Nordic PCA63511 User manual

Power Profiler Kit
v1.1.0
User Guide
4425_027 / 2021-02-26

Contents
Revision history.................................. iv
1Introduction................................... 5
2Minimum requirements............................ 6
3Kit content.................................... 7
3.1 Hardware content ................................ 7
3.2 Downloadable content .............................. 7
4Quick start.................................... 8
5Hardware description.............................. 9
5.1 Measurement system ............................... 9
5.1.1 Block diagram ................................ 9
5.1.2 Power supply ................................ 9
5.1.3 Measurement ranges and switch levels ..................... 10
5.1.4 DUT output .................................10
5.1.5 EEPROM .................................. 11
5.2 Connectors ...................................11
5.3 Switches .................................... 12
6Configuring the PPK.............................. 15
6.1 Optimizing measurement accuracy ......................... 15
6.1.1 Power Profiler Kit use with nRF5 DK ...................... 15
6.1.2 Current measurement on external DUTs ..................... 15
6.2 Connecting the Power Profiler Kit to an nRF5 DK ................... 16
6.3 Measuring current on an nRF5 DK ......................... 16
6.4 Measuring current on an nRF5 DK while debugging .................. 17
6.5 Measuring current on custom hardware with an nRF5 DK ............... 18
6.6 Measuring current on custom hardware without an nRF5 DK .............. 19
7Connecting the PPK to a computer..................... 21
8Installing the Power Profiler app....................... 22
9Using the Power Profiler app......................... 23
9.1 Views ..................................... 23
9.1.1 Data logger view .............................. 23
9.1.2 Real-time view ............................... 24
10 Electrical specifications............................ 25
10.1 Environmental specifications ........................... 25
10.2 Power supply specifications ........................... 25
10.3 Measurement specifications ........................... 25
10.3.1 Maximum DUT admissible current .......................25
10.3.2 Measurement resolution ...........................26
10.3.3 Measurement accuracy ........................... 26
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11 Troubleshooting................................ 27
Glossary ..................................... 28
Acronyms and abbreviations............................29
Recommended reading.............................. 30
Legal notices................................... 31
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Revision history
Date Description
2021-02-26 • Updated Using the Power Profiler app on page 23
• Updated Figure 4: Block diagram on page 9
• Added Views on page 23
• Editorial changes
September 2019 Updated Installing the Power Profiler app on page 22
May 2019 Updated Installing the Power Profiler app on page 22
March 2019 Changed content to reflect support for external SEGGER J-Link debuggers
June 2018 Updated the content to clarify that when using a standalone SEGGER J-Link
debugger, v1.1 of the Python-based PPK software must be used
March 2018 The following content was corrected:
•Quick start on page 8
•Troubleshooting on page 27
March 2018 Updated due to new software
July 2017 Updated to match PPK v1.1.0
Settings window updated:
• A new tab added, see Using the Power Profiler app on page 23
• Logging feature added, see File menu options
Updated:
• Installing Power Profiler Kit software package
•Troubleshooting on page 27
October 2016 First release
Previous versions
Power Profiler Kit User Guide v1.1 (application software not supported)
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1Introduction
The Power Profiler Kit (PPK) is an affordable, flexible tool that measures the real-time power consumption
of your designs.
The PPK measures power consumption for a connected nRF5 DK or any external board. It measures
current from 1 μA to 70 mA and gives a detailed picture of the current profile for the user application.
The PPK can be used in conjunction with the nRF5 DK to measure current on the nRF5 DK or on an
external board. The hardware is delivered with an application that is installed using nRF Connect for
Desktop. There are several measurement configurations, which are described in this user guide.
Key features
• Variable power supply voltage ranging from 1.8 V to 3.6 V (software configurable)
• Maximum 70 mA current measurement
• Resolution down to 0.2 µA
• Automatic switching between three current measurement ranges ensuring optimal resolution
• Measurement accuracy better than ±20 % (average currents measurement)
• Desktop application for measurement analysis
• Real-time current measurement display
• Recording display up to two minutes
• Real-time display with a resolution down to 13 µs
• Internal/external trigger
Applications
• Quick power consumption measurements on a firmware running on an nRF5 DK or an external board
• Accumulative measurements, such as average, peak, maximum
• Instantaneous measurements presented as waveform plots
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2Minimum requirements
Before you start setting up the PPK, check that you have the required hardware and software.
Hardware requirements
• USB cable
• nRF5 DK or a standalone SEGGER J-Link debugger
Software requirements
• One of the following operating systems:
• Microsoft Windows 8 or 10
• macOS
• Linux
•nRF Connect for Desktop
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3Kit content
The PPK includes hardware and access to software components, reference design files, and
documentation.
3.1 Hardware content
The PPK hardware content consists of the PPK board PCA63511.
Figure 1: PPK board (PCA63511)
3.2 Downloadable content
The downloadable content for PPK consists of hardware files and this user guide.
You can download the hardware files from the Power Profiler Kit product page.
The hardware zip file contains the following files for the PCA63511 board:
• Altium Designer files
• Production files (bill of materials and assembly, drill, Gerber, and pick-and-place files)
• PCB layout files and schematics in PDF format
You also need nRF Connect for Desktop.
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4Quick start
Complete a few steps to set up your PPK. The PPK is connected to an nRF5 DK (not included in the
package).
In this quick start, the PPK measures current on the nRF5 DK, which also acts as a power supply and sends
data to the Power Profiler app.
1. Prepare the nRF5 DK for current measurements. See the following user guides for more information:
•Preparing the development kit board in the nRF51 DK User Guide
•Preparing the nRF52 DK
•Preparing the nRF52840 DK
2. Connect the PPK to the Development Kit (DK).
Figure 2: Connecting the PPK to the DK
3. Connect the DK to a computer using a USB cable.
Figure 3: Typical configuration for measuring current on the DK
4. Set the switches on the PPK as shown in the figure above.
5. Install the Power Profiler app from nRF Connect for Desktop as described in Installing the Power
Profiler app on page 22.
6. Start the Power Profiler app as described in Using the Power Profiler app on page 23.
The PPK is now ready to use.
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5Hardware description
The PPK contains connectors and measurement components.
5.1 Measurement system
The PPK is driven by the nRF52832 System on Chip (SoC), which uses its analog-to-digital converter (ADC)
to measure a voltage drop over a series of measurement resistors. Resistor values are used to calculate
the power consumption. The PPK has three different measurement ranges, which are managed by an
automatic switch circuitry.
To send the data to the desktop application, the nRF52832 SoC on the PPK uses the SEGGER RTT (Real-
Time Transfer). By connecting the PPK to an nRF5 DK, the SEGGER J-Link debug probe available on the
nRF5 DK can be used for the computer connection. Alternatively, an external SEGGER J-Link debugger can
be used.
5.1.1 Block diagram
The PPK block diagram illustrates the overall system and connections between the various blocks.
LEDs
nRF52832
Automatic
switch circuitry
DUT power switch
EEPROM
External
trigger
Power select
switch (SW4)
Voltage regulator
1.8-3.6 V
(software controlled)
Debug in connector
DK interface
USB
External supply
1.8-3.6 V
DUT select
switch (SW2)
External DUT
connector
COM switch
(SW3)
Measurement
circuitry
Data
Trigger
signal
SWD
Control
DUT power
SWD
DUT power
Supply
5 V power supply
VDD
Supply
Figure 4: Block diagram
5.1.2 Power supply
There are three power supply options for the PPK digital logic and for the Device Under Test (DUT).
The power supply options are:
• DK interface
• PPK onboard voltage regulator
• External supply
The power supply is selected using the power select switch (SW4).
The PPK onboard voltage regulator is supplied by the 5 V USB power supply. Its output can be adjusted
between 1.8 – 3.6 V through the Power Profiler app.
If an external power supply is used, the voltage is applied directly to the circuits without regulation. This
voltage must be limited to the 1.8 – 3.6 V range.
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Hardware description
When the DK is selected as the power supply, the DK supplies the PPK circuitry.
The analog part of the automatic switch circuitry requires a 5 V power supply. When the PPK is connected
to an nRF5 DK, the 5 V is supplied by the DK. When the PPK is used standalone, a USB cable has to be
connected to supply the 5 V required by the circuitry.
5.1.3 Measurement ranges and switch levels
To achieve a high measurement dynamic range, the PPK features three calibrated parallel measurement
means realizing the three measurement ranges simultaneously. An automatic range switching mechanism
always selects the correct measurement range depending on the instantaneous current drawn by the DUT.
If your DUT has a power consumption that is close to an automatic switching level, it can cause rapid
switching between the ranges, creating measurement errors and distorted plots. A hysteresis is applied at
the switching point in order to avoid distorted measurements as shown in the following figure.
There are four switch levels:
Switch up LOW
Switches up from low to medium range
Switch up HIGH
Switches up from medium to high range
Switch down HIGH
Switches down from high to medium range
Switch down LOW
Switches down from medium to low range
Figure 5: Measurement ranges and switch levels
5.1.4 DUT output
For DUT output, the PPK supports two modes of operation that are selected using the DUT select switch
(SW2).
The two modes of operation are:
• Measuring current on the nRF5 DK device
• Supplying power and measuring current on an external board
The DUT can be turned on and off using the Enable power output toggle in the Power Profiler app.
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