3.1 Selecting a USB Host Controller Card

The first step in operating USBTester is to select the USB host controller card that USBTester will use to perform the tests. This is done from the test application's Host Controller Selection dialogue, which is displayed after running the application - see Figure 3.1 below.

Often you will have several USB host controllers on board. The Host Controller Selection dialogue displays a device tree of all host controller cards detected on the test platform, and the host controllers and devices connected to each card. When selecting a controller card from the dialogue, a device tree view of all devices currently connected to this card is displayed. You can alternate between the cards in order to view all device trees and locate the relevant controller card for your test device. You can also refresh the device tree view at any time by clicking the Refresh button.

Once you have selected the desired host controller card for the tests, click the Replace Stack » button to load the USBTester stack for the selected card. Note that this may take a few seconds.

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	NOTE
	Before replacing the stack, disconnect any devices connected to the selected host controller card.

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Figure 3.1: Host Controller Selection Form

You can also save an INF file for your selected host controller card by clicking the Save INF file button in the Host Controller Selection dialogue. This will enable you to replace the USB stack for your selected card at a later time, using the /Replace command of the test application's command-line version (USBTester.com) [4.2].

After the USBTester stack is loaded, the tests selection form will appear.

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NOTES

The USBTester stack replaces the native OS USB stack for the selected host controller card [1.5]. As a result, devices connected through this card that require specific class drivers and/or applications - such as mice, keyboards, etc. - are not expected to function normally while the test application is running. When the application is closed, the native OS USB stack is reloaded for the selected controller and the devices should continue to function as usual. However, other host controllers on the host platform will not be affected by the test application. The USB stack is only replaced for the selected controller card (and only after clicking the Replace Stack » button). Devices connected through other controller cards on the host will continue to function as usual. It is possible, and even recommended, to use an external add-on USB host controller card as a dedicated test controller.

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