Template:CC3100 Active Current Consumption

Measurement Tools

TX/RX current measurement setup

It recommended to use the tools mentioned in Current Measurement for Profile and Active states, in order to record the Tx current consumption.

Alternatively, one can modify the boosterpack or Launchpad board, and measure the voltage difference across a (0.1Ohm) series resistor.
Using an oscilloscope and resistor Note: These actions must be taken proactively.

The Boosterpack has an option to solder a series resistor on the current path to enable measurements.

• This resistor R42 is not populated by default on the boosterpacks Rev 3.3 and above.
• For transmit current measurements solder a 0.1 Ohm resistor on R42.

It is highly recommended to use a 1% tolerance or better to reduce errors.

• The voltage across the resistor needs to be measured using an oscilloscope as it has high noise and in transmit mode the voltage constantly changes.
  • The current can then be measured by dividing the voltage measured by the series resistance.
  • The oscilloscope can also be set to display a current value directly by using the probe setup options. (Not all oscilloscopes support this.)

TX packet current measurement steps

Since the current is non static while perform the Tx packet transmission, an oscilloscope or data acquisition system is needed to capture the time domain waveform.

1. Ensure that your device is running at the latest SDK.
   • This can be done by clicking HERE and installing the latest CC31xx SDK.
2. Reset the board by pressing SW2.
3. Attach the CC3100 Boosterpack to a CC3100EMU and connect the CC3100EMU to the computer.
4. Connect the oscilloscope to the CC3100 by attaching the prongs of the oscilloscope to J6 of the CC3100 Boosterpack.
5. Run the RadioTool application the PC & connect to the Boosterpack using the COM port enumerated on the PC using the device manager, located under "ports", select the 3rd COM port.
   • The user can also click the autofind button located next to the COM Port field to automatically find the device.
   • Warning: With SPI connection, only one CC3100 can be connected to a PC at the same time because the Radio Tool doesn't know which CC3100 device to connect to if multiple CC3100 devices are present.
   • Please see CC31xx & CC32xx Radio Tool for information on how to run the Radio Tool.
6. On successful connection, the CHIP ID and the device versions are displayed, confirm that these are correct.
7. Select the "TX" tab and choose the desired modulation channel and number of bytes. An example is shown below.
8. Click on "Start TX Testing" and measure the current using the oscilloscope. If the oscilloscope only measures voltage then take the desired measured voltage and divide it by the series resistance.

RX packet current measurement steps

The measurement tools are the same as for the TX active state.

1. Ensure that your device is running the latest SDK.
   • This can be done by clicking HERE and installing the latest CC31xx SDK.
2. Reset the board by pressing SW2.
3. Attach the CC3100 Boosterpack to a CC3100EMU and connect the CC3100EMU to the computer.
4. Connect the oscilloscope to the CC3100 by attaching the prongs of the oscilloscope to J6 of the CC3100 Boosterpack.
5. Run the RadioTool application the PC & connect to the Boosterpack using the COM port enumerated on the PC using the device manager, located under "ports", select the 3rd COM port.
   • The user can also click the autofind button located next to the COM Port field to automatically find the device.
   • Warning: With SPI connection, only one CC3100 can be connected to a PC at the same time because the Radio Tool doesn't know which CC3100 device to connect to if multiple CC3100 devices are present.
   • Please see CC31xx & CC32xx Radio Tool for additional information on how to run the Radio Tool.
6. On successful connection, the CHIP ID and the device versions are displayed, confirm that these are correct.
7. Select the "RX" tab and choose the desired modulation channel and number of bytes. An example is shown below.
8. Click on "Start RX Testing" and measure the current using the oscilloscope. If the oscilloscope only measures voltage then take the desired measured voltage and divide it by the series resistance.
   • For measuring the current, use the "Mean" function as it would estimate the average current.