Device Tests
The Device Tests tab bundles per-sensor hardware checks you can run before a deployment. Tests are capability-driven: only the checks a connected product actually supports are offered.
The Device Tests tab. With a device connected, the microphone health check and (on VT04-VESPER) the GNSS/RF self-test become available.
Verifies that each microphone on the device responds with a healthy signal-to-noise ratio. Available on all products with microphones (Vesper, Pipistrelle, KOL).
How to run it
- Connect the device (via the dock) and select it.
- For KOL, choose the microphone configuration to test (1, 2 or 4 mics); single-mic products test their one microphone.
- Press Run.
- When prompted, play a steady tone near the device — a phone tone-generator app or a speaker works fine. The test listens for in-band test tones at 1 kHz and 4 kHz over a short 200 ms capture.
Reading the results
Each microphone gets a row with its status, measured SNR (dB) and noise floor:
- OK — all test tones exceeded the health threshold (12 dB SNR).
- Problem — the mic responded but below threshold; check for blocked ports, membrane damage or debris and re-run.
- No response — the channel returned no usable signal; the microphone or its wiring is likely faulty.
A summary line reports "X of Y microphone(s) healthy". The threshold is deliberately lenient — this is a field health check, not a calibrated factory measurement.
Exercises the GNSS receive chain in the device's own firmware. This is a bench test: it expects a controlled RF environment (a shielded enclosure with a signal generator such as an ADALM-Pluto coupled in), and is primarily used in production and service settings.
Two checks are available:
- Tone self-test — the device captures an RF snapshot and must detect a continuous-wave test tone. Reported: pass/fail status, carrier-to-noise density (C/N0), and the measured TCXO frequency offset. Tone offset, generator gain, SNR threshold and snapshot length (64/128/256 ms) are adjustable.
- Positioning test — a recorded GPS scenario is transmitted to the device; the device's snapshot is decoded and the resulting fix is compared against the scenario's reference coordinates within a tolerance (default 500 m). Reported: latitude, longitude, accuracy and satellite count.
If you only need to confirm end-to-end GNSS on real sky, a normal snapshot recording outdoors followed by GNSS Decoding is the simpler route.
*Note: All the self test features are experimental and may not be available on all devices or firmware versions.