Mentor Blogs

After years of pooh-poohing AMD, Intel had to admit you could get more data throughput switching to a high-speed serial approach. Let’s say high-speed serial is in the 1 to 10 Gbps range per lane, and use PCIe as an example. This is where the benefits become irresistible and the behavior becomes unexpected according to the previous rules of layout design. The PCIe specification helps define the different … Read More

RF, PCI Express

The IPC Embedded Mailing list (EmbeddedNet@IPC.org) has been silent –some may claim stone dead for a very long time. My article and subsequent blog posts claiming that there never was an Embedded Passive boom apparently provoked some and an intense discussion broke out on the mailing list where EP material vendors, IPC, EIA, EIC standardization committee members, PCB designers, board shops….argued … Read More

Embedded passives, RF

New technology is cool but… with most new processes there are risks to be managed.  Usually new technologies promises/offers higher design performance, lower product costs and or faster design turn around but, failing to manage the risks can cause all the benefits to go down the drain. Embedded Passives are no exception –on the contrary, there are many pitfalls that can result in bad boards –expensive … Read More

RF, Embedded passives

Do you remember the hype on EP’s (Embedded Passives) just a few years ago? In the PCBD&F magazine, late in 2006, Kathy Nargi-Toth wrote in an Editorial to PCD&F referring to an industry survey: The statistic that blew me away was the change in anticipated implementation of embedded passives. The projections are that 24.6% of the PCBs, up 222% over current figures, will incorporate embedded … Read More

SERDES, RF, Embedded passives