1394 Symbol Recorder

The 1394 Low-Level Symbol Recorder is a new mode of operation for FireStealth that enables capturing raw 1394 bit patterns in a non-intrusive way. Sophisticated software scans through these bit patterns and decodes all bits into low-level 1394 symbols and toning patterns. The new FireDiagnostics Suite module "Symbol Recorder" offers a user-friendly interface for downloading and analyzing captured data.

Providing low-level 1394 data capture with our FireStealth analyzer is key for troubleshooting low-level bus problems. The DapTechnology FireStealth Low-Level 1394 Symbol Recorder add-on is an indispensable tool for anyone building a 1394-based solution.

Time View

The Symbol Recorder Time View was inspired by the Time View of the FireSpy Recorder but has been optimized for lower-level 1394 data. Data is displayed separately for both directions, port A to port B and port B to port A. Per direction bits are decoded into three levels: raw symbols, packets and annotation. The Time View allows one to zoom-in all the way down to individual 1394 symbols and also zoom-out to show multiple packets at the same time. A sophisticated data storage engine results in a very fluent user-interface experience.

Symbol View

The Symbol View shows more detailed information for the current cursor position within the Time View. Given the communication scheme used by 1394, a series of different encoded and scrambled characters on the bus may actually be a single descrambled and decoded symbol value that is being repeated. Because of this the Symbol View simply combines those characters into one item and displays how many times the symbol was repeated (Symbol Count). It also shows the symbol in different forms: hexadecimal value, the symbol name and the first 10b scrambled and coded character value in the series.

If the current cursor position points to a point in time where it is impossible to decode the raw bit stream then the Symbol View will show the RAW bit data as it occurred on the bus.

Packet View

Whenever the cursor in the Time View points to a Symbol that is part of a 1394 packet or its prefix then the Packet View will show the complete packet. The representation of a complete packet is exactly the same as in the regular FireSpy Recorder.

Key Features

  • Captures the RAW 1394 bit stream in 2 directions
  • Decodes RAW 1394 data into
    • Toning
    • 1394 Symbols
    • Packets
  • Troubleshooting of low-level 1394 problems
  • Supports the development of 1394 IP cores

Screenshots