Question from the Customer:
I clearly have use for the Advanced Cable Tester. I will be testing USB cables and want to know if I need the Advanced Cable Tester - Level 2 Application if I am just testing Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 1 cables? What is the benefit of using the Level 2 Application?
Response from Technical Support:
Thanks for your question! The Advanced Cable Tester - Level 1 Application can be used for continuity tests such as detecting opens/shorts, measuring IR drop, and checking e-Markers for proper programming for USB 3.1 Type-C cables.
The Advanced Cable Tester - Level 2 application enables Signal Integrity testing. The SI tests signal quality for D+/D– (480 Mbps) and all four SuperSpeed pairs (5 Gbps, 10 Gbps, up to 12Gbit/s), validates eye openings, and displays eye diagrams.
Essentially, Level 1 performs your safety checks and Level 2 adds quality checks.
For an easy comparison, here is a table that shows the capabilities of the Level 1 and Level 2 applications. Note: SuperSpeed represents USB 3.1. The maximum speed for the Advanced Cable Tester is 12 Gbit/s; the table reflects the USB standard speeds.
Additional resources that you may find helpful include the following:
- Advanced Cable Tester User Manual
- Advanced Cable Tester Quick Start Guide
- Promira Serial Platform System User Manual
- Advanced Cable Tester - Level 1 Application
- Advanced Cable Tester - Level 2 Application
We hope this answers your question. Need more information? You can contact us and request a demo that applies to your application, as well as ask questions about our Advanced Cable Tester and accessories, and other Total Phase products.