BT Designer: Bluetooth Qualification

1. Bluetooth wireless technology Qualification Overview

1.1 Introduction

The purpose of this document is to assist designers through the Bluetooth wireless qualification process for their modules and products. It contains general guidance about how to use test house services for qualification and within Compliance Folder it gives details of documents required to support an application for qualification. Document RF Test Guidance gives specific instructions on conducting each of the 16 RF test cases.

1.2 Test House Services

In order to obtain qualification of a component or product the manufacturer may use a test house for two services:

• The test house is contracted to make tests to a Bluetooth test specification, and to produce a test report containing the results of the tests.

• An employee of the test house who is appointed by the Bluetooth SIG as a Bluetooth wireless Qualification Body (BQB) reviews evidence submitted by the manufacturer in a Compliance Folder (CF), and if satisfactory, the BQB lists the product or component on the Bluetooth wireless Qualified Products List (BQPL).

The manufacturer is not obliged to use the BQB from the same test house that performs any tests. There are some BQBs employed by manufacturers, and some independent BQBs.

1.3 Early Phase Qualification

The early phase exists until test cases in the Test Case Reference List (TCRL) are activated at category A. Until that point all test evidence is presented as category B declarations with test evidence, and category C test cases should be declared as having been tested, but no evidence is required.

1.4 Category B Test Evidence

Category B test evidence can be performed at a test house using experimental test equipment or it can be made at the manufacturers or a third party facility. Many test houses have acquired the Rohde & Schwarz TS8960 system that will be used for mandatory category A RF testing when activated by the TCRL. However at present the TS8960 is not validated, and manufacturers can use this system for some tests, or use other suitable test equipment. The Bluetooth SIG have stated that at least three months ‘grace period’ will be granted after the decision to move to mandatory Category A tests is made. Therefore at the time of writing (30th November 2000) because the decision to move to Category A has not yet been taken, the earliest date that Category A testing will be mandatory is 1st March 2001.

1.5 Components and Products

• A Bluetooth technology component is an implementation that contains some Bluetooth wireless functionality, and which can be included into another component or product. It can be pre-qualified so that components or products containing the component do not have to be tested for the pre-qualified functionality.

• A Bluetooth technology product or end product is a device to be sold to the end-user, and it can be made up of pre-qualified components to reduce the testing required by the product manufacturer.

2. Steps to obtaining qualification for a new hardware design that uses bluecore with a new pcb/rf design

2.1 Qualification Tests Required

• RF Tests are required to be made once for each new PCB design. If the same pre-tested module is used in other end equipment no tests need to be repeated

• USB or BCSP variants should not need to be re-tested for RF as the HCI interface does not affect radio performance. PCB variants where all RF layout and components are identical should not need to be tested, subject to agreement with the BQB.

• Both Module manufacturers or end product users can use a software component that is pre-qualified at BB, LM, and Blue Unit Test Case (BUTC).

• The BQB may require one or more BB timing tests to be repeated for each new PCB design. If required, one timing test needs to be tested at extreme conditions (These tests can be performed using standard test equipment the manufacturer).

• If the new design includes the upper layer stack components HCI, L2CAP, RFCOMM, SDP or Bluetooth Profiles these must also be qualified.

• These software components and profiles must either be developed and pre-qualified or bought-in as pre-qualified software components and integrated into the end product.

2.2 Pre-testing.

The manufacturer should perform sufficient testing of the product or component before starting tests at a test house to ensure there is an expectation of passing the qualification tests.

2.3 Selection of Test House

For RF tests any test house with a TS8960 system can be used, and the factors affecting selection are availability of test time and location.

2.4 Selection of BQB

BQB selection should be on the basis of availability of service, location and language. There should be no difference in result whether or not the BQB is from the same test house selected for testing. It is important that the BQB understands exactly in advance what products and components the manufacturer is intending to qualify, and all reliance on pre-qualified components should be agreed before testing starts. Select the BQB who shows the clearest agreement with the manufacturer’s aims, and who will undertake to perform services within an acceptable timeframe.

2.5 Booking Test Time and BQB Services

There have been considerable delays in the past in obtaining both test and BQB services. Customers are recommended to ask all accessible test houses the following before making a booking at one or more of them:

• For RF testing, when is a block of a minimum of three days, but preferably 5 days testing available?

• For any testing, how soon after testing is completed will the test report be available?

• For BQB services, when can the BQB review the test report and Compliance Folder, and how long should this process take?

2.6 RF Tests Program

2.6.1 RF Test Cases

2.6.2 Test Cases Performed at Test House

There are 16 RF test cases at category B, and all except the three modulation tests (TRM/CA/07/C, 08/C, 09/C) can be performed at a test house equipped with a TS8960 test system.

2.6.3 MATLAB scripts

MATLAB scripts can be used to make the three modulation tests TRM/CA/07/C, 08/C, 09/C after all other test cases have been completed successfully at the test house. (This testing has to be last as the extreme conditions used for passing all other RF tests must be used for these tests, and the conditions may have to adjusted to pass all cases at all conditions).

2.7 Presentation of Evidence to BQB

Once all testing is complete the Customer should complete the test reports and check them before submitting to the BQB. The product name, hardware and software status and other identification information should be checked for consistency across all reports and forms supplied to the BQB. The BQB will require a complete Compliance Folder to be submitted before a product can be listed.

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