Latest Posts

Simulating a Serial Link

Author: Donald Telian , SI Guys - Guest Blogger And now one of my favorite topics: simulating a serial link. Good technology, good models, good margins, endless options. Yet how do I construct an accurate simulation? And what do I measure? Part of what makes this topic interesting is the variety of answers out there. And the almost infinite number of dials makes the task an engineer’s dream. In a world like that, how do I get started? …and how do I know when I’m done? How good ...

Read More
Donald Telian, SiGuys - Guest Blogger 4/15/2019 Comments(0)

Thinking About Power Integrity

Author: Donald Telian , SI Guys - Guest Blogger Early February, over a foot of snow outside my office and the power is out. Good day to think about Power Integrity. Power matters. But why here in a series on Signal Integrity ? Good question. Power Integrity PI and Signal Integrity SI are intimately intertwined. Here are a few reasons why: PI and SI problems cause similar intermittent issues in systems PI problems can cause SI problems, and vice versa Because of 1 and 2 above, the problems are of...

Read More
Donald Telian, SiGuys - Guest Blogger 3/22/2019 Comments(0)

Understanding Trace Impedance

Author: Donald Telian , SI Guys - Guest Blogger The way high-speed signals interact with trace impedance has changed a bit over time, making the subject worthy of our attention. Thankfully, the importance - and even mechanics - of proper trace impedance is widely understood and agreed upon. So much so, the concept almost seems mundane – particularly against the rising importance of proper via impedance . However, I have found that engineers can benefit by improving their trace impedance in...

Read More
Donald Telian, SiGuys - Guest Blogger 2/7/2019 Comments(0)

Managing PCB Crosstalk

Author: Donald Telian , SI Guys - Guest Blogger Crosstalk occurs when energy in one signal often called an aggressor couples onto another signal the victim adversely affecting the victim signal’s performance. The aggressor/victim language associated with crosstalk indicates danger is lurking, provoking a hardware engineer to consistent vigilance. How can we tame this foe? Or, more specifically, what causes crosstalk? …when does it become problematic? …and what can you do to ens...

Read More
Donald Telian, SiGuys - Guest Blogger 1/16/2019 Comments(0)

7 Steps to Successful Serial Link Layout - Part 3

Author: Donald Telian , SI Guys - Guest Blogger This is the final installment in our 7 Steps series. If you’re just now tuning in, Part 1 detailed the primary problems we need to solve when implementing serial links: loss and discontinuities. In Part 2 we examined the pragmatic side of how those problems are handled during the layout process. Now in Part 3 we focus on issues that arise in manufacturing as well as opportunities related to software configuration – both important topics...

Read More
Donald Telian, SiGuys - Guest Blogger 11/30/2018 Comments(0)

7 Steps to Successful Serial Link Layout, Part 2

Author: Donald Telian , SI Guys - Guest Blogger This is a continuation of my previous post detailing the 7 Steps required to successfully implement a serial link. While all 7 steps aim at controlling discontinuities and loss concepts introduced in Steps 1 and 2 , this post ventures into the pragmatic aspects of managing loss and discontinuities during the routing process. Ever wonder how a tiny via stub can destroy your signal? Read on. Step 3: Route Using Best Practices While it would seem self...

Read More
Donald Telian - Guest Blogger, SiGuys 11/5/2018 Comments(1)