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Close Isn't Good Enough Anymore
As I was preparing to write this editorial, I asked myself: “What did I do in the past that was relatively
simple then, but has gotten vastly more complicated now?” The answer was tuning up a car’s engine.
I’ve always liked cars. As a teenager, I would get together with my buddies on weekends to extract
the finest performance from our machines. We lived for the automotive trinity: high speed, loud
sounds, and great looks.
I remember replacing the spark plugs, which were factory-set to a gap clearance specific to my car’s
engine. However, this factory setting was rarely correct. If the gap was too wide, I tapped the end of
the spark plug on the garage floor and remeasured. If it was too tight, I used a screwdriver to spread
open the electrode, widening the gap.
Tuning up a car’s engine used to be quite easy. I wasn’t concerned with tight tolerances – close was
good enough. But advances in automotive technology have made it virtually impossible for me to
work on my car anymore.
Similarly, advances in PCB technologies pose far more difficult engineering challenges today than
they did just a short time ago. Feature size reduction, market demands, and the need for reduced
power consumption have driven core voltages down and operating frequencies up. These changes in
signal voltage and frequency require new design practices that take into account electrical effects that
could previously be ignored.
This issue features a section on signal integrity issues, tools, and methodologies pertaining to highspeed
PCB design. We also have a section on end-to-end programmable solutions for line cards and
high-speed serial backplanes. Together with many of our partners, Xilinx is addressing these issues to
help you resolve the technical difficulties that affect performance, system development, and product
introduction schedules.
As the new Managing Editor for Xcell, I’d like your feedback on the signal integrity series in this
issue, as I endeavor to continually improve the magazine. Please visit our website at
www.xilinx.com/si_xcell.htm, where you will find a short survey form.
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