IAR Systems Strengthens Power Analysis And Debugging Portfolio

Power Debugging provides developers with information about how the software implementation of an embedded system affects the system’s power consumption. This technology is available using the C-SPY Debugger included in IAR Embedded Workbench together with IAR Systems’ in-circuit debugging probe I-jet. By adding I-scope, developers can gain knowledge of the power consumed by individual modules, detect if design flaws in the code are causing unnecessary power consumption and possibly extend battery lifetime.

At any designated point on the target board, I-scope can measure current and voltage with 12-bit resolution at a sampling rate of up to 200 kHz. The information is transferred to I-jet, which synchronizes the data with the running program counter, enabling it to be graphed in real time and analyzed using the C-SPY Debugger. The analysis can be used to reveal the power consumption of individual functions and peripherals, which I/O activity causes current spikes, and how much power is consumed in various sleep modes.

“We have seen a tremendous interest in Power Debugging, and I-scope adds another level to the technology,” says Mats Ullström, Director of Products and Services, IAR Systems. “By using I-scope and the C-SPY Debugger, developers can gain insight into how to make their designs achieve the best power efficiency, without compromising performance. You will surely see further innovations from IAR Systems in this area, since we are determined to do what we can to make every design a low-power design.”

I-scope is designed to be used as an extension to I-jet and will be available for delivery in Q2 2013. IAR Embedded Workbench is a complete development tool suite with support for all ARM cores. It features all the tools needed to develop high-performance embedded applications, including the powerful IAR C/C++ Compiler and the comprehensive C-SPY Debugger.