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    Power Integrity

    Power Integrity

    Browse our library of resources to learn more about pcb design and power integrity.
    Everything You Need to Know About Ferrite Beads As noted in my previous blog regarding PDS design, the whole power supply conundrum is one that has been plagued over the years with a number of erroneous rules-of-thumb; “black magic” design rules and confusion as to what does or doesn’t work. One of the most controversial topic areas focuses on the use of ferrite beads as a means of controlling and containing EMI. There is conflicting information concerning the use of ferrite beads and it is Read Article
    Getting Started with PDN Analyzer To learn more about this topic please see the full solution - Getting Started with PDN Analyzer - at Altium.com. Download PDF
    Optimizing Power Consumption Power efficiency—energy efficiency if you’re a purist—has become perhaps the highest-profile aspect of system design. This is especially true for IoT applications where a device may need to operate for years on harvested energy or a cell battery. Thus, a critical stage of design is power optimization. Typically, the first stage of power optimization is setting the power budget. For example, the system spec might state that the device has to be Read Article
    EMI from Heatsinks and What You Can Do About It Selecting the right heatsink can help you keep your system cool and prevent EMI. While it may not be obvious, or while most designers may not think to check, heatsinks can generate EMI when they are connected to a switching element. This is a common problem in power supply design, and whenever a heatsink is placed in contact with a component that switches with high current draw at high frequency. Reducing EMI from heatsinks requires balancing the Read Article
    Some Techniques for Suppressing DC-DC Converter EMI in IoT Products This Li ion battery is most likely connected to a switching regulator to provide stable power. Suppressing EMI susceptibility in IoT devices from various sources is critical to ensuring your new product will work as designed. Similarly, your IoT product should limit spurious emissions if you want it to comply with EMC regulations. Among the various sources of radiated EMI from your next product, EMI within the device itself should also be Read Article
    SMPS Circuit Design: Which Switching Frequency to Use? Power supply on a network switch Power electronics and switched-mode power supply (SMPS) designers should know that working with higher switching frequencies can lead to higher switching losses in your system. However, the push to miniaturize power supplies, and the components that go into them, compels designers to work with higher switching frequencies in their SMPS circuit designs. This then creates problems where switching losses and noise Read Article
    Radiated EMI Sources in High Speed/High Frequency PCBs Radiated EMI measurements during EMC testing The image above shows a snapshot of results from an EMC test under CISPR requirements. This product is right at the edge of Class B limits on radiated emissions. We can see a very complicated resonance spectrum in this plot with a large number of sharp peaks superimposed on wide peaks at lower level. What causes all of this radiated noise? There a number of sources that can cause this type of emission Read Article
    PDN Impedance Analysis and Modeling: From Schematic to Layout We talk a lot about signal integrity around here, but signal integrity is intimately related to power integrity. This is about more than just reducing switching noise or ripple from your power supply/voltage regulator. This is where the impedance of your PDN in your PCB can rear its ugly head in certain designs, causing components in your board to fail to work as designed due to power problems. Here’s where it helps to understand some basic Read Article
    Length Matching for High-speed Signals: Trombone, Accordion, and Sawtooth Tuning Length matching for high-speed signals is all about synchronization... Once upon a time, length matching for high-speed signals required a designer with enough skill to remain productive when manually applying different trace length turning schemes. Now, with the advanced interactive routing features in modern PCB design tools, designers no longer need to manually length tune every trace in their layout. The remaining choice for a designer is Read Article
    Never Cross a Ground Plane Gap in High Speed PCB Design Make sure none of these traces crosses a ground plane gap I often browse electronics and PCB forums, and I see the same question asked over and over: Why shouldn’t I route a trace over a split in my ground plane? This question gets asked by everyone from makers to professional designers who are just dipping their toes into high speed PCB design. For the professional signal integrity engineer, the answer should be obvious. Whether you’re a long Read Article
    The Role of a Decoupling Inductor and Resistor in a PDN You might want to add one of these components to your decoupling network In a previous article, we looked at the role of decoupling capacitors, as well as the difference between decoupling and bypassing. A decoupling capacitor provides the same functions as a bypass capacitor, but it also provides another important function in that it compensates changes in the ground potential as an IC switches. There is another important point involved in Read Article
    What Size Decoupling Capacitor Should I Use for My Digital ICs? Are these capacitors sized properly? There is quite a bit of information out there about bypass and decoupling capacitors. Both components are vitally important for maintaining power integrity and signal integrity. When you start looking through the information on this topic, you’ll find that the procedure for sizing a decoupling capacitor for a digital IC is quite simple. Bypassing vs. Decoupling: What’s the Difference? Although you wouldn’t Read Article
    Embedded System Power Supply Guidelines for Power Integrity This system will require its own power supply and regulation Embedded systems that require a significant amount of processing power and that need to interface with analog components require important embedded system power supply guidelines in order to ensure power and signal integrity. Whether you design your own external power supply, or embed a power supply directly alongside your board, you’ll need to follow some important power integrity Read Article
    Datasheet Reliability with Ben Jordan When are datasheets accurate and can we rely on them? Ben Jordan is back on the show to discuss datasheets and how to achieve reliability for your use case. We also cover an unusual question from the forum about gilding that you won’t want to miss. Ben always enjoys catching up with the Lounge Forum, and this week, one of our users, Tim Philips, posted a datasheet that he had come across for an inductor. Listen in to explore these topics in this Read Article
    Power Integrity Analysis for Your Power Delivery Network The first time I built a simple DC board for powering a small group of sensors, I was astounded at the level of noise in my voltage measurements. Surely, the $5,000 meter I was using couldn’t be faulty, and the output fluctuations from the power supply were lower than the noise being measured, so how could my signals be experiencing such noise problems? Little did I know, some poor design decisions on my simple DC board created the opportunity Read Article
    PCB Design Tips for SRAM Users: How to Prevent Data Loss SRAM loses its data when power is removed. One of the best inventions in editing software is the autosave feature, which prevents Murphy’s Law from striking at the worst time. Decades ago, I nearly cried when several pages of an important university assignment were literally wiped out, as the non-existence of the autosave feature was made worse by my reluctance to hit the ‘Save’ button. In electronics, you risk losing the entire data stored in a Read Article
    When Trace Resistance Trumps Trace Impedance Unless you have a photographic memory, you probably don’t have every single design formula memorized. It’s understandable; looking throughout the compendium of knowledge in physics and engineering, there are far too many formulas for any one person to memorize. Thankfully, some folks have created useful calculators that help you save time when designing a new system. The resistance and impedance of traces in your PCB have major impacts on power Read Article