Power Analyzer by Keysight

Power integrity analysis at design time.

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Power Integrity

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

The Complete Guide to PCB Power Integrity Power Analyzer by Keysight PDN Analyzer PDN Analyzer for DC Power Integrity PDN Design for the PCB Designer

Modeling Capacitor Impedance Vs. Frequency Using an Excel Spreadsheet

Modeling Capacitor Impedance Vs. Frequency Using an Excel Spreadsheet As noted in an earlier article, based on class notes from our two-day design course, getting the power subsystem design correct is the most challenging aspect of today’s high-speed PCB design process. A major aspect of this process is modeling the power supply to ensure that it will function properly in the end product. A critical part of this modeling effort focuses on being able to model capacitor impedance vs frequency. This is simple enough Read Article

Low Noise, Low EMI Power Distribution

Low Noise, Low EMI Power Distribution This board has several loads on it, but it is purely a distribution board with no regulation. The main loads are the hefty 5V Tilta nano focus motor, 5V SDI to HDMI converter, 5V Tilta follows focus control, and the battery voltage powered monitor. Out of these, only the SDI to HDMI convert needs remotely clean power. The motor, however, is very electrically noisy, so it needs good isolation. Read Article

PDN Impedance Measurement For Power Subsystem Design

PDN Impedance Measurement For Power Subsystem Design In order for a power subsystem to provide adequate power, a PDN impedance measurement versus frequency must be performed with custom test probes. Read Article

Know the Power Dissipation

How to Calculate Power Dissipation Understanding power dissipation of an individual component, an electrical block, or even the whole electronics system is essential for electronics engineers. It is important not only to avoid exceeding the maximum limits of components but also to calculate unknown parameters in input or output sides because power dissipation is related to system voltage and current. In this article, I describe my practices for analyzing power dissipation in Read Article

12V DC Uninterruptible Power Supply

12V DC Uninterruptible Power Supply I live in a rural village that tends to have intermittent power when there are high winds or storms. Because of this, my computers, servers, and network equipment are all on relatively low-cost, uninterruptible power supplies. These all run on sealed lead acid batteries and are not an overly efficient way to power a DC device such as a Raspberry Pi or internet router as the incoming mains. AC charges a DC battery, which then creates AC power Read Article

DesignCon 2020’s ‘Engineer of the Year’ Talks Power Integrity, Picosatellites, and Simulation Tools

DesignCon 2020’s ‘Engineer of the Year’ Talks Power Integrity, Picosatellites, and Simulation Tools Istvan Novak, Principal Signal and Power Integrity Engineer for Samtec Inc. and winner of the DesignCon 2020 Engineer of the Year Award joins the OnTrack podcast to talk about picosatellites, simulation tools, and the rising importance of power integrity. Read Article

Why PCB Power Rails Need to be Low Impedance

Why PCB Power Rails Need to be Low Impedance Read to learn what constitutes power rails, how it functions, and how fear can be a driving factor in making bad design decisions. Read Article

High Voltage SMPS PCB Layout to Minimize Heat and Noise

High Voltage SMPS PCB Layout to Minimize Heat and Noise Whether you are performing AC-DC conversion or DC-DC conversion, switching power supply layouts are common in high voltage design and must be constructed carefully. Although this system is quite common, it will easily radiate EMI due to the fast changes in voltage and current during switching. Designers can rarely adapt existing designs into new systems as a minor change in one area can create an EMI problem that is difficult to diagnose. With Read Article

How to Select an Inductor for a Buck Converter

How to Select an Inductor for a Buck Converter An SMPS is one of those quiet (yet electrically noisy) devices that makes your favorite electronics run smoothly. They sit in the background quietly doing their duty, yet your board wouldn’t operate without them. As part of DC-DC converter design for power-hungry applications, component selection is quite important for ensuring stable power delivery to a load with high efficiency. Among the numerous DC-DC converter topologies, a buck converter Read Article

Debugging Power Supply Noise to Reduce Signal and Clock Jitter

How to Reduce Clock and Signal Jitter: Debugging Power Supply Noise Low level components need ultra-stable power, and high speed digital signals need to have repeatable edge transition times. The two aspects of digital signalling are related, and you’ll need to suppress all aspects of power supply noise to reduce jitter in a digital system. During a design debug, you’ll need to gather measurements throughout your board if you want to isolate and eliminate sources of power supply noise. Here’s how you can isolate Read Article

Everything You Need to Know About Ferrite Beads

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

How Do Pads and Vias Impact Total Capacitor Parasitic Inductance?

How Do Pads and Vias Impact Total Capacitor Parasitic Inductance? In this blog article we discuss how the footprint and mounting style affect capacitor parasitic inductance. The pads and vias back to the PCB power planes increase the total series inductance of the capacitor. Read Article

Decoupling Capacitor and Bypass Placement Guidelines

Decoupling Capacitor and Bypass Placement Guidelines Power integrity problems are normally viewed from the perspective of the power supply, but looking at the output from ICs is just as important. Decoupling and bypass capacitors are intended to compensate for power fluctuations seen on the PDN, which ensures your signal levels are consistent and a constant voltage is seen at the power/ground pins on an IC. We’ve compiled some important bypass and decoupling capacitor design guidelines to help you Read Article

With so many possible noise sources, it can be difficult to tell them apart.

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

Analog Signal Bandwidth and its Relation to Power Integrity

Analog Signal Bandwidth and its Relation to Power Integrity Here’s how your analog signal bandwidth interacts with your PDN, and how it affects power integrity. Read Article

PCB Debugging: Tips, Tools, and Tricks

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

Using an IPC-2221 Calculator for High Voltage Design

Using an IPC-2221 PCB Clearance Calculator for High Voltage Design PCB design and assembly standards aren’t there to constrain your productivity. Instead, they’re there to help create uniform expectations of product designs and performance across multiple industries. With standardization comes the tools for compliance, such as calculators for certain design aspects, processes for auditing and inspection, and much more. In high voltage PCB design, the important generic standard for PCB design is IPC-2221. Many Read Article