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Use a PPK2 to measure the target’s current during boot, radio activity, or a settled low-power state. Results appear in the Monitor’s Power tab. Choose the mode that matches how the target is powered: The PPK2 samples current at 100 kS/s in both modes.

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Prepare

  1. Connect the PPK2 by USB and close any other software that uses it.
  2. In the Monitor, select +, then select Nordic PPK2 under On the bench. You can also ask Embedder to check the PPK2.
  3. Select Set up & connect to approve setup. The device bar shows each step: Checking Python…, Creating the Python environment…, Installing ppk2-api…, and Downloading the PPK2 bridge… (Embedder’s PPK2 support files).
If you set up from chat instead, approve Install Python 3? if Python is missing, Create Embedder Python environment?, and the ppk2-api package install. The first setup needs internet access to download Embedder’s PPK2 support files. Later setups reuse the saved copy when you’re offline. If several PPK2s are attached, the device bar lists each one with its USB port. Select Rename to give each unit a name you recognize. Before you connect the target’s power path, note its required voltage, expected current, workload, and measurement duration. Then follow the PPK2 and board wiring instructions for your setup.

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Supply the target

Use source-meter mode when the PPK2 is the target’s only supply.
  1. Connect the PPK2 output to the target’s VDD and connect the grounds.
  2. Disconnect any other source that powers the target, such as USB or a debugger supply.
  3. Choose a supply voltage from 800 to 5000 mV.
  4. Say whether the target should stay powered after the measurement.
The target has no power until the PPK2 turns its output on.

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Measure an external supply

Use ampere-meter mode when another supply powers the target.
  1. Place the PPK2’s current path between the external supply and the target.
  2. Check for other power paths through USB and debugger connections.
  3. For a live stream in the Monitor, enter the actual supply voltage in Input voltage. The stream uses it to calibrate current.
Don’t ask for a PPK2 source voltage or DUT power control in this mode. The external supply controls the target’s power.
If your development board has a current-measurement jumper, follow the board’s measurement setup. Put the jumper back before you use serial, RTT, or GDB again. Without it, the target can lose power or debug access.

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Capture and compare

Choose how to measure:
  • Bounded measurement: ask for a current trace and summary after a defined settling period, as in the examples above.
  • Live view: stream in the Monitor’s Power tab, run the workload, then select Stop to save a capture. See Configure a live stream.
Save the firmware revision, measurement mode, supply voltage, workload, and settling period with the result. Compare the same interval and workload on later runs. See Power analyzer for a common measurement checklist.

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Configure a live stream

  1. Open a Power tab for the PPK2. The Setup panel is open until you start streaming; select Setup to show or hide it.
  2. If the tab isn’t bound to a device, choose PPK2 under Instrument, and choose the unit under Device.
  3. Under Mode, choose Ampere meter or Source meter to match your wiring.
  4. Enter the voltage and choose a Sample rate.
  5. In source-meter mode, select DUT power off to power the target. The button then reads DUT power on.
  6. Select Start.
Start stays unavailable until the voltage is a whole number from 800 to 5000 mV. The Current range and Voltage range settings apply only to Joulescope and don’t appear for a PPK2. In ampere-meter mode, voltage, power, and energy stay empty, and saved captures leave those columns out. In source-meter mode, they’re calculated from the source voltage. DUT power turns off when a source-meter stream stops. Turn DUT power off before you change the mode or voltage. See live power controls for pausing, recording, and stopping the stream.

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Use the PPK2 in a hardware script

In a hardware script, use these helpers. Current values are in microamps. Use ppk2_measure() on its own, or the manual helpers on their own. Embedder checks the script before it runs. It rejects voltage or DUT power calls without source-meter mode, and warns when ampere-meter mode is combined with them. Include the intended final supply state in cleanup.

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Troubleshoot

  • “No PPK2 device detected via USB”: check the USB cable and port, then select Rescan in the device bar.
  • “Failed to download PPK2 bridge files and no cached version exists”: connect to the internet and set up again. After one successful setup, Embedder reuses the saved copy.
  • “The cached PPK2 bridge lacks streaming support”: the saved support files predate live streaming. Reconnect to the internet and start the stream again so Embedder can update them.
  • Start is unavailable: enter a voltage from 800 to 5000 mV.
  • Current reads zero: check the current path, the selected mode, and the supply. In source-meter mode, check that DUT power is on.
  • Current is higher than expected: check USB, debugger, and other paths that may power the board.
  • Voltage, power, and energy are empty: this is expected in ampere-meter mode.
  • Voltage or power call rejected: use source-meter mode when the PPK2 supplies the board, or remove those calls in ampere-meter mode.
  • Device unavailable: check USB, close other applications that use the PPK2, and complete setup.
  • Board stops after measurement: check the requested final supply state, and put back any measurement jumper before ordinary debugging.
Last modified on October 13, 2026