How Can I Measure LMA with External Oscilloscope?

Updated Apr 8, 2024

Environment

Hardware

  • Micropross Accessories

Other

Hardware

  • Micropross MP500TCL3 or PT1 / PICC-PCD Simulation ANT

Other

  • HW: PICOSCOPE 6000 series or General Oscilloscope

  • SW: PICOSCOPE 6, MPMANAGER3

My MP500TCL3 (or PT1NFC) doesn’t have “Advanced Analog Measurement" software license.
Is it possible to perform Load Modulation Amplitude measurement with an external oscilloscope?

The Advanced Analog Measurement software license allows our customer to use MP500 device to perform tests such as LMA measurement, Power transfer measurement,  Waveform measurements 
without

  • using any external scope
  • having to manually position cursors
  • without having to perform post-treatment.

If an end-user has an MP500 TCL3 (or MP500 PT1NFC) without advanced analog measurement license and would like to measure the Load Modulation Amplitude of a card answer, it is possible to perform a quick informative measurement with an external scope.

Note that the method describes below is not compliant with ISO/EMVCo or NFC Forum test specification and is thus informative.  

Follow the steps below:  

1. Build a simple transaction script with MPManager3

  •  Example for Type A 

 

  • Example for Type B

 

 

 
2. Script settings

  • Adjust RF Field applied (eg: 50%)

  • Select RX Channel – Analog IN

  • Enable/Disable Spy command

  • CLTO 1 3 0 : TRIG1 port set as Logic”0” when TX OUT

 

3. Hardware Configuration 

  • External Digital Sampling Oscilloscope 

  • MP500TCL3 (or MP500PT1NFC)

  • PICC-PCD Simulation antenna

  • SMA T-Bridge, CONNECTORs

 

 
 

  • ANALOG IN connector of the MP500 to SMA T-Bridge 
  • ANALOG IN connector of the PICC-PCD simulation antenna to SMA T-Bridge
  • SMA T-Bridge to DSO CHA through probe adaptors and high impedance probe 

 

  • TX/RX connector of the MP500 to TX/RX connector of the PICC-PCD Simulation antenna 
  • AUX1connector of the MP500 to HDMI connector of PICC-PCD Simulation antenna
  • TRIG1 connector of the MP500 to DSO CH C

  • Set Trigger Condition of DSO (CH C)

  • Trigger Run : Auto or Single

 

 

  • RUN Test Script by MPManager3

  • Capture the proper area with DSO

  • Zoom IN for Detail View

 

 

  • Vertical Scale: Adjust (e.g. 200mV) , Time division: 1ms/div

  • Measure the peak to peak voltage as LMA

This method is informative and is not compliant with ISO/EMVCo/NFC Forum tests methods for which ones 
- reference antennas have to be used
- signal processing algorithms have to be used

A MP500 TCL3 (or MP500 PT1NFC) with advanced analog measurement license and ISO, EMVCO or NFC Forum reference antenna, allows to perform LMA measurement according to ISO, EMVCo or NFC Forum test methods.
 

Next Steps

For any additional questions, please contact NI technical support team on ni.com when opening a Service Request case using the NI Service Request Manager (SRM).

To open a service request on ni.com, please follow the steps described at this 
link .