Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Yokogawa) and Yokogawa Digital Computer Corporation (Yokogawa Digital Computer) have jointly developed the AX200, a protocol analyzer that is intended specifically for use with memory cards based on the Secure Digital (SD) format.  With this analyzer, developers can efficiently evaluate and verify both the hardware and software of devices that are compatible with SD memory cards.  The analyzer will be available from February 12, 2004.

This is the second of a series of protocol analyzers to be developed by Yokogawa, the first being the AX100 Memory Stick protocol analyzer that was released in December 2002.

With the AX200, users can display the results of an analysis of the communication protocols exchanged between an SD memory card and an SD compatible device. These results can be displayed in an easy-to-understand format on a personal computer, making it dramatically easier to develop SD card compatible devices.

Background

SD memory cards are very small and are based on a standard that was first put forward by the SD Association, an industry-wide group that was founded by Matsushita Electric, Toshiba, and SanDisk.  This type of memory card can read and store large volumes of digital data at high speeds, and it is the most widely used memory card format in the world today.

When developing an SD card compatible device, developers must analyze and evaluate its protocols in order to determine whether it can communicate normally with the memory card.  Traditionally, a general-purpose logic analyzer has been used for this purpose, observing digital signal patterns consisting of 0s and 1s.  With this method, it can take an extensive amount of time to isolate potential problems.  With the dedicated protocol analyzer, developers can promptly identify potential problems by specifying particular signal patterns or error conditions.

Yokogawa has experience in developing various types of protocol analyzers and Yokogawa Digital Computer is Japan’s foremost provider of in-circuit emulators and microcomputer software development tools. This first-ever development of an advanced protocol analyzer for the SD format was a joint effort that brought together the specialized technologies of these two companies.

Product Features

1.  A world first
The AX200 is the world’s first dedicated SD memory card protocol analyzer.
2.  Trigger functions that improve development efficiency
By setting trigger conditions for specific command patterns or error occurrences, developers can quickly identify problems.
3.  Functional extensibility through combination with other measuring instruments
By using the protocol analyzer together with a Yokogawa digital oscilloscope, developers can concurrently analyze signal waveforms and protocols. With this feature, hardware verification can be done more efficiently. Moreover, developers can even connect a protocol analyzer with an “advice” series in-circuit emulator from Yokogawa Digital Computer to analyze software bugs.

Major Target Markets

Manufacturers of mobile phones, personal computers, computer peripherals, and intelligent home appliances

Applications

Development, testing, and debugging of SD compatible hardware and control software by product design and development departments

Planned Sales Volume

30 units in fiscal year 2003
200 units in fiscal year 2005