the index and value on the same row should be used in conjuction. For example if using ACTIVE_MODE_RX_TH then a RX Threshold value must be selected. An example of how this command would be formatted is below:
calibrator psm 0 200
tx_start_tone¶
The purpose of the tx_start_tone command is to create and transmit a carrier wave that can be modulated
with a fixed tone.
The tx_start_tone command is formatted as such:
calibrator tx_start_tone <MODE> <OFFSET>
| Parameter | Option | Description |
| MODE | 2 | Single tone: TX chain is on and a sinusoidal signal is outputted |
| OFFSET | -40 - 40 | Integer value with range of -10 MHz to +10 MHz with steps of 0.25 MHz |
set_manual_calib¶
The set_manual_calib command triggers the calibration process to optimize PHY performance and should be run after the tune_channel command. This should be rerun any time the tune_channel command
is rerun and prior to running the commands that set parameters.
calibrator set_manual_calib -tx <TX> -rx <RX>
| Parameter | Option | Description |
| TX | 0 | Don’t Trigger TX Calibration |
| 1 | Trigger TX Calibration | |
| RX | 0 | Don’t Trigger RX Calibration |
| 1 | Trigger RX Calibration |
set_io_conf¶
The set_io_conf command allows for configuration of the I/O pins on the cc33xx device.
There are 18 pins, listed below, that can be configured as either input or output.
If a pin is to be configured as output, then the pin state can also be configured as high or low.
calibrator set_io_conf <IO_ID> <DIR> <STATE>
| Parameter | Option | Description |
| IO_ID | 0 | SLW_CLK_IN |
| 1 | SDIO_CLK | |
| 2 | SDIO_CMD | |
| 3 | SDIO_D0 | |
| 4 | SDIO_D1 | |
| 5 | SDIO_D2 | |
| 6 | SDIO_D3 | |
| 7 | HOST_IRQ_WL | |
| 8 | UART1_TX | |
| 9 | UART1_RX | |
| 10 | UART1_CTS | |
| 11 | UART1_RTS | |
| 12 | COEX_PRIO | |
| 13 | COEX_REQ | |
| 14 | COEX_GRANT | |
| 15 | HOST_IRQ_BLE | |
| 16 | FAST_CLK_REQ | |
| 17 | ANT_SEL | |
| DIR | 0 | Input |
| 1 | Output | |
| STATE | 0 | High |
| 1 | Low |
get_io_conf¶
The get_io_conf command allows for printing the configuration of the I/O pins on the cc33xx device.
calibrator get_io_conf <IO_ID>
| Parameter | Option | Description |
| IO_ID | 0 | SLW_CLK_IN |
| 1 | SDIO_CLK | |
| 2 | SDIO_CMD | |
| 3 | SDIO_D0 | |
| 4 | SDIO_D1 | |
| 5 | SDIO_D2 | |
| 6 | SDIO_D3 | |
| 7 | HOST_IRQ_WL | |
| 8 | UART1_TX | |
| 9 | UART1_RX | |
| 10 | UART1_CTS | |
| 11 | UART1_RTS | |
| 12 | COEX_PRIO | |
| 13 | COEX_REQ | |
| 14 | COEX_GRANT | |
| 15 | HOST_IRQ_BLE | |
| 16 | FAST_CLK_REQ | |
| 17 | ANT_SEL |
ble_plt¶
The ble_plt command turns off timed calibration and enables the device to run required ble rf
testing commands
calibrator ble_plt
Power Save Mode in Calibrator¶
Based on IEEE802.11 standards a station (STA) can communicate two different power save modes to an AP that it is connected to:
- Active Mode - In this power mode the STA remains awake and the AP is able to send traffic to it at any time.
- Power Save Mode - In this power mode the STA changes between going to sleep and being awake without notifying the AP. As such the AP cannot send traffic to the STA without utilizing a power save deliver protocol that use a variety of elements such as delivery traffic indication messages (DTIM) and Power Save Polling (PS-Poll) packets.
When there is a heavy amount of traffic it is more efficient for the STA to remain active as power save mode can introduce latency in that case. However, during low traffic periods it is can be advantageous for the STA to be in power save mode to conserve as much power as possible by returning to sleep at the earliest opportunity.
By default, the CC33xx switches between these modes dynamically based on the following parameters:
- RX TIMEOUT - Time since last rx packet
- TX TIMEOUT - Time since last tx packet
- RX THRESHOLD - Number of rx packets
- TX THRESHOLD - Number of tx packets
For example if the CC33xx is in active mode, then if the TX or RX TIMEOUT threshold is reached the device will transition to power save mode. Likewise, if the CC33xx is in power save mode, then after sending a TX THRESHOLD number of packets or receiving an RX THRESHOLD number of packets it will transition to active mode.
Default Values¶
If the device is in active mode then it will use the below RX and TX TIMEOUT by default as the threshold to decide when it will switch to power save mode.
- RX TIMEOUT - 40000 microseconds
- TX TIMEOUT - 5000 microseconds
If the device is in power save mode then it will use the below RX and TX THRESHOLDS by default as the threshold to decide when enough packets have received or transmitted that it is more efficient to be in active mode.
- RX THRESHOLD - 4 packets
- TX THRESHOLD - 2 packets