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Signal Integrity

Browse our library of resources to learn more about pcb design and signal integrity.

ADC Sampling Rate and Layout for Mixed Signal Boards Whenever you’re selecting an ADC, whether it is built into an MCU or as an external component, the sampling rate is a prime consideration, as it will determine how well you can reproduce a measured signal. RF applications, analog sensor boards, and other mixed-signal devices will need at least one ADC with an appropriately chosen ADC sampling rate. If you’re designing with a mixed-signal board, you’ll need to balance the required signal bandwidth Read Article

Differential Pair Length Matching: Best Practices for Signal Integrity Take two signals and send them down a parallel bus or differential pair. How can you be sure the downstream receiver will latch to your signals? If your signals don’t arrive at the same place and at the same time, then gates in your receiver won’t latch at just the right moment. This delicate balance can be like walking a tightrope across a cliff, and it can be difficult to maintain differential pair length matching by eyeing your trace lengths Read Article

What Types of EMI Filters are Best for Passing EMC Testing? When you need to pass EMC testing and your new product is being crippled by a mysterious source of EMI, you’ll probably start considering a complete product redesign. Your stackup, layout/routing, and component placement are good places to start, but there might be more you can do to suppress specific sources of EMI. There are many different types of EMI filters that you can place in your design, and the right filter can help suppress EMI in a Read Article

Thermal Relief Via Design for Proper Impedance Following DFM guidelines is a critical requirement for ensuring high yields and defect-free boards during fabrication. Most DFM guidelines are well-grounded and do not generally interfere with signal integrity. In the event that they do, most EDA tools include features that can help ensure you won’t sacrifice signal integrity for manufacturability, and the two design aspects often go hand-in-hand. One aspect of routing, signal integrity, and Read Article

Transmission Line Impedance: The Six Important Values When looking through the various transmission line impedance values, characteristic impedance and differential impedance generally stand out as the two important values as these are typically specified in signaling standards. However, there are really six transmission line impedance values that are important in PCB design. Sometimes there are seven, depending on which textbooks or technical articles you read. Characteristic impedance equations Read Article

NB-IoT Antenna Design and Layout for Your PCB With all the possible wireless communication protocols available for use in a mobile device, it can be difficult to keep them straight. Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE-M are two low-bandwidth protocols that provide remote monitoring capabilities over several miles of distance. While the data rates are quite low in both protocols, these protocols are excellent choices for lightweight embedded systems, such as small sensor arrays, industrial or Read Article

Single-Ended Switching Versus Differential Signaling Just about every place you look these days when you talk about high-speed PCB design, the signaling required for a product is, by default, differential signaling. But, differential signaling was not always at the forefront of product development. The original method of moving data was single-ended signaling. And, in some instances, it is still in use today. This article will describe the differences between single-ended and differential signaling Read Article

Is it Simultaneous Switching Noise or Crosstalk? How can you distinguish simultaneous switching noise and crosstalk? Take a look at the difference between these two signal integrity problems in this article. Read Article

Designing for Antenna Isolation in Your Wireless System Antenna isolation is designed to prevent interference between antennas and ensure diversity in wireless systems. Read Article

Differential Crosstalk and Spacing Between Differential Pairs Differential crosstalk causing problems in your signals? Here’s how differential signals produce crosstalk and how you can ensure differential signal integrity. Read Article

PCB Debugging: Tips, Tools, and Tricks There are some basic PCB debugging steps you should take when your new prototype has some signal integrity problems. Read Article

Switchback Routing vs. Serpentine Routing for Maximum Density Choosing between switchback routing or serpentine routing means considering signal integrity and crosstalk in your board. Read Article

PCB Trace Inductance and Width: How Wide is Too Wide? Here’s how you can size your traces correctly and ensure they have sufficiently low PCB trace inductance. Read Article

37:20 Efficient PCB Routing Using Gloss and Retrace Tools The primary goal of your traces is to carry signals throughout your board without losses. To do this properly, you Watch Video

31:31 Transmission Line Impedance Calculation With Altium Designer 20 Today’s PCBs contain many transmission lines. Combine this with increased clock frequencies and data rates and the result is a critical challenge to high-speed design. Neglecting these dynamics can undermine product development by compromising performance, power consumption, EMC/EMI compliance, and more - leading to delayed design cycles and opening gaps that can be exploited by your competition. Hone your high-speed design skills by joining us as we discuss the typical transmission lines encountered in today’s designs, the PCB variables that affect impedance, as well as how to create, calculate, and design transmission lines in Altium Designer. Learn how to maximize the built in SIMBEOR® engine by Simberian to craft impedance profiles and manage transmission lines in your designs. This Live Webinar recording covers the following: Current trends in electronics development PCB transmission line model and impedance calculations Transmission line with specified impedance in Altium Designer Don’t pass up on this opportunity to experience the industry’s best in class design experience! Watch Video

Signal Integrity Evangelist Eric Bogatin, our Expert Insider to DesignCon 2020 Signal integrity expert, Dr. Eric Bogatin, joins us in this episode to talk about the upcoming DesignCon conference and expo that will be held in Santa Clara, CA January 28th through January 30th. Dr. Bogatin shares information about the presentations he’ll be giving; this includes a 2-part S-Parameter master class, speed training about understanding TDR measurements, and a session tackling tricks the experts use to get more out of their Read Article

Living on the Edge (Rate) — It’s All About Time and Distance The focus of this article is the clarify the origins of the phrase edge rate, what it really means relative to the design process and the best means for addressing it. Read Article