These Test Advances Simplify IoT Device Energy Optimization | Electronic Design
Now and again, a piece of test equipment comes along that makes you go, “Huh, hang on a sec’, that’s pretty useful.” That’s not to say the new WaveSurfer 3000z ‘scope from Teledyne LeCroy or the even newer DMM6500 and DAQ6510 digital multimeter, data-acquisition, and logging systems from Keithley/Tektronix aren’t also useful. It’s just that the Otii Arc from Qoitech provides a new approach to the problem of energy optimization when testing IoT devices.
Energy efficiency is always good, but particularly when a device is battery-operated, so designers must ensure they have optimized every aspect of a design for low power consumption. During the development stage, this typically means hooking a breadboard or development kit up to a power supply and using various techniques, such as a current shunt with a ‘scope or a multimeter, to measure current flow directly.
However, this involves multiple pieces of equipment and often the resolution of a scope won’t catch fast spikes. Ditto for a digital multimeter (DMM). Also, the DMM at hand may not be able to measure down to the microamp or nanoamp range. This current level is where these portable loT devices, e.g., remote sensors or health monitors, are headed. Much depends on the equipment at hand, your budget for new equipment, and the software available to do dedicated energy monitoring.