The Shaughnessy Report: Back to the Future
Designers Notebook: Addressing Future Challenges for Designers
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—Surface Finish
ICD Adds Termination Planner to Stackup Software
November 2, 2016 | ICDEstimated reading time: 1 minute
In-Circuit Design Pty Ltd (ICD), Australia, developer of the iCD Stackup and PDN Planner software, has released a new Termination Planner feature for its Stackup software.
The key pillars of high-speed design stability are stackup impedance, PDN impedance, and matched impedance. ICD currently has the first two issues covered with the Stackup and PDN Planner software. And now, the Termination Planner feature has also been introduced to complement the existing software.
“For perfect transfer of energy and to benefit from the highest possible bandwidth, the impedance of the driver must match the impedance of the transmission line and be constant along its entire length,” said CEO Barry Olney. “Unfortunately, using mainstream PCB layout software, one really has no idea what the driver impedance is, let alone the capability to match the driver to the unknown impedance of the transmission line.”
The ICD Termination Planner addresses this issue. Firstly, the attributes required to determine the source impedance of the driver, are extracted from an IBIS model IV curves. Then the required series termination resistance is calculated, based on a distributed system, to match the transmission line for the selected layer in the iCD Stackup Planner. If the IBIS model is not available (or produces an error) the user may use Generic models to calculate an approximate series termination. Generic models include: typical DDRx, Display Port, ECL, HDMI, LVCMOS and LVTTL gates, Mini-LVDS, NAND Flash, PCI, SDRAM, HSTL and SSTL models.
The number of loads on the transmission line also has an affect on the required value of series termination; as the IC input inductance and capacitance tend to roll-off the signal rise time. This can be adjusted from 1 – 6 loads and automatically compensated for in the calculation.
This new feature will be delivered to current ICD support customers as part of an interim upgrade and will be also made available as part of a new Stackup Planner acquisition.
A quick demonstration of the new ICD Termination Planner can be viewed here.
About In-Circuit Design Pty Ltd
In-Circuit Design Pty Ltd, based in Australia, developer of the ICD Stackup and PDN Planner software, is a PCB design service bureau and specialist in board level simulation. For further information or to download a free evaluation of the software, please visit www.icd.com.au
Share on:
Suggested Items
ASM Technologies Signs MoU with the Government of Karnataka
02/14/2025 | ASM TechnologiesAs part of the agreement ASM Technologies will acquire 10 acres of land from the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) to set up a state-of-the-art design facility.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
02/14/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineShow season is upon us. Recently, Marcy LaRont and I attended DesignCon’s 30th anniversary show, and the expo floor was packed for almost the entire time. Show managers went all out, hosting a welcome party that included a rocking DJ. Much of the event revolved around AI and how to implement it. Is your company utilizing AI now? I’m featuring an abundance of articles from the past week, covering everything from DesignCon presentations to the benefits of volunteering for an IPC committee. If you’ve ever thought about joining a relevant committee, IPC is always looking for “new blood.”
PCB Designers of the Future—and Their Software Tools
02/14/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineThe PCB designers of tomorrow have their work cut out for them. They’ll be dealing with the continuing drive for “faster, smaller, cheaper,” while electronics become more complex. But EDA companies have improved their software tools’ capabilities over the past few years, incorporating functionalities such as AI and increasing productivity. I asked David Wiens, product marketing manager at Siemens, to share his thoughts on the continuing evolution of PCB design and PCB designers, and how EDA software companies can help designers meet the technological requirements of tomorrow.
Here’s Looking at You, Kid
02/13/2025 | IPC Community Editorial TeamOur industry is facing a two-fold challenge: finding the next generation of PCB designers and training these young technologists. Most high school career counselors don't know anything about this career, and electrical engineering grads leave college with little or no PCB design knowledge. Where do we start? We asked two PCB design instructors, IPC’s Kris Moyer and Palomar College’s John Watson, to weigh in on the best methods for finding and training the designers of tomorrow.
Pieces of a Puzzle: PCB Designer John Watson Sees the Big Picture of Life and Work
02/13/2025 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunityJohn Watson started his career in military intelligence and as an electronics repair technician but moved over to printed circuit board design at a time when the whole electronics industry was experiencing a paradigm shift.