How PVS Surpassed Traditional Exercisers to Validate Custom In-Band Interrupts Effortlessly

Protocol exercisers have long been standard tools for validating protocols like I2C, SPI, and MIPI I3C^®. They can simulate bus activity, send commands, and verify compliance at the functional level. While effective for basic and straightforward use cases, their limitations become apparent when the validation scenario demands real-time responsiveness, custom test flows, deep protocol behavior analysis, or specific use cases.

This case study explores how a leading semiconductor company encountered limitations while using conventional protocol exercisers to validate 50ms In-Band Interrupts (IBIs) over MIPI I3C^®, and how Soliton’s Protocol Validation Suite (PVS) overcame these challenges through real-time responsiveness, no-code customization, and complete test coverage.

Inside the Validation Hurdles Faced by the Customer 

When one of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers began to develop a sensor product for a device, they leveraged the MIPI I3C^® protocol’s In-Band Interrupts (IBIs) to send data every 50ms. For validation, the team opted to use a protocol exerciser, drawn by its ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and minimal hardware setup requirements. However, validating the sensor required more than basic testing. They had to develop several customizations including software wrappers to perform essential functional tests and custom test procedures and sequences. But in spite of these efforts, the semiconductor company quickly faced critical limitations on multiple fronts. 

• Challenge in Reliably Handling 50ms IBIs 

The existing protocol exerciser struggled with real-time responsiveness, particularly in reliably capturing and reacting to 50ms In-Band Interrupts (IBIs). The timing-critical nature of the application exposed limitations in asynchronous communication handling. To bridge these gaps, engineers had to patch together firmware, manually configure test setups, and build custom software layers, introducing unnecessary complexity, delays, and risk of errors in the validation process. 

• Limited Support for Custom, DUT-Specific Validation Flows 

The tool lacked flexibility to create device-specific validation flows. Engineers had to write extensive scripts and create software wrappers just to perform basic functional tests, including real-time data comparisons and threshold validations. 

• Fragmented Workflow and Incomplete Coverage 

 Even after heavy customization, the team could validate only ~43% of required timing parameters. The hardware setup also wasn’t protocol-agnostic, requiring reconfiguration for each new use case. 

The team needed a tool capable of emulating the controller and accurately validating sensor behaviour for protocol compliance. Specifically, it had to support In-Band Interrupt (IBI) handling, reliably read data from IBI requests at 50ms intervals, compare the received values against pre-defined thresholds, and verify the results with precision.

From Roadblocks to Results: How Soliton’s PVS Transformed Their Validation Workflow 

After grappling with the exerciser’s limits, the team turned to Soliton’s Protocol Validation Suite (PVS), a ready-to-deploy, no-code platform built for real-world protocol validation needs. PVS immediately stood out for its robust test coverage, ease of customization, and seamless hardware-software integration. It didn’t just meet the requirements; it removed the complexity that had slowed them down for weeks. 

More specifically, here’s what made the difference: 

• Timing-Critical Capture with High-Performance DPI Hardware

PVS is powered by high-performance DPI hardware that is purpose-built for speed, responsiveness, and precision. This allowed the team to capture and respond to IBIs precisely with micro-level precision as they occurred, even at 50ms intervals. Unlike their earlier setup, which demanded firmware patches and manual coding, PVS delivered reliable signal capture and response out-of-the-box.  

• Effortless Customization of I3C^® Commands and DUT-Specific Test Flows 

Soliton’s PVS offered a flexible and intuitive software interface that allowed engineers to configure, customize, and sequence MIPI I3C^® protocol commands and respond to In-Band Interrupts (IBIs) every 50 milliseconds. This was a game-changer for the customer. They could now create device-specific validation flows tailored to their sensor’s behaviour, including threshold checks and functional validations that previously required weeks of scripting effort. The intuitive interface also replaced complexity with control, enabling rapid creation of real-world test cases. 

• Out-of-the-Box Coverage with Easy Extensibility 

Unlike traditional tools that required building validations from the ground up, PVS came with: 

• A comprehensive library of timing/electrical parameter tests. 

• Protocol-specific test packs tailored for MIPI I3C^®, I2C, SPI, and other protocols. 

• A modular design that allowed the team to extend coverage easily, without disrupting existing workflows.  

Additionally, with the tools’ automation capabilities, what once required multiple layers of scripting and firmware modifications could now be handled directly, streamlining the process from setup to report generation with >90% test coverage. 

How PVS Turns Validation Challenges into Big-Impact Wins 

The Result? A Complete Turnaround in Validation Efficiency and Coverage 

Soliton’s Protocol Validation Suite delivered what standard protocol exercisers couldn’t and transformed an effort-intensive process into an efficiency and scalable workflow. The team achieved enhanced test coverage, eliminated weeks of manual scripting, and significantly reduced validation cycle time, all while gaining confidence in timing-critical I3C^® validation, especially around 50ms IBIs. With Soliton’s robust onboarding and support, they were up and running quickly and equipped with comprehensive reports that met both engineering and compliance needs. 

With its no-code approach, real-time responsiveness, and deep protocol expertise, PVS redefines protocol compliance testing and stands clearly above all other existing validation tools as the most complete and production-ready solution on the market today. Whether you’re validating sensors, controllers, or mixed-signal devices, PVS equips your team to handle complex validation scenarios with speed, confidence, and minimal overhead.