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User Manual

Welcome

Welcome to Qoitech documentation

Qoitech brings a complete hardware and software ecosystem for optimizing embedded and IoT devices for optimal energy efficiency - all the way from the ideation stage up to the production line.

We want to help hardware, firmware, and software developers innovate with a low-power mindset, ensuring the optimization of hardware and software to match products with the right energy source.

Our mission is to make a contribution to the sustainable world by helping developers, teams, and companies make the most energy-efficient and long-lived battery-driven products.

If it is energy-efficient, it is optimized with Qoitech solutions.

Discover Qoitech solutions

Otii PRODUCT SUITE

Overview

Discover what's behind Otii Product Suite

The Otii Product Suite empowers developers and teams to reduce development and maintenance time, and costs for their battery-powered products. It ensures optimal battery efficiency across the solution, matching it with the ideal energy source to fuel energy-optimized innovations.

How Otii works?

Otii products work together by integrating cutting-edge hardware and software to enable an ecosystem of tools for developers, engineers, and teams to adopt a low-power mindset and foster energy optimization in electronic products, especially for IoT and embedded systems.

There are three key steps that developers can practice that lead to prolonged battery life:

Profiling and optimization of devices for low energy use, at the hardware and firmware level.
Matching the right energy source (e.g. battery) to the application conditions through profiling and simulation.
Validating a variety of energy sources to ensure the best battery life.

Each of these steps is handled using the various features and functionalities offered by the entire Otii Product Suite.

Otii Product Suite

Achieving low-power design and extended battery life requires the concerted effort of developers across the entire stack. The Otii Product Suite is created by developers for developers, adding value during development cycles for hardware, firmware and software.

The Otii hardware, either Otii Arc Pro or Otii Ace Pro, allows us to profile devices energy consumption on every developer’s workbench. The data is recorded, processed and analyzed in real-time in the Otii software / Otii 3 Desktop App, providing insights into the energy usage patterns. Moreover, the software capabilities can be extended by Otii Toolbox, like Battery Toolbox and Automation Toolbox, battery profiling/simulation respectively automated testing. Together, these provide a seamless suite of products that interfaces and facilitates an efficient approach toward energy optimization from development through production.

Otii's solutions enable developers and engineers to:

Power devices under development
Energy profile microcontrollers, sensors devices up to 25V in real-time and over time
Design power-efficient hardware, firmware and software through regression testing
Sync UART logs with power measurements to identify what drains the energy of the device
Measure inrush current and components leakage current over time
Optimize sleep current and extend battery life
Troubleshoot hardware, firmware and software
Profile a battery or energy harvesting for the specific application
Simulate battery for the specific application and device
Benchmark and validate batteries and energy harvesting solutions
Automate all the measurements trough scripting in multiple languages

What’s included

Otii Arc/Ace Pro

The Otii hardware arrives in a box; depending on the version chosen, it will be labeled as Otii Arc or Otii Ace.

Once open, you will find:

Otii Arc Pro / Otii Ace Pro hardware unit
USB cable + Adaptor C (only for Otii Ace Pro version)
Declaration of Conformity (DoC)
Product safety information
Qoitech sticker

Download . Otii software is free-of-charge, subscription free.

It operates on Microsoft Windows 10/11, Linux Ubuntu, or Apple macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel). To get started, you must provide:

A computer operating Microsoft Windows 10/11, Linux Ubuntu, or Apple macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel). The computer requires an available USB port, and it is recommended at least 16 GB of RAM.
Positive and negative banana connectors for connecting the Otii hardware to the device under test.
Female to female/male jumper wires for connecting the Otii hardware main expansion port to the device under test for extra functionalities.
The device under test (DUT) to be measured, analyzed and optimized.
[Optional] External DC adapter. For Otii Arc Pro, in the range 7-9V, max 5A. For Otii Ace Pro, in the range 7-20V, max 5A. Here are few suggestions on the DC adapters.

Otii Toolbox

Otii hardware

High-precision hardware for real-time energy consumption insights.

Qoitech’s Otii hardware is designed for accurate and extensive energy optimization for battery-driven and energy-harvesting devices. The product family includes the and . Each features a power supply, a current and voltage measurement unit, and a data-acquisition module, all housed in one compact, portable form factor.

Compare the technical features of both versions . For more information about each Otii hardware, check out the documentation below for key benefits, features, and applications.

Otii Arc Pro

High-precision energy consumption analysis & optimization tool.

The Otii Arc Pro is a compact and portable tool with comprehensive technical features for energy optimization of battery-driven and energy-harvesting devices. As a multi-purpose tool, it serves as a power supply, measurement unit, analyzer and debugger, making it the must-have addition for everyday use on any hardware, firmware and software developer’s desktop.

With Otii Arc Pro and Otii 3 Desktop App, you can source the voltage of the device under test (DUT) up to 5V while simultaneously measuring and recording current, voltage, and power data in real-time for further analysis to optimize battery life throughout the development cycle, supporting a sample rate up to 4ksps for main current channel, plus a wide dynamic current measurement range (nA-5A) with 5nA resolution, and accurate current measurement (±0.1% + 50nA) for currents below 19mA and (±0.1% + 150uA) for higher currents.

To elevate the Otii Arc Pro's capabilities for product development, test and verification, quality assurance, and maintenance, explore , a set of specialized licenses that can be purchased as perpetual or subscribed to on yearly or monthly basis.

Key benefits

All-in-one functionality: Otii hardware and Otii software integrates power supply, real-time monitoring, and detailed analysis in a single, compact, user-friendly product.
Quick installation & easy to use: Download Otii 3 Desktop app, plug the Otii Arc Pro to your device under test (DUT) and start measuring energy data in less than a minute.
Optimal power alternatives: Power up Otii Arc Pro based on your solution setup and power requirements via USB or an external DC adapter.
Versatile connection: Power source your device under test using the Otii Arc Pro, which can deliver up to 5V at high voltage/current resolution. The DUT can be connected either through its DC input or battery connectors.
Real-time measurements & analysis: Analyze and compare charts and measurements in real-time, covering currents, voltages, and power within the Otii 3 Desktop App – it allows scrolling, zooming, and selecting current consumption and debugging logs during measurement.
Continuous serial synchronization: Measurements are continuously synchronized with debug logs from the device under test via UART.
Responsive UI: Ensure smooth performance under heavy data measurements loads, supporting multiple streams and long recordings – optimized for high-definition displays to enhance user experience during analysis.
Collaborative features: Share recordings and analyses with team members to get insights and feedback for further product releases on a recurring basis.
Upgradeable software: Unlock a wider range of features and specialized functionalities, including battery profiling and automation tools.

Key features

Hardware

Current and voltage measurement

±(0,1% + 50nA) accuracy below 19mA and +-(0.1%+150uA) above 19mA
5nA current measurement resolution
24 bit ADC with automatic switching between ranges
No burden voltage
Voltage measurement accuracy ±(0.1% + 1.5 mV)

Sample rate

Up to 4ksps for main current channel
1ksps for all other channels (main voltage, ADC current, ADC voltage, SENSE+, SENSE-, UART RX, GPI1, GPI2)

Power supply

0.5V - 5.0V.
USB only (0.5V - 3.75V in auto range mode, 0.5V - 4.2V in high range mode)
DC plug supply (0.5V - 4.55V in auto range mode, 0.5V - 5.0V in high range mode)
-2.5A to 5A (depends on available current from USB or DC plug)

Digital interface

Digital IO voltage 1.2V - 5.0V
Max 10mA source and sink in total

Software

Otii software support for Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux Ubuntu.
Real-time graphs of currents, voltages, power measurements and digital inputs.
Analyze statistics and measurements while recording continues in the background.
Connect multiple Otii Arc Pro to manage and sync multiple recordings at the same time.
Record and manage multiple recordings for unlimited time.
Record and sync data with UART logs.
Customize recordings and channels names to make the change logs easy to trace during your solution's development cycle.
Save, load, and export projects as a zip-archive, or recording data as CSV for further analysis in collaboration with your team.
In-line and 4-wire measurement support.
Unlimited changes with undo/redo functionality.

Applications

Use Otii Arc Pro every day to:

Power your devices under development
Energy profile microcontrollers, sensors and devices in real-time and over time
Optimize sleep current and extend battery life
Design power-efficient hardware, firmware and software through regression testing
Troubleshoot your hardware, firmware and software
Sync UART logs with power measurements to see what drains the energy

Datasheet

General

Main

Expansion port

USB and DC JACK

⁽¹⁾ USB power capacity and reliability in laptops and desktops greatly depend on host USB port/cable design. ⁽²⁾ See list of recommended external power supplies and powered USB hubs at our FAQ. ⁽³⁾ Depends on chosen power supply. Otii Arc Pro will monitor internal temperature and cut off if temperature limit is reached. ⁽⁴⁾ Sink voltage can go below this specification if locked to high range. It is possible to go down to 0.5 V if the sink current is below 1.9 A. For currents below 19 mA, the measurement will have a lot more noise when locked to high range than in auto range. ⁽⁵⁾ Up to 19 mA current in auto range, for higher currents, the accuracy is ±(0.1 % + 150 µA). Average > 1s. ⁽⁶⁾ See Nexperia SN74LVC8T245 for details. ⁽⁷⁾ Expansion Port Digital voltage level is set by user in Otii SW. ⁽⁸⁾ Maximum voltage will depend on your USB power supply and USB cable. ⁽⁹⁾ See TI INA226 for details.

Otii Ace Pro

Advance high-precision energy consumption analysis & optimization tool.

The Otii Ace Pro is the big brother of the Otii Arc Pro. Keeping the same portable and compact form with comprehensive technical features for energy optimization but with enhanced capabilities to boost battery-driven and energy-harvesting devices requiring high precision at higher voltage ranges, with a high sample rate and low step size.

An all-in-one tool with an isolated power supply unit, a constant voltage/current source and sink, and a high-precision multichannel multimeter. Making it a power analyzer/profiler that records and displays currents, voltages, and power measurements in real time. Enabling hardware, firmware, and software developers to optimize the energy consumption and battery life on any device under test.

With Otii Ace Pro and Otii 3 Desktop App, you can source the voltage of the device under test (DUT) up to 25V while simultaneously measuring and recording current, voltage, and power data in real-time for further analysis to optimize battery life throughout the development cycle. Supporting an adjustable sample rate up to 50ksps, plus a wide dynamic current measurement range (nA-5A) with 0.4nA resolution, and a current measurement accuracy of ±(0.05% + 25nA).

To take Otii Ace Pro's capabilities to the next level, and make it the perfect addition for product development, test and verification, quality assurance, and maintenance, explore Otii Toolbox for battery profiling and simulation or automation tools features.

Key benefits

All-in-one functionality: Otii hardware and Otii software integrates power supply, real-time monitoring, and detailed analysis in a single, compact, user-friendly product.
Quick installation & easy to use: Download Otii 3 Desktop app, plug the Otii Ace Pro to your device under test (DUT) and start measuring energy data in less than a minute.
Optimal power alternatives: Power up Otii Ace Pro based on your solution setup and power requirements via USB or an external DC adapter.
Versatile connection: Power source your device under test using the Otii Ace Pro, which can deliver up to 25V at high voltage/current resolution. The DUT can be connected either through its DC input or battery connectors.
Real-time measurements & analysis: Analyze and compare charts and measurements in real-time, covering currents, voltages, and power within the Otii 3 Desktop App – it allows scrolling, zooming, and selecting current consumption and debugging logs during measurement.
Continuous serial synchronization: Measurements are continuously synchronized with debug logs from the device under test via UART.
Expandable voltage & current: Connect multiple Otii Ace Pro in series to increase voltage and current capabilities to match your solutions needs.
Responsive UI: Ensure smooth performance under heavy data measurements loads, supporting multiple streams and long recordings – optimized for high-definition displays to enhance user experience during analysis.
Collaborative features: Share recordings and analyses with team members to get insights and feedback for further product releases on a recurring basis.
Upgradeable software: Unlock a wider range of features and specialized functionalities, including battery profiling and automation tools.

Key features

Hardware

Current and voltage measurement

Current measurement accuracy: ±(0.05% + 25nA) for -5A to 5A
0.4 nA current measurement resolution
24 bit ADC with automatic switching between ranges
No burden voltage
Voltage measurement accuracy ±(0.01% + 1 mV)
Connect multiple Otii Ace Pro in series to increase voltage and current capabilities to match your solution needs.

Sample rate

Adjustable sample rate up to 50 ksps for main current and voltage channel
Up to 50 ksps for all other channels (ADC current, ADC voltage, SENSE+, SENSE-)

Power supply

0V-25V
Isolated power supply, ±200V
-5A to 5A (depends on available current from USB or DC plug)

Digital interface

Digital IO voltage 1.2V - 5.0V

Software

Otii software support for Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux Ubuntu.
Real-time graphs of currents, voltages, and power measurements and digital inputs.
Analyze statistics and measurements while recording continues in the background.
Connect multiple Otii Ace Pro to manage and sync multiple recordings at the same time.
Record and manage multiple recordings for unlimited time.
Record and sync data with UART logs.
Customize recordings and channels names to make the change logs easy to trace during your solution's development cycle.
Save, load, and export projects as a zip-archive, or recording data as CSV for further analysis in collaboration with your team.
In-line and 4-wire measurement support.
Unlimited changes with do/undo functionality.

Applications

Use Otii Ace Pro every day to:

Power your devices under development.
Energy profile microcontrollers, sensors, devices and electronics up to 25V in real-time and over time.
Optimize sleep current and extend battery life.
Measure inrush current.
Measure component leakage current over time.
Design power-efficient hardware, firmware and software through regression testing.
Troubleshoot your hardware and software.
Sync UART logs with power measurements to see what drains the energy

Datasheet

General

Main

Expansion port

USB and DC JACK

⁽¹⁾ Depends on available input power ⁽²⁾ USB and DC jack GND is connected internally to chassis GND ⁽³⁾ DGND and AGND are internally connected ⁽⁴⁾ USB PD 2.0 ⁽⁵⁾ Max 3A in on DC plug-in and max 4A output current

Otii software

All-in-one software tool connecting the whole Otii Product Suite.

The Otii software is the backbone of Qoitech's Otii Product Suite. Designed to interface with Otii hardware to provide a powerful and comprehensive application for developers and engineers to record, visualize, and analyze the power consumption of battery-driven devices in real-time to identify and mitigate inefficiencies from initial development phases to production and maintenance.

The Otii software is designed with user experience in mind, making it easy to measure, validate and improve device performance. The feature-packed Otii software is free of charge and subscriptions, and you do not need to be logged in to use it. If you looking to extend the software's capabilities to profile batteries, simulate battery conditions, and create automated tests, you can purchase Otii Toolbox licenses on a perpetual, yearly or monthly basis. Discover all the included features listed below.

Check out Otii's software components below to find out complete features and details.

Otii software is compatible with any Otii hardware, including the Otii Arc Pro and Otii Ace Pro. It can run on various operating systems (OS) like Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS.

Discover below all the features the Otii software brings to your workbench.

Feature

Otii 3 Desktop App

Otii Automation Toolbox

Otii Battery Toolbox

Note that all the features listed under Otii 3 Desktop App are included as standard with your Otii hardware purchase, while the Otii Toolbox are additional licenses that can be purchased as perpetual or as a subscription-based.

Otii 3 Desktop App

Software for recording measurements, analyzing, and optimizing battery life.

The Otii 3 Desktop App is a robust and user-friendly software application designed to be the heart of the entire Otii Product Suite. It is designed for energy measurement and optimization of battery-driven embedded systems or IoT devices. It works together with the Otii hardware to provide industrial-grade tools for developers, engineers, and teams to analyze and optimize the power consumption of hardware projects.

Key features of the Otii 3 Desktop App:

Real-time measurement & analysis: Displays current, voltage, power consumption, digital inputs, and UART logs in real-time, allowing developers and engineers to quickly identify the impact of code and hardware changes on energy consumption.
Project management: Hardware, firmware and software developers can organize their work into projects, making it easy to manage multiple tests and experiments to share them with colleagues, customers, or manufacturing companies.
Data visualization: The Otii 3 Desktop App offers various visualization tools such as scrolling, zooming, dedicated selections, and log debugging to help developers and engineers better understand their devices' energy consumption patterns.
Multiple recordings: Record, synchronize and analyze multiple recordings separately over time to easily track changes performed to optimize your DUT.
Recording multiple devices: Connect multiple Otii hardware to multiple DUTs to record, sync, and analyze various recordings simultaneously.
Export & share data: Users can export data easily as an entire project or CSV format for further analysis or share it with team members, enhancing collaboration.
Battery simulation & profiling: With the Otii Battery Toolbox, developers and engineers can profile different battery types and conditions, and then simulated them for the specific application and use case helping design and test battery-powered devices to match the actual deployment environments conditions.
Automation Support: The Otii Automation Toolbox enables developers and engineers to script and automate tests, ideal for running extensive tests and verifications for quality assurance (QA) within the whole product development cycle.

Features

Check out Otii 3 Desktop App features below to improve your hardware development process.

Otii Toolbox

Additional features to enhance Otii 3 Desktop App capabilities

The Otii Toolbox integrate with Otii 3 Desktop App to enhance the capability of Otii hardware. The Otii Toolbox are licenses that unlock specialized set of capabilities for Otii hardware and software, transforming them into powerful simulators, automated benchmarking and continuous integration tools.

Refer to the Otii Toolbox options below to discover all the features and details.

Otii Toolbox are licenses that can be purchased as perpetual or subscribed to on yearly or monthly basis.

Otii Battery Toolbox [BT]

Profile, emulate and validate batteries for your specific application

By using the Battery Toolbox [BT] developers and engineers enable features to profile, simulate and validate different battery types and states to understand device’s performance under multiple scenarios of battery conditions without the actual need for physical batteries – just let the Otii hardware do its magic!

Why use Battery Toolbox?

Explore all the components and functionalities available for the Battery Toolbox, including how to get started.

Battery Toolbox [BT] is a license that can be purchased as perpetual or subscribed to on yearly or monthly basis.

Otii Automation Toolbox [AT]

Scripting capabilities to open the world of automation

The Otii Automation Toolbox [AT] helps developers, engineers, and teams to automate repetitive tasks and measurements. By using this Toolbox, the Otii hardware became a programmable unit ideal for running extensive tests and verifications for quality assurance (QA) within the whole product development cycle, regardless of whether it is hardware or software.

Control the Otii hardware remotely by writing your own scripts or using the Qoitech packaged scripting modules available for popular languages like , , , and . It also includes a command-line tool to run scripts without a UI, perfect for command-line environments or remote setups.

Explore Automation Toolbox can bring to your solution, including how to get started right away.

Automation Toolbox [AT] is a license that can be purchased as perpetual or subscribed to on yearly or monthly basis.

Otii SETUP

Connecting Otii hardware

Getting started with Otii Product Suite

The connection of the Otii hardware—either Otii Arc Pro or Otii Ace Pro—is required as a starting point for working with the Otii Product Suite. This connection must be to the Device Under Test (DUT) or the battery to be validated and to a computer running Otii Software, Otii 3 Desktop App.

Go to the Qoitech Download page to download and install the latest Otii 3 Desktop App version for your preferred operating system (OS). Refer to the "Install Otii software" page for step-by-step instructions on installing and setting up the Otii 3 Desktop App for the different OS supported.

To start in just a matter of minutes, make sure to have:

A computer with at least an available USB port running the Otii 3 Desktop App. It is recommended at least 16 GB of RAM.
The DUT to be measured, analyzed and optimized.
Positive and negative banana connectors for connecting the Otii hardware to the DUT.
Female to female/male jumper wires for connecting the Otii hardware main expansion port to the device under test for extra capabilitites.
[Optional] External DC adapter. For Otii Arc Pro, in the range 7-9V, max 5A. For Otii Ace Pro, in the range 7-20V, max 5A. Here are a few suggestions on the DC adapters.

Learn more about

Otii Arc Pro overview

An advanced look at the Otii Arc Pro - technical specifications

As shared on the , this is a compact and portable tool with comprehensive technical features for energy optimization of battery-driven and energy-harvesting devices. As a multi-purpose tool, it serves as a power supply, measurement unit, analyzer and debugger, making it the must-have addition for everyday use on any hardware, firmware and software developer’s desktop.

Hardware overview

The front side of the Otii Arc Pro has the main connectors, additional ports to extend measurement capabilities, plus a status LED.

The back side of the Otii Arc Pro has the host USB connector and an input socket to power up the unit with an external DC adapter when required.

Main connections

The Otii Arc Pro has the voltage(+) and voltage(-) binding post (red and black connectors located on the right side of the instrument), which are used to source the DUT but also to measure the current, voltage, and power of the device. The DUT can be connected through its battery connectors or DC input; refer to the connection diagram below for better understanding.

To power up the Otii Arc Pro and enable communication with the host computer, connect the unit to your computer using the provided micro USB to USB A cable.

Expansion Port

The expansion port on the front of the Otii Arc Pro is designed to enhance the hardware's functionality, allowing users to measure additional voltages and currents or trigger external events. These additional pins feature multi-input and multi-output for analog and digital signals, serial communication, and additional power and ground points. Below is a general overview of the additional pins available:

Status LED

The table below explains the Otii Arc Pro's status LED behaviors and their meanings to help you quickly identify the device's state.

Otii Ace Pro overview

An advanced look at the Otii Ace Pro - technical specifications

As shared on the , this version is the big brother of the Otii Arc Pro. Keeping the same portable and compact form with comprehensive technical features for energy optimization but with enhanced capabilities to boost battery-driven and energy-harvesting devices requiring high precision at higher voltage ranges, with a high sample rate and low step size.

It is an all-in-one tool with an isolated power supply unit, a constant voltage/current source and sink, and a high-precision multichannel multimeter. Making it a power analyzer/profiler that records and displays currents, voltages, and power measurements in real time. Enabling hardware, firmware, and software developers to optimize the energy consumption and battery life on any device under test.

To take Otii Ace Pro's capabilities to the next level, and make it the perfect addition for product development, test and verification, quality assurance, and maintenance, explore for battery profiling and simulation or automation tools features.

Hardware overview

The front side of the Otii Ace Pro has the main connectors, additional ports to extend measurement capabilities, plus a status LED.

The back side of the Otii Ace Pro has the host USB connector and an input socket to power up the unit with an external DC adapter when required.

Main connections

The Otii Ace Pro has the voltage(+) and voltage(-) binding post (red and black connectors located on the right side of the instrument), which are used to source the DUT but also to measure the current, voltage, and power of the device. The DUT can be connected through its battery connectors or DC input; refer to the connection diagram below for better understanding.

To power up the Otii Ace Pro and enable the communication with the host computer, use the provided USB C to USB C cable to connect the unit to your computer.

Expansion Port

The expansion port on the front of the Otii Ace Pro is designed to enhance the hardware's functionality, allowing users to measure additional voltages and currents or trigger external events. These additional pins feature multi-input and multi-output for analog and digital signals, serial communication, and additional power and ground points. Below is a general overview of the additional pins available:

Status LED

The table below explains the Otii Ace Pro's status LED behaviors and their meanings to help you quickly identify the device's state.

Wiring up

Explore hardware setup examples for a variety of use cases.

Otii hardware features two main connectors and one expansion port. Multiple channels can be measured with the available inputs, such as main current, main power, main voltage, ADC current, ADC voltage, SENSE+ voltage, SENSE- voltage, GPI1, and GPI2, as well as capturing serial logs from any embedded system or IoT devices.

To get the most out of the Otii Arc Pro and Otii Ace Pro, start by checking out the Expansion port to explore how to enhance measurement capabilities.

Wiring up possibilities

Discover hardware setup examples for a variety of use cases:

Keep in mind

Selecting a power supply

When using an external DC adapter, choosing one from an established supplier is highly recommended. The adapter should be low-noise, comply with IEC 60950-1 as a Limited Power Source, and have an output of 7 to 9 VDC for the Otii Arc Pro and 7 to 20 VDC for the Otii Ace Pro, with a maximum of 5A.

Visit the FAQ page for more information on selecting the proper power supply.

Grounding advice

A separate ground wire for the signal ground, attached to either DGND (Digital Ground) or AGND (Analog Ground) on the expansion port, should be used. This will prevent disturbances and measurement errors caused by voltage drops in the negative battery wire.

AGND is utilized as a reference point for analog measurements.
DGND is used as a reference point for digital signaling.

Expansion Port

Expand Otii hardware capabilities: additional measurements or trigger external events

The expansion port on the front of the Otii hardware is designed to enhance the hardware functionality, allowing users to measure additional voltages and currents or trigger external events. These enable complex testing setups, allowing users to expand measurement capabilities beyond standard power analysis, offering flexibility across diverse use cases from development to debugging.

Fourteen additional pins are available on the expansion port, which features multi-input and multi-output for analog and digital signals, serial communication, and additional power and ground points. Depending on the project requirements, these pins can be easily enabled and set up as needed within the Otii 3 Desktop App.

Note that the expansion port is designed to be identical across the Otii hardware versions, but capabilities in terms of voltage range, impedance and resolution differ from one version to the other.

The Otii Arc Pro features the following extension port:

Description

Serial ports

The serial ports known as RX (received data) and TX (transmitted data) enable serial communication between the Otii hardware and the Device Under Test (DUT) to provide real-time logs of how the code is impacting the battery draining. Moreover, these ports can be designated as GPIOs at the software level through the scripting feature using Otii Toolbox.

Digital I/O ports

The digital I/O (GPIO) ports consist of six ports in total: two input ports and two output ports on the hardware level, plus additional input and output ports that can be set up on a software level by scripting.

These ports manage a voltage range from 1.2V to 5V, which can be set within the Otii 3 Desktop App. Check out the corresponding documentation to set up the ports according to your system's needs.

The chosen voltage level will be applied to all six (6) available digital I/O ports.

Analog ports

The analog ports consist of four analog inputs subdivided into two groups:

SENSE ports are general-purpose analog-to-digital inputs.
ADC ports are used to measure current over a shunt resistor.

SENSE ports

General purpose analog to digital inputs enable voltage measurement using the AGND port as a reference. In addition, 4-wire measurements can be used to compensate for the voltage drop in the power supply leads.

Using the scripting feature—available with Otii Toolbox—one signal minus the other can be configured to measure differential voltages.

These ports manage a voltage input range of 0V to 5V with a 12-bit resolution and an input impedance >1 Mohm.

ADC ports

These ports are dedicated to measuring the current over a shunt resistor or the voltage from one node of the resistor with the AGND port as a reference; note that the voltage over the resistor is measured differentially. The ADC ports can manage either positive or negative currents.

These ports manage a single-ended voltage input range of 0V to 5V and a differential voltage range of -81.9175 mV to 81.2 mV, managing both voltage and current with 16-bit resolution.

Power & Ground ports

The Otii Arc Pro provides three ground (GND) ports: one analog ground (AGND) port dedicated to analog measurements and two digital ground (DGND) ports dedicated to digital signals.

In addition, it has an additional 5V (max 500 mA) output voltage port that can be switched on and off as required via the Otii 3 Desktop App under the "CONTROL" section once the Otii Arc Pro is successfully connected. It can also be switched by the scripting feature using the Otii Toolbox.

Powering the Otii Arc Pro with a DC adapter is highly recommended if this pin is used for 5V output voltage.

Technical specifications

Absolute maximum ratings

Do not exceed the minimum or maximum voltages on any port. This may cause damage to the Otii hardware.

The Otii Ace Pro features the following extension port:

Serial ports

Digital I/O ports

These ports manage a voltage range from 1.2V to 5V, which can be set within the Otii 3 Desktop App. Check out the corresponding documentation to set up the ports according to your system's needs.

The chosen voltage level will be applied to all six (6) available digital I/O ports.

Analog ports

The analog ports consist of four analog inputs subdivided into two groups:

SENSE ports

Using the scripting feature—available with Otii Toolbox—one signal minus the other can be configured to measure differential voltages.

These ports manage a voltage input range of -10V to 25V with a 24-bit resolution and an input impedance >100 Mohm.

ADC ports

These ports manage a single-ended voltage input range of -10V to 35V and a differential voltage range of -102.4mV to 102.4mV, managing both voltage and current with 24-bit resolution.

Power & Ground ports

The Otii Ace Pro provides three ground (GND) ports: one analog ground (AGND) port dedicated to analog measurements and two digital ground (DGND) ports dedicated to digital signals.

In addition, it has an additional voltage output ranging from 0V to 15V (max 600mA), which can be switched ON or OFF, as needed, from the Otii 3 Desktop App under the "CONTROL" section once the Otii Ace Pro is successfully connected. It can also be switched by the scripting feature using the Otii Toolbox.

Powering the Otii Ace Pro with a DC adapter is highly recommended if this pin is used for 0-15V output voltage.

Technical Specifications

Absolute maximum ratings

Do not exceed the minimum or maximum voltages on any port. This may cause damage to the Otii hardware.

Measuring a subsystem

Power source and measures subsystem's current and voltage

Set up Otii hardware, Otii Arc Pro, or Otii Ace Pro to measure a subsystem current and voltage over a shunt resistor in addition to measuring the complete system. Note that the resistor can be part of the actual system or applied externally.

Products required

Otii hardware setup

Connect Otii hardware’s banana connector positive lead to DUT positive (+) battery connector/power connector.
Connect Otii hardware’s banana connector negative lead to DUT negative (-) battery connector/power connector (GND).
Connect Otii hardware's ADC+ and ADC- across the shunt resistor for current measurement; no additional ground is needed for this. Make sure to connect the shunt resistor side with the high side to ADC+ and the one with the low side to ADC-. Note that if negative currents are measured, the high side has a lower potential than the low side.
[Optional] To measure voltage, connect AGND to the DUT's ground and measure the voltage between ADC+ and AGND.

In case of connecting the DUT using the battery connector, remove the battery prior to connecting it to the Otii hardware.

Otii software setup

Open the Otii 3 Desktop App, then select "Create a new Otii Project."
In the left sidebar, find the CONTROL section. Within this section, add the Otii hardware identified by your computer. Just click the add button on the right side of the hardware identified.
Considering the DUT's power ranges, set the required voltage for the added Otii hardware in the voltage box located on the left side of the power supply button.
Under "General Settings," make sure:
- "Power Box" option is selected.
- Set an OC (overcurrent) protection for the DUT.
Under "Channels," select "ADC current" to measure the subsystem current over a shunt resistor. In the case of measuring voltage, the "ADC voltage" must be selected as well. If the system itself needs to be measured, it can also be measured; select the channels desired to be measured in addition to the ones previously selected.
[Optional] The previously selected channels will be listed under the MEASUREMENTS section. In this section, the sampling rate, up to 50 ksps, can be set. (Only possible with the Otii Ace Pro)
Click the record button in the upper left corner of the toolbar to start recording DUT measurements. Since your DUT is not powered on yet, only noise measurements will be observed at first.
Under the CONTROL section, turn on the DUT by clicking on the power button located right next to the desired voltage assigned. Once turned on, the DTU measurements are being recorded.
Now it's time to validate, analyze, and optimize your embedded system or IoT devices.

Keep in mind

🔋 The voltage over the shunt resistor is measured differentially. No extra signal ground is needed if you only want to measure the current.

🔋 If voltage measurement is required, it is measured between ADC+ and AGND. In this case, AGND needs to be connected to the ground of the DUT.

0V to 5 V for Otii Arc Pro
-10V to 25V for Otii Ace Pro

How to choose the resistor

For Otii Arc Pro

The differential input voltage range for the Otii Arc Pro ADC inputs goes from -81.9175 mV to 81.92 mV. Based on these values, the absolute maximum (peak) current through the sensing resistor must be determined.

Remember that by using Ohm's Law (V = I x R | I = V / R | R = V / I), the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in an electrical circuit can be determined.

Here's an example to illustrate how to choose the resistor:

Suppose the system has a maximum peak current of 200 mA. By calculating, 0.08192 V / 0.2 A, the resistor value is equal to 0.41 ohms. But, the closest standard resistor value is 0.39 ohms. Resulting in a measuring range of 0.08192 V / 0.39 ohms = 0.210 A.

In conclusion, a 0.39 ohm sensing resistor will result in a measurement range of +/- 0.210 A.

For Otii Ace Pro

Following the same example as above, let's do the same for now but for the Otii Ace Pro.

The differential input voltage range for the Otii Ace Pro ADC inputs goes from -102.4 mV to 102.4 mV. Based on these values, the absolute maximum (peak) current through the sensing resistor must be determined. Here's an example to illustrate how to choose the resistor:

Suppose the system has a maximum peak current of 200 mA. By calculating, 0.1024 V / 0.2 A, the resistor value is equal to 0.512 ohms. But, the closest standard resistor value is 0.51 ohms. Resulting in a measuring range of 0.1024 V / 0.51 ohms = 0.200 A.

In conclusion, a 0.51 ohm sensing resistor will result in a measurement range of +/- 0.200 A.

External power source

Measures system's current and voltage while it is energized by an external power source.

If the Device Under Test (DUT) needs to be powered from an external source while still measuring system current and voltage, an external shunt resistor connected to the ADC inputs of the Otii hardware, whether the Otii Arc Pro or Otii Ace Pro, can manage this.

Products required

Otii hardware setup

Connect the external shunt resistor in series between the external power supply's positive (+) line and DUT's positive (+) battery connector.
Connect ADC+ and ADC- across the resistor to measure the voltage over the resistor.
Connect Otii hardware's AGND to the DUT's GND.

Otii software setup

Open the Otii 3 Desktop App, then select "Create a new Otii Project."
In the left sidebar, find the CONTROL section. Within this section, add the Otii hardware identified by your computer. Just click the add button on the right side of the hardware identified.
Under "General Settings," make sure:
- "Power Box" option is selected.
Under "Channels," select "ADC current" to measure the current over a shunt resistor. In the case of measuring voltage over the shunt resistor, the "ADC voltage" must be selected as well.
[Optional] The previously selected channels will be listed under the MEASUREMENTS section. In this section, the sampling rate, up to 50 ksps, can be set. (Only possible with the Otii Ace Pro)
Click the record button in the upper left corner of the toolbar to start recording DUT measurements. Since your DUT is not powered on yet, only noise measurements will be observed at first.
Under the CONTROL section, turn on the DUT by clicking the power button. Once turned on, the DTU measurements are being recorded.
Now it's time to validate, analyze, and optimize your embedded system or IoT devices.

Keep in mind

🔋 The voltage over the shunt resistor is measured differentially. No extra signal ground is needed if you only want to measure the current.

🔋 If voltage measurement is required, it is measured between ADC+ and AGND. In this case, AGND needs to be connected to the ground of the DUT.

0V to 5 V for Otii Arc Pro
-10V to 25V for Otii Ace Pro

Capture UART logs

Capture and record Device Under Test (DUT) serial logs

Set up Otii hardware, Otii Arc Pro, or Otii Ace Pro to capture logs from the DUT serial log.

Products required

Otii hardware setup

Connect Otii hardware’s banana connector positive lead to DUT positive (+) battery connector/power connector.
Connect Otii hardware’s banana connector negative lead to DUT negative (-) battery connector/power connector (GND).
Connect Otii hardware's RX pin to the DUT TX pin.
Connect Otii hardware's DGND to the DUT GND pin.

In case of connecting the DUT using the battery connector, remove the battery prior to connecting it to the Otii hardware.

Otii software setup

Open the Otii 3 Desktop App, then select "Create a new Otii Project."
In the left sidebar, find the CONTROL section. Within this section, add the Otii hardware identified by your computer. Just click the add button on the right side of the hardware identified.
Considering the DUT's power ranges, set the required voltage for the added Otii hardware in the voltage box located on the left side of the power supply button.
Under "General Settings," make sure:
- "Power Box" option is selected.
- Set digital voltage according to the DUT's digital voltage level for the UART
- Set an OC (overcurrent) protection for the DUT.
Under "Channels," choose the measurements desired to be recorded (e.g., main current, main voltage, main power, among others)
Under "UART", make sure:
- Assign the DUT's baud rate.
- Select "UART log" to enable the serial communication. Once enabled, the console log will automatically open.
Click the record button in the upper left corner of the toolbar to start recording DUT measurements. Since your DUT is not powered on yet, only noise measurements will be observed at first.
Under the CONTROL section, turn on the DUT by clicking on the power button located right next to the desired voltage assigned. Once turned on, the DTU measurements are being recorded.
Now it's time to validate, analyze, and optimize your embedded system or IoT devices.

Installing Otii software

Step-by-step to install Otii 3 Desktop App

Getting started with the Otii software is quite simple. Just directly from the Qoitech download portal. With the same download, the access to the Otii 3 Desktop App and the Otii Toolboxes are enabled. Otii software is versatile, multiple operating systems (OS) are supported, including Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu.

Below, choose the OS of your preference, follow the instructions and start building battery-driven embedded systems and IoT devices.

Otii software can also be run without an interface, being controlled and customized directly from a CLI or scripting using Python or Java. To do so, the must be installed on a Raspberry Pi, and an must be active. Refer to the page below to get started:

Windows 10/11 setup

Install Otii 3 Desktop App on a Windows computer

To ensure the proper operation of the Otii software, it's highly recommended to use a Windows computer with at least 16 GB of RAM, and running:

Windows 10, version 1903 or later (Intel 64-bit)

Visit the portal, and access your account. In case of not having one already, create it by simply clicking on "" – once created, the account must be verified with the associated email address to activate it.
Within the User Management portal, navigate to the page on the left bar and download the latest version of the Otii 3 Software.
To download it, the must be accepted by clicking the check box.
Select the version for Windows.
Once downloaded, open the .exe file by double-clicking. The application takes a couple of seconds to install and will open automatically when finished.
The application's welcome interface will be opened. Here, you can 1) Create a new Otii project, 2) Open an Otii project, and 3) Read the documentation.

Silent installation

You can also install the software silently from the command line:

Getting started

Get started with Otii Product Suite

Start optimizing embedded systems and IoT devices with the Otii Product Suite takes just six steps.

Download and install the Otii 3 Desktop App. If not already done, .
Connect the Otii hardware to the computer and the DUT. If not already done, .
Open the Otii 3 Desktop App and . If the Otii hardware is connected correctly, it will be identified in the left sidebar.
next to the Otii hardware identified to add it. (e.g., voltage, overcurrent protection) and to be measured.
, then turn on the Otii hardware to power up the DUT and measure the selected channels.

Refer to the page to explore more ways to connect your hardware, including how to expand the measurement capabilities using the .

Get familiar with Otii 3 Desktop App

Otii 3

Advanced guides

HELP & FAQ

Raspberry Pi setup

Install Otii Server on a Raspberry Pi

Requirements

Hardware

Otii hardware: Otii Arc Pro or Otii Ace Pro
Raspberry Pi 4B rev 1.2 8 GB or Raspberry Pi 5 8GB
USB SSD disk
External DC power supply
Device under test (DUT)
Jumper wires

Otii server will run on a Raspberry Pi 4/5 with less than 8 GB RAM, but it is not recommended.
Running the system on an SD card will degrade performance, and the memory card will likely quickly wear out. Use the USB SSD disk instead, as recommended.

Software

Otii Automation Toolbox License
Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)

Otii 3 Server is a 64-bit application. Therefore, the 64-bit version of the Raspberry Pi OS is a must.

Setting up Raspberry Pi

Installing Raspberry Pi OS on the SSD Disk

Plug the SSD disk to the computer via USB.
Download, install, and run Raspberry Pi Imager.
Click on the different options listed in the Raspberry Pi Imager, and select the following options:
- Raspberry Pi Device: Raspberry Pi 4 or 5
- Operating System: Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)
- Storage: The one assigned to the SSD disk
Once everything is selected, it should look like below:
Click the "NEXT" button.
In the following window, “Use OS customization”, click on “EDIT SETTINGS”.
1. In the GENERAL tab, define the hostname, username, password, SSID, and password of the network you intend to connect to, the country of the Wireless LAN, and local settings such as time zone and keyboard layout.
2. In the SERVICE tab, toggle the "Enable SSH" option to enable it, and click on "Use password authentication".
3. Click the "SAVE" button to save the changes made.
4. Once it takes you to the previous window, click on the “YES” option to apply the custom settings to the OS.
As a final warning, a warning window will pop up to confirm if you are sure to continue, as it will overwrite the existing data on the disk. Click “YES", then the system will ask for the computer password to proceed – the system will take a few minutes to download the OS and write it into the SSD disk.
Once completed, a message will be displayed indicating that the disk can now be removed from the reader. Now, it is time to connect it to the Raspberry Pi, turn it on, wait a couple of seconds, and access it via SSH.

Wiring up

To wire up the system, all the hardware requirements mentioned above must be on hand.

Take the Raspberry Pi, without powering it up, connect the SSD Disk to the bottom USB 3 port of the Raspberry Pi.
With the USB cable provided in the Otii hardware box, plug the USB output into the Otii hardware box and the USB type A output into the top USB 3 port of the Raspberry Pi.
Supply power to the Otii hardware with an external DC power supply, fulfilling the essential requirements for proper operation. Read in more detail here. After powering up, the LED on the front of the Otii hardware must be turned on.
Lastly, power the Raspberry Pi through the USB C power supply port, ensuring that it is powered with the optimal parameters: 5V and a current capacity of at least 3A (5A for Raspberry Pi 5).

Once the entire system is connected, it should look like the following:

You must also connect the desired DUT to be analyzed and optimized, which must be set up under the UART configuration, allowing to debug the incoming messages, to automate processes based on these received messages.

Access Raspberry Pi using SSH

Once the Raspberry Pi has been properly powered up, you can access it via SSH. To do so, use SSH clients such as Putty or Termius.

If you do not have it installed, download, install, and open the SSH client of your preference.
In the connection configuration, assign:
1. Hostname: assigned in the Raspberry Pi Imager (in my case raspberry.local), or you could also assign the IP address allocated to the Raspberry Pi; to find out the IP address, use tools to scan the network you are connected to to identify the different devices connected, as Fing.
2. Port: 22.
3. Connection type: SSH
Based on the SSH client used, proceed with the following steps to establish the connection.
Once connected, the username and password previously assigned must be entered, in my case, pi.qoitech as the username.

Once accessed, observe you are now interacting from the Raspberry Pi.

Installing Otii Server

The Otii server will enable the automated test setup for the Otii Product suite tools through scripting, supporting popular languages like Python and Java.

Visit the Qoitech User Management portal, and access your account. In case of not having one already, create it by simply clicking on "Create an account" – once created, the account must be verified with the associated email address to activate it.
Within the User Management portal, navigate to the Download page.
To download it, the EULA terms must be accepted by clicking the check box.
Select the Raspberry Pi version.
Once downloaded, the .deb file must be transferred to the Raspberry Pi. This can be done in two ways:
- If you have access to the Raspberry Pi interface, you can surf in the browser and then repeat the previously mentioned steps to download the file directly on the Raspberry Pi.
- Copy the file using scp, a command that manages the copy of files or directories between a local and remote system or between two remote systems. In this case, the local system would be the computer, and the remote system would be the Raspberry Pi. Note that this option will be explained below.
To copy files from the computer to the Raspberry Pi, run the following command on the computer's terminal and assign the required information:
```
scp <Path to File Copy> <username>@<IP Address of Raspberry Pi>:<Path that File will go>
```
Once the information has been assigned, it should look like:
```
scp Downloads/otii_server_3.4.3_arm64.deb pi.qoitech@192.168.1.64:/home/pi.qoitech/Downloads
```
In remote access to the Raspberry Pi, we go to the directory where we copied/downloaded our .deb package.
```
cd Downloads
```

Then, execute the installation with:

sudo dpkg -i otii_server_3.x.x_arm64.deb

Once installed, a scalable, low-power, functional testing of IoT and embedded systems can now be easily started.

Running Otii Server

For the purpose of the example below, two SSH connections must be established to run and interact with the Otii server: one to run the Otii server and another for user management and scripting. However, note that the Otii server can be activated directly from the scripting if required.

On one of the connections, run the following command to run the Otii Server. The connection should stay established in the background:
```
otii_server 
```
On other connection, run the following command to enable the user management capability within the command line interface (CLI):
```
python3 -m venv path/to/venv
source path/to/venv/bin/activate
pip install otii_tcp_client
```
Now, you can either operate User Management (UM) using Python, or by scripting. See the Automation Toolbox documentation for full details.

Running Python script

For a practical use case, let's run a Python example that shows how to log in, list licenses, reserve and return a license, and log out.

On the Raspberry Pi, create a Python file. You can use the nano command, assign the name and type of the file:
```
nano user_management.py
```

Copy and paste in the code below:

user_management.py

import json
import os
import time
from otii_tcp_client import otii_connection, otii as otii_application

# The default hostname and port of the Otii 3 application
HOSTNAME = '127.0.0.1'
PORT = 1905

CREDENTIALS = './credentials.json'

ABBREVATIONS = {
    "Automation": "AT",
    "Battery": "BT",
    "BatteryValidation": "BVT",
}

def list_and_reserve_licenses():
    '''
    This example shows you how to login,
    list licenses, reserve and return a license,
    and how to logout.
    '''
    if not os.path.isfile(CREDENTIALS):
        raise Exception('You need to create a credentials.json file')

    # Connect to the Otii 3 application
    connection = otii_connection.OtiiConnection(HOSTNAME, PORT)
    connect_response = connection.connect_to_server(try_for_seconds=10)
    if connect_response['type'] == 'error':
        raise Exception(f'Exit! Error code: {connect_response["errorcode"]}, '
                        f'Description: {connect_response["payload"]["message"]}')
    otii = otii_application.Otii(connection)

    # Read the credentials
    with open(CREDENTIALS, encoding='utf-8') as file:
        credentials = json.load(file)

    # Login to the Otii license server
    otii.login(credentials['username'], credentials['password'])

    # List all available licenses
    otii_licenses = otii.get_licenses()
    print('  Id Type         Available Reserved to     Hostname')
    for otii_license in otii_licenses:
        available = "Yes" if otii_license["available"] else "No "
        print(f'{otii_license["id"]:4d} {otii_license["type"]:12} {available}       '
              f'{otii_license["reserved_to"]:15} {otii_license["hostname"]}')
        for addon in otii_license['addons']:
            print(f'     - {addon["id"]}')

    # Reserve a license that includes access to Automation Toolbox
    otii.reserve_license(credentials['license_id'])

    # Do your stuff
    time.sleep(3)

    # Return the license and logout
    otii.return_license(credentials['license_id'])
    otii.logout()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    list_and_reserve_licenses()

Create a file within the same folder as the script above with the name credentials.json
Copy the JSON file below, assign the username and password of your Qoitech User Management account, as well as the Automation Toolbox license ID, which can be easily found in the UM either from the Otii 3 Desktop App or the web. Then, save it.
```
{
        "username": "YOUR USERNAME",
        "password": "YOUR PASSWORD",
        "license_id": "YOUR LICENSE ID"
}
```

Run the user_management.py script, by running the following command:

python user_management.py

Upon running the code, the following logs will be shown:

  Id Type         Available Reserved to     Hostname
4389 Pro          Yes                       None
4723 All          Yes       {your_username}  raspberrypi
Progress on otii_reserve_license is {}
Progress on otii_return_license is {}

Remember you must have the Otii 3 Desktop App closed, no session logged in, and no license reserved to run the script above successfully.

The next step is to fully explore the Otii TCP Client's functionalities and create custom Python scripts to automate the tests required throughout your hardware development cycles. Refer to Qoitech's Github to explore TCP clients for Python or Java, which contain ready-to-use examples.

Jenkins integration

The TCP Server requires an Automation Toolbox license.

If you have a valid license for the automation toolbox you can enable a TCP server in Otii, making it possible to control Otii from another application. Using this feature you could e.g. use Otii in a continuous integration environment to automatically keep track of how firmware changes affects the energy consumption.

The following example shows how to add a test job that uses Otii in combination with Jenkins to make sure that a firmware change doesn't affect the energy consumption in a negative way.

Our test system

In this example we are using a ST32 Cortex M4 programmed with a ST-Link debugger. The board is powered by the Otii, and is connected to the ST-Link using the SWD interface to make it possible to flash the device with new firmware. To get a realistic measurement of the energy consumed, the ST-Link needs to be disconnected during the actual measurement.

For this reason we have developed a simple switch board that is connected to the expansion port of the Otii Arc, and is controlled by the GPO of the Arc. This makes it possible to connect the SWD when flashing the device, and then disconnect it when doing the energy measurements.

The device connects to the RX and the GPI1 of the Otii Arc. These are used in this example to mark the start and stop of parts of the measurements we want to verify.

The Python Otii Client

You need to install the Otii python client first, read more about it in the section Scripting with Python.

A first start

Create a test python script named otii_test.py. We will use the built in python unit test framework unittest to run our tests. Add the following code to otii_test.py:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import unittest

class OtiiTest(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_energy_consumption(self):
        pass

if __name__ == '__main__':
    import xmlrunner
    unittest.main(testRunner=xmlrunner.XMLTestRunner(output='test-reports'))

Running the test script

Make the script executable:

chmod a+x otii_test.py`

And run the script:

./otii_test.py

Running tests...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 1 test in 0.000s

OK

Configure the Otii TCP Server

See the TCP Server for information about how to configure and start the TCP server, either using the Otii desktop client, or using the Otii command line tool.

If you want to automatically start the server from your test script, read more in the section Scripting with Python.

Connecting to the Otii TCP Server

The next step is to connect to the Otii TCP server from the test script:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import sys
import unittest
from otii_tcp_client import otii_connection, otii as otii_application

HOSTNAME = '127.0.0.1'
PORT = 1905

class OtiiTest(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_energy_consumption(self):
        connection = otii_connection.OtiiConnection(HOSTNAME, PORT)
        connect_response = connection.connect_to_server()
        if connect_response["type"] == "error":
            print("Exit! Error code: " + connect_response["errorcode"] + ", Description: " + connect_response["payload"]["message"])
            sys.exit()
        otii = otii_application.Otii(connection)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    import xmlrunner
    unittest.main(testRunner=xmlrunner.XMLTestRunner(output='test-reports'))

Configuring the Otii Arc

Now we query Otii for all the available devices, and try to find the correct Arc to use.

By giving each Arc a unique name, you will be sure that you are using the correct one.

...
PORT = 1905
ARC_NAME = "TestArc1"
...
class OtiiTest(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_energy_consumption(self):
        ...
        devices = otii.get_devices()
        if len(devices) == 0:
            print("No Arc connected!")
            sys.exit()
        devices = [device for device in devices if device.name == ARC_NAME]
        if len(devices) != 1:
            print("Expected to find exactly 1 device named {0}, found {1} devices".format(ARC_NAME, len(devices)))
            sys.exit()
        arc = devices[0]

        arc.set_main_voltage(3.3)
        arc.set_exp_voltage(3.3)
        arc.set_max_current(0.5)
        arc.set_uart_baudrate(115200)
        arc.enable_uart(True)
        arc.enable_exp_port(True)
        arc.enable_5v(True)  # The switch board is powerd by the Otii +5V pin.

We configure the main out and the expansion port to 3.3 V, we set the max current to 500 mA and configure the UART to a baudrate of 115000, and then enable the UART and expansion port.

Measurement

Now we are ready to start a measurement.

...
import time
...
MEASUREMENT_DURATION = 5.0
...
class OtiiTest(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_energy_consumption(self):
        ...
        project = otii.get_active_project()

        arc.enable_channel("mc", True)
        arc.enable_channel("i1", True)
        arc.enable_channel("rx", True)
        arc.set_main(True)

        project.start_recording();
        time.sleep(MEASUREMENT_DURATION)
        project.stop_recording();

        arc.set_main(False)

Analyzing the result

The demo system using the UART to send out a start and stop indicator for a part where the system does a temperature measurements and it using the digital input to mark the interval of each temperature measurement.

Using RX to analyze data

In this system, the DUT sends the log message "Getting temperature" when starting a temperature measurement. We use two of these messages to extract the energy consumed for a complete cycle.

...
class OtiiTest(unittest.TestCase):
        ...
        recording = project.get_last_recording()
        index = 0
        count = recording.get_channel_data_count(arc.id, "rx")
        data = recording.get_channel_data(arc.id, "rx", index, count)
        values = data["values"]
        timestamps = [value["timestamp"] for value in values if value["value"] == "Getting temperature"]
        self.assertGreaterEqual(len(timestamps), 2, "Need at least two \"Getting temperature\" timestamps")

        statistics = recording.get_channel_statistics(arc.id, 'mc', timestamps[0], timestamps[1])
        self.assertLess(statistics["energy"], 0.0004, "One interval consumes to much energy")
        self.assertGreater(statistics["energy"], 0.0002, "One interval consumes to little energy, is everything up and running?")

Using GPI1 to analyze data

In this system, the DUT sends a small pulse when it wakes up to start a temperature measurement. We try to find the first two pulses, and extracts the energy consumed for this interval.

...
class OtiiTest(unittest.TestCase):
        ...
        index = 0
        count = recording.get_channel_data_count(arc.id, "i1")
        gpi1_data = recording.get_channel_data(arc.id, "i1", index, count)["values"]
        timestamps = [gpi1_value["timestamp"] for gpi1_value in gpi1_data]
        self.assertGreaterEqual(len(timestamps), 4, "Need at least four GPI1 pulses")

        statistics = recording.get_channel_statistics(arc.id, 'mc', timestamps[0], timestamps[2])
        self.assertLess(statistics["energy"], 0.0004, "One interval consumes to much energy")
        self.assertGreater(statistics["energy"], 0.0002, "One interval consumes to little energy, is everything up and running?")

Building and uploading the firmware

This Jenkins job is going to be triggered when new firmware is merged to the master branch of the code repository. The first thing we need to do is to build the firmware, and then upload the new firmware to the device. We only need to do this once, so we add the class method setUpClass to the OtiiTest class, this will be called once before running the unit tests.

Since we have a switch board that is used to enable the debugger that is controlled by the Otii Arc, we have to move the connection and setup part from the test to this method. We make otii and arc class atrributes, making them accessible by all tests in this class.

...
class OtiiTest(unittest.TestCase):
    otii = None
    arc = None

    @classmethod
    def setUpClass(cls):
        # Connecting to Otii and setup Arc
        connection = otii_connection.OtiiConnection(HOSTNAME, PORT)
        ...
        arc.enable_5v(True)  # The switch board is powered by the Otii +5V pin.

        # Turn on the main power, and give the DUT time to startup.
        arc.set_main(True)
        time.sleep(1.0)

        # Enable the USB, and give the ST-lINK time to startup
        arc.set_gpo(1, True)
        time.sleep(3.0)

        # Upload new firmware
        result = subprocess.call("cd ../firmware; make; make upload", shell=True)
        if result != 0:
            print("Failed to upload new firmware")
            sys.exit()
        time.sleep(3.0)

        # Disable the USB, and turn off the main power
        arc.set_gpo(1, False)
        time.sleep(1.0)
        arc.set_main(False);

        def test_energy_consumption
        ...