Ellisys Innovations

Ellisys USB Explorer 260: Industry's First Multifunction Protocol Analyzer and Packet Generator with Automated Compliance Testing; with the power for 5 Gbps USB 3.0 Super-Speed testing
Introduced November 2007

This new Ellisys product has industry-leading capabilities and is able to:

• analyze any USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 link, including OTG and IC-USB;
• emulate USB hosts and devices;
• inject pre-defined error patterns for stress and error recovery testing; and,
• verify the compliance to the USB specification.

The Ellisys USB Explorer 260 is available in three configurations. Each flexible hardware unit is capable of acting either as a protocol analyzer or packet generator depending on the configuration.

The USB Explorer 260 is based on the company's new industry-leading hardware platform with 1 GB of memory and a high-performance specialized processor created by Ellisys. Designed with USB 3.0 in mind, the powerful USB Explorer 260 hardware can process the full 5 Gbps throughput of the new Super-Speed mode planned for the USB 3.0 specification.

Ellisys WiMedia Explorer 300 Generator: The Industry's First Over-the-Air WiMedia Frame Generator
Introduced June 2006

Following the rapid acceptance of the WiMedia Explorer 300 Analyzer, Ellisys started working on a method of generating test traffic. In June 2006, the company introduced the industry's first frame generator for WiMedia Ultrawideband and Certified Wireless USB protocols. The WiMedia Explorer 300 Generator helps verify product and component reliability by generating reproducible traffic, timing and error scenarios. A complete traffic generation and analysis solution, Ellisys test equipment is used to assist with WiMedia Common Radio Platform Certification.

Using a specialized processor, the WiMedia Explorer 300 Generator creates sequences of frames with programmable inter-frame delay and waits for a response frame or event. You can emulate Wireless USB hosts and devices as well as WiMedia equipment. Reproduce previously-recorded scenarios, or modify them for testing corner cases and recovery mechanisms – the Ellisys Ultrawideband Script Edition Software helps you create, edit and debug scripts.

Ellisys InstantTiming: A Revolutionary Way of Displaying Timing Information
Introduced June 2006

Dedicated to making R&D faster and easier, Ellisys had previously introduced several time-saving features called Instant functions in the company's analysis software. Since the Wireless USB protocol includes a complex new timing scheme so that battery-operated devices could conserve power by shutting off radio circuitry when not needed, Ellisys understood that developers would need some method of viewing packet timing and automatically have timing errors detected.

The new InstantTiming™ graphical representation of WiMedia frame timing enabled users to see traffic sequences, timing allocations and violations at a glance as well as quickly perform timing measurements with pan and zoom controls. Customers say that the feature saves them hours of work and ensures that no important information is missed.

Introduced in June 2006, the new InstantTiming™ view was supplied free of charge to existing customers as a software update.

Ellisys WiMedia Explorer 300 Analyzer: The Industry's First Over-the-Air WiMedia Protocol Analyzer
Introduced September 2005

Ellisys recognized that developers needed a wireless protocol analysis tool that could capture traffic over the air – not just MPI (MAC/PHY Interface) traffic captured from boards via test leads – in order to create and properly validate products based on new emerging wireless PAN technologies.

Introduced in the fall of 2005, the WiMedia Explorer 300 Analyzer was the industry's first protocol analyzer to support WiMedia™ ultra wideband (UWB) and the USB Implementers Forum's Certified Wireless USB standards by recording traffic exchanged over the air between devices through its external antenna. This is the preferred way to assess a device's true wireless behavior, and after seeing the WiMedia Explorer 300 Analyzer in action, developers quickly realized that an over-the-air protocol analyzer is an absolute must for WiMedia and Wireless USB development.

Ellisys USB Explorer 200 Professional Edition: In-the-blink-of-an-eye Class Decoding
Introduced January 2005

Ellisys continued to develop additional features for the new USB Explorer 200 analyzer, frequently in response to customer suggestions. Although the Professional Edition is often perceived simply as a cost-effective bundle of an analyzer with all the options, the USB Explorer 200 Professional also added a Hardware Trigger. The trigger can launch various actions when external events occur or when a specific sequence of events is detected.

Included in the bundle is Ellisys' comprehensive USB Classes Decodes, which uses USB Bus Emulation for automatic class detection. Class packets are decoded and verified with an unequalled degree of accuracy, and displayed using views designed for each specific class for “in the blink of an eye" debugging. Ellisys supports the entire range of USB classes, including Audio, Mass Storage, Communication, Human Interface Device, Still Image, Printer, Bluetooth HCI, Video, Device Firmware Upgrade and Hub.

The Data Export option and Software Development Kit (SDK) are also included in the Professional Edition to meet the requirements of even the most demanding developer.

Ellisys USB Explorer 200: Industry's First Low-Priced Professional-Grade USB 2.0 Protocol Analyzer
Introduced April 2004

Building on the success of the USB Tracker 110, Ellisys next developed a professional-grade protocol analyzer capable of working at USB 2.0's 480 Mbit/s high-speed. Targeting peripheral designers, the USB Explorer 200 offered the unique combination of a powerful hardware platform able to work at USB 2.0's much faster line speed, the unrivalled user-friendliness of Ellisys' powerful PC analysis software, and a very attractive price.

Considered an essential tool for developing USB peripherals, testing embedded systems or drivers, the Ellisys USB analyzer quickly proved itself capable of helping developers significantly reduce development costs as well as the amount of time it took to put a new peripheral on the market. Users also found that the USB Explorer 200 helped them improve the compatibility of peripherals, thereby reducing future technical support costs. Ellisys offered an upgrade program for existing USB Tracker 100 customers, setting into motion the company's principle of leaving no customer behind.

Ellisys USB Analysis Software Development Kit: Accommodate almost any test situation with your own custom software
Introduced August 2003

Almost all of our customers use our USB analysis software but some applications may require highly-specialized analysis. The Ellisys SDK collects analyzed information from an Ellisys analyzer and makes it available for real-time processing. Available as native libraries for use with C++, the SDK is very easy to use and enables the rapid development of powerful software for automated testing of USB peripherals. Customers typically use the SDK with their own software to handle their unique individual requirements, such as:

• Verifying the data integrity of a device under test;
• Displaying specific payload data delivered by USB in real-time;
• Tabulating the error rate of a device under test;
• Measuring the response time of a device, especially useful when connected over a loaded bus;
• Triggering or trigger processing during a specific event on the bus; or,
• Decoding proprietary protocols.

Ellisys Visual USB: A New Approach to USB Analysis Software
Introduced December 2002

The release of the USB Tracker 110 marked the debut of Visual USB, the Ellisys analysis software. The company's goal for Visual USB was to make USB protocol analysis as fast and easy for developers as possible. This required a new approach, and Ellisys introduced many new concepts including:

• Capturing and transmitting data in real-time, instead of filling a hardware memory and then wait until it is downloaded;
• Offering user-selected panes so users could customize their displays to see what they need all at once;
• Avoiding “screen clutter” by automatically hiding less-frequently used fields that can be revealed with a click;
• Using a raw-data pane to display highlighted bytes of fields selected in other windows;
• Grouping consecutive elements;
• Coloring packets according to specific criteria;
• Providing easy-to-use InstantFilters™ that can quickly narrow down large captures to just the traffic of interest;
• Allowing developers to insert live user comments.

Ellisys USB Tracker 110: Industry's First Inexpensive USB Protocol Analyzer
Introduced December 2002

Ellisys' first product, the USB Tracker 110 was two years in development and challenged many of the usual assumptions of Test and Measurement vendors. As a very cost-effective analyzer, the USB Tracker 110 included easy-to-use analysis software for Microsoft Windows that helped shorten a software developer's learning curve. This in turn helped manufacturers introduce new products incorporating USB interfaces.

The USB Tracker 110 transferred all data from the USB link under test to a PC in real time. Ellisys analysis software decoded the data and displayed a clear interpretation; relevant information was instantly made available while rarely-used fields were hidden but easily revealed. Users were able to view the protocol in detail through several levels of abstraction.

Small, portable, and self-powered, the USB Tracker 110 also freed up engineers to work offsite. Engineers only needed to plug the analyzer into a laptop PC. And the analyzer's low-cost eliminated the need for engineers to share test equipment.

The USB Tracker 110 quickly gained popularity due to its combination of functionality and value. Today the USB Tracker 110 is still sold and offered at attractive academic pricing.