RF Testing using BTool¶
Note
For a step by step explanation about how to execute a sequence of commands for testing, please refer to the Application Note on How to Do RF Radio Test With Your Bluetooth Product. Information related to Packet Error Rate (PER) and RSSI measurements can be found there.
Tool Configuration¶
In order to set the device to perform RF tests, we need an image capable of receive and executing HCI commands.
Flash the device with the respective
host_test example
, which can be found inside the SDK folder<SDK>/examples/rtos/LP_EM_CC26xx/ble5stack/host_test
. You can import the project in CCS or IAR and tune it to fit your own design (e.g. change the UART mapping).If your design allows it (or if you are running the tests on a TI LaunchPad), you can directly flash the pre-built hexfile on the device. To do so, use UniFlash and use the following image
<SDK>/examples/rtos/LP_EM_CC26xx/ble5stack/hexfiles/host_test_app.hex
.Finally, it is recommended to power cycle the device after flashing it.
BTool can be found within the SDK. Execute the file
<SDK>/tools/ble5stack/btool/btool.exe
to open the tool.When opening BTool, you are prompt to select the COM interface used by your device. Make sure to choose the interface
COMXX - XDS110 Class Application/User UART
.At start BTool automatically sends a few commands to the device. These commands are not relevant for this use case, so just wait for the commands to be executed, then right click on the log and click
Clear Log
.Move to the panel
Advanced Commands
. From this panel you can send commands to the device. For this use case, the commands withinHCI Extended
andHCI
should be the most useful.Send a reset command
HCI_Reset
. A UART command is sent to the device (displayed in green) and the device resets and sends back an answer.
Assuming you have reached this point, it means the device is properly flashed, the UART commands are properly sent and executed by the device. Now we can look at sending more test commands to the device.
The HCI commands are specified by the Bluetooth Specifications. In order to offer more testing possibilities, these commands are completed by HCI Extended commands. Documentation for all these commands can be found in the API references section of the user’s guide.
Only a subset of the commands will be used for testing (see below). Commands in bold are the ones commonly used:
- Continuous Wave (Non-signaling)
Command
Parameters
Comments
HCI_Reset
none
To reset the device
HCIExt_EndModemTestCmd
none
To terminate a modem test
HCIExt_ModemTestTxCmd
Modulation, Channel
For the 1M PHY only
HCIExt_ModemTestRxCmd
Channel
For the 1M PHY only
HCIExt_EnhancedModemTestTxCmd
Modulation, PHY, Channel
HCIExt_EnhancedModemTestRxCmd
PHY, Channel
HCIExt_SetTxPowerCmd
dBm
To set TxPower for modem tests
- Direct Test Mode - DTM (Signaling)
Command
Parameters
Comments
HCI_Reset
none
To reset the device
HCI_LE_TestEnd
none
To terminate a DTM test
HCI_LE_TransmitterTest
Channel, Data Length, Data
For the 1M PHY only
HCI_LE_ReceiverTest
Channel
For the 1M PHY only
HCI_LE_EnhancedTransmitterTest
Channel, Data Length, Payload, PHY
Payload to be selected from DTM standard
HCI_LE_EnhancedReceiverTest
Channel, PHY, modulationIndex
HCIExt_SetMaxDtmTxPowerCmd
dBm
To set TxPower for DTM tests