diff --git a/tests/xtimer_drift/README.md b/tests/xtimer_drift/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..1673e1c932 --- /dev/null +++ b/tests/xtimer_drift/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,16 @@ +# xtimer_drift test application + +Make note of the PC clock when starting this test. Let it run for a while, and +compare the printed time against the expected time from the PC clock. The +difference is the RIOT timer drift, this is likely caused by either: + +- an inaccurate hardware timer, or +- bugs in the software (xtimer or periph/timer) + +This test will run a periodic timer every `TEST_INTERVAL` microseconds (`TEST_HZ`). +The current time will be printed once per second, along with the difference +between the actual and expected `xtimer_now` value. The first output variable +`drift`, represents the total offset since start between `xtimer_now` and the +expected time. The second output variable `jitter`, represents the difference +in drift from the last printout. Two other threads are also running only to +cause CPU load with extra interrupts and context switches.