dielectric material loss

Cutting your losses – loss planning and you

Loss planning – What is the best laminate for a loss budget of x dB for y inches?  I was thinking in terms of Panasonic Megaton (sic) 6 or something like it.

copper thickness in PCBs

Copper thickness: Closing the knowledge gap to design success

Copper thickness determination of rolled and electro-deposited (ED) copper foil by weight provides far more accuracy than contact-thickness gauges. Since the topography of treated foil varies greatly, and since the density of copper is known, weighing a 1-by-1 foot sheet is the best way to determine the average thickness of a sheet of copper.  So formally, the unit that we refer to as “ounces” is actually ounces per square foot.

Crosstalk along traces

Your #1 defense against a crosstalk crisis

It’s been some time since I’ve seen an article on crosstalk, so I decided to take the opportunity to walk…

PCB material selection for PCB stackup design

Avoid overspending on stackup materials in your PCBs – 8 high speed materials to consider

PCB material discussions are often focused around stackup material selection. These tend to be framed by questions like: ‘We use material ‘x’ for our designs and really like it. What do you think of it?’ This often veils the real question which is: ‘Do you know a good alternative to it?’

Your traces aren’t square, but do you need to care?

Your traces aren’t square, but do you need to care?

Yes, you should care about the fact that PCB traces, when actually manufactured, end up having more of a trapezoidal…

Can you make Z higher?

Can you make Z higher?

Simulations should match measurements.  Otherwise, what good are they?  When doing signal integrity simulations, that starts with comprehensive stackup modeling. …

Try to fit some plane pairs in your stackup

Try to fit some plane pairs in your stackup

At the very minimum, a good board stackup has solid reference planes for signal routing.  Power demands now pretty much…

High impedance drives your stackup geometries

High impedance drives your stackup geometries

Anyone that’s ever tried to put 75-ohm video onto a PCB stackup knows how high impedance will drive layer thicknesses. …

Stackups: More than just a bunch of routing layers

Stackups: More than just a bunch of routing layers

Proper stackup design is the key to ensuring maximum performance for your PCB design.  Electromagnetic compatibility, signal integrity, power integrity…