Causes of Signal Degradation in PCB Transmission Lines

Signal degradation on PCB transmission lines manifests in many forms: undershoot, overshoot, ringing, pulse shape distortion, switching noise, attenuation, ground bounce, skew, etc. All these can be... [more]

Does a Differential Pair Need a Return Plane?

A differential pair is any two transmission lines. When each transmission line has a return plane, its pretty clear how the differential impedance is related to the geometry. But what if there is no... [more]

Designing and Analyzing High Frequency Interconnects

High frequency PCB designs carry a unique set of challenges due to concentration of signal power in a narrow bandwidth. To design high frequency interconnects, designers must consider an entire... [more]

The Mystery of Bypass Capacitors

How do you design a high-speed digital circuit with enough bypass caps in the right area to supply all the peak power demands? You can’t listen to all the expert advice because it seems they can’t... [more]