Design optimization of singleended and differential. Regardless of how they are routed, the differential impedance must be 100. Similar notes exist for other devices but usb is the one im most interested in. If youre designing a high speed pcb, then chances are youre working with the latest and most powerful technologies, like hdmi, usb3. He was the original product architect for expedition pcb and. On an impedance controlled layer for example, with 100 diff, find an unused area and run a differential pair and expose at each end to the surface with test pads. When it dropped down on the pcb side it is recognized specifically as a differential pair class.
There are three main differential pair routing rules or tips youll need to follow in order to maintain signal integrity and keep your differential pairs from inducing noise into your pcb signals. Thats where the power of the engineer comes in, and where assistive routing technology can help. Differential pair routing solidworks pcb documentation. Download this zip file from the onboard site and take a minute to. Rather than attempting to change the existing routing using a drafting type approach of clicking and dragging. I encourage you to study them with the intent of finding techniques and tricks that will help you route these challenging devices. An11082 pcb design and layout guidelines for cbtl04083a. A differential pair needs a negative and a positive net.
Altium differential pair and tuning length routing my. Hi there, this is my first time doing a differential pair layout, and i am hoping to gain some helpful pointers. The usb port pins usb dp and usb dm must be routed as 90 ohm differential pcb traces. Using a trick with the project explorer you can define the diff pairs much more quickly than is possible in pads layout. Defining differential pairs within pads router using pads router, you can define your diff pairs and assign the same rule set to multiple diff pairs at once. Trunk routing allows you to add multiple tracks in parallel for common functional signals such as differential pair, buses or memory signals. When the route length is set in differential pair settings, by using tune differential pair route lengths, the route length can be adjusted by clicking on a route after routing and moving the cursor for more details about differential pair settings, refer. In a typical board, components are placed on the top, while differential pairs are routed in inner layers where they lower electromagnetic radiation and pairtopair crosstalk. How do i lay out pcb traces for a given differential impedance. Trace routing using pads professional mentor graphics. In expedition you could hold down the alt key and pick up just one trackvia of a differential and move it independently of the other.
Click the menu topbar route differential pair routing 3. May 27, 20 to implementing differential pair signals and buses. The activeroute tool, xsignals tool, and integrated field solver can help you easily route differential pairs with controlled differential impedance. Under pcb, pcb, select all differential pairs and you will see that both drv and drv1 pairs have automatically been assigned the positive and negative nets. Within differential pair matching package to socket to pcb uniform zo along transmission path trace fabrication feature control along trace consistent zo layer to layer z o1 z o2 z o3 z o4 z o1z o1 z z o1 chip1 chip2 dielectric thickness percent zdiff impedance variation trac e width trac e thic k nes s d i electric thick. How should i route differential signals on a printed circuit. Differential pair pcb routing can be tricky, the designer needs to define them in the software as a pair then set the trace widths and gaps according to the desired impedance. Route individual traces or hundreds, singleended andor differential pairs. If both differential pairs and individual traces need to be centered, a single spacing value will not force all the traces to be centered. How to i move one trackvia of a diff pair on its own like i use to in expedition. Learning how to route differential pairs and setting up all the important rules for differential pairs is so critical in todays designs.
Radhakrishnan g works as ae manager for coreel technologies handling the pcb product line. Based on the influence of some signal integrity experts and my own intuition and simulation experience over the years in signal integrity, i am convinced that loosely coupled differential routing is usually the preferred method for routing differential pairs in a printed circuit board. Route a differential pair, click on either net in the pair to commence routing. Differential signaling involves sending two signals down a pair of traces in order to obtain and. The trace width that should be used to route the differential pair nets the majority of the time the width you prefer your differential pairs to be routed anatomy of a differential pair minimum line width min line width. This is the amount in which the diff pairs will be matched to.
Figure 3 compares an optical module driver in both singleendeda and differential b modes. There is a method in existing expedition pcb and xpedition layout that can be used to accommodate the centering of both single ended nets and differential pairs. Give it a try and add any comments for tips you may have for working with diff pairs. This document is for information and instruction purposes. I downloaded zcalc and i kind of understand how to input my pcb data to get a specified differential impedance. Again, the exact number may be less, depending on the speed of the interface. Strong design software for differential pair routing pcb design blog. To route the board select place, interactive differential pair routing and select one of the two pins on the. Once all are routed, select the nets and use the tune action key f4 to tune the nets per the tune settings in your editor controls. Successful completion of the xpcb layout introduction course or adequate experience using expedition pcb without the xpcb layout introduction course, instructor permission is required. How do i lay out pcb traces for a given differential. Highspeed pcb differential pair routing to preserve. Provides all the tools designers need to handle complex design challenges including differential pair routing, net tuning, manufacturing optimization, flex. Eagle version 6 will be able to manually route differential.
Design requirements are defined by net classes, classtoclass rules, and detailed settings by object types for each class or layer. It has less impact on the outside, and has strong noise resistance. A differential pair is two traces arranged in such a way that benefit from differential signaling. The part about the width and gap specification seems to work fine i can route pairs and they turn out to have the right dimensions. Differential pair use early applications for differential pairs mecl i 1962 mecl ii 1966 mecl iii 1968 mecl 10k 1979 mecl 10kh 1981 ansitiaeia6441995 is the generic physical layer standard for lvds. Pcb layout is a highlevel engineering tool for board design featuring smart manual routing of highspeed and differential signals, shapebased autorouter, advanced verification, and wide importexport capabilities. The debate rages as some argue that since the two halves of the pair carry equal and opposite signals. Tight coupling for differential pairs january 15, 2009 by dtcarney leave a comment based on the influence of some signal integrity experts and my own intuition and simulation experience over the years in signal integrity, i am convinced that loosely coupled differential routing is usually the preferred method for routing differential. Differential pair routes is paring two signals with mirrored polarity. The animation below shows a differential pair being routed. To learn more about flyby topology routing for your ddr3 and ddr4 memory devices, talk to an expert at altium. How to get differential pairs to match in length mentor. Allegro pcb design tutorial routing differential pair allegro provides a way to define the differential pairs in its constraint manager, so that you can route these signals as differential pair.
Use the following guidelines to route differential signals on a pcb. The spacing between tracks in the bus or the gap in differential pairs, if the rules allow it can be increased or decreased interactively as you route by pressing a hot key. Differential pairs are routed as a pair that is, you route two nets simultaneously. Short demo of some software i recently wrote that helps tune lengthmatch differential pair signals in the mentor graphics expedition pcb ecad tool. Several web sites such as the examples listed below contain additional reference information. The best design tips for differential pair routing tempo. A great piece of pcb layout software like altium designer makes it easy to layout differential pairs in your next highspeed or highfrequency design. The differential pairs routing rule doesnt seem to be working properly. Figures there are more than a hundred figures in this book showing details about bga breakouts. Considerations for pcb layout and impedance matching design. Now just set up the track width and pair routing rules and you are all set. Trying to parse through a dense board layout for one specific component or net is no easy task in any pcb design tool. To route a differential pair, select interactive differential pair routing from the route menu.
Pcb routing guidelines for ddr4 memory devices altium. I understand how routing a matched impedance differential pair works but ive never encountered the need for a specific resistance value for the traces. Orcad constraint driven design flow pcb design accelerated. You can route the differential pair on the same layer edge coupling with minimal spacing between them about 5 mils or you can route the differential pair on two adjacent layers broadside coupling. Keep both traces of each differential pair as identical to each other as possible.
Oct 24, 2017 differential pair routing is a design technique employed to create a balanced transmission system able to carry differential equal and opposite signals across a printed circuit board. Aug 17, 2015 usually other software i tend to route the internal pairs out manually and then finish them off using the differential pair tool, on the beta of diptrace 2. Interactive routing online documentation for altium products. The most important thing to remember is to keep trace lengths as close as possible while adhering to your cms layout tolerances and ensuring. May 07, 2016 differential pair routing is a design technique employed to create a balanced transmission system able to carry differential equal and opposite signals across a printed circuit board. Simply adjust the variables to achieve the desired impedance of 100 or 90 ohms for a. Solidworks pcb provides support for loop removal when routing using either the multitrace or differential pair interactive routing tools.
The ac coupling capacitors for both differential pair signals must be the same value, same package size, and have symmetric placement. We spend countless hours researching various file formats and software that can open, convert, create or otherwise work with those files. Just create an object list, enter rule parameter values such as target impedance, tolerance for deviation from the target, etc. You might want to get them to the actual spacing between diff pairs. Differential pairs are typically routed with specific widthgap settings to deliver the required singleended and differential impedance needed for that net pair. Assign a match tolerance at the top level of the constraint class. Its a great way to speed the definition and rule assignment for differential pairs. Learn how to use differential pair for pcb design in. Pcb layout has never been easier for circuit boards with volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, timing and clock dependencies, or for differential pairs. With the hyperlynx drc free edition, or any other hyperlynx drc configuration, you can use the differential pair impedance rule to do the checking for you.
To learn more about altium designer and how its routing. In ces and expedition pcb, this shared interconnect is called a stub with the stub. Differential pair routing by barry olney incircuit design pty ltd, australia s u m m a r y beyond design column a differential pair is two complementary transmission lines that transfer equal and opposite signals down their length. Differential pair signals and buses element14 eagle. When the route length is set in differential pair settings, by using tune differential pair route lengths, the route length can be adjusted by clicking on a route after routing and moving the cursor. Im sure theres some properties or modes i am missing that makes this easier than doing it manually. Typically this differential routing will interface to an external differential transmission system, such as a connector and cable. He had been associated with the pcb domain for almost 15 years. I need to go from one point on the pcb to a db25 connector located about 6 inches of pcb trace in length. Select the diff pairs you created using ces and rmb assign to constraint class, choose the class from step 1. If the pcb layout really needs to use vias on the differential pairs, please match the vias to keep the differential pairs balanced.
Heres how i do equal length differential pair routing in eagle cad. Impedance and pcb stacking the trace impedance is affected by many factors such as the width of the trace, th e thickness of the copper, the pcb material, the pcb stacking specification, and the spacing between the differential pairs. When i route differential pairs up to 100ghz i make sure that there are no vias at all and the microstrip lines have a defined impedance of exactly 50 ohms and the layout is as symmetrical as possible. Nets are configured as a differential pair in the differential pair editor mode of the pcb panel. Click the upper half of the route button or select interactive routing from the menu, then click on a connection line or pad to begin routing that net. How to route differential pairs in autodesk eagle eagle blog. Pads provides proven tools for pcb design at an unbeatable price, with scalable. What are the advantages of differential pair routing over. Assign and route differential pairs and check for hazards. You will be prompted to select one of the nets in the pair, click on either to start routing.
Routing differential pairs in vx mentor graphics communities. Typically this differential routing will interface to an external differential transmission system, such as a. Designcon 2018 new pcb design technologies eagle blog. But the power to route a bus or pair of differential pairs precisely. Impedance requirement materials and thicknesses pcb fab stock dielectric dk and df on a given frequency. There may be a separate spacing from differential pair to differential pair as well. Many signals needed delay management and differential pairs became the norm. Based on the interactive routing engine introduced in summer 08, similar commands and features make its use intuitive and easy to use. Can anyone help me on how to route a differential pair to be the same length and same separation during the whole route.
Provides all the tools designers need to handle complex design challenges including differential pair routing, net tuning, manufacturing optimization, flex circuits, embedded passives and actives, rf circuits, and microvia technology. Use pcb design software which can get the job done accurately and efficiently for you. Xpeditions sketch technology combines auto routing performance with. The command can also be accessed via the workspace rightclick menu. This is the spacing from any differential pair trace and any other signal.
As you route there will be many instances where you need to change some of the existing routing. About this manual system requirements downloading quadcept. Routing differential pairs on a pcb also requires specific rules and meticulous timing that can only be achieved using the best pcb design read article pcb design for testtest structures and types of tests, part 1 an important part of any highspeed design is making sure it can be tested successfully during manufacture and operation. Mentor graphics reserves the right to make changes in specifications and other information contained in this publication without prior notice, and the. Pcb design and layout guidelines for cbtl04083acbtl04083b 4. As you insert a new differential pair, the icd stackup planner automatically calculates both the singleended characteristic and differential impedance of each layer. You must route all of the diff pairs in the matched group before you can tune them. In ds pcb pro, this option can be found in add trunk route. Flyby topology routing for ddr3 and ddr4 memory pcb design. Differential pair routing automatic net shielding design rules by area online display of length tolerance global violation indicator automatic single net routing multiple netbus routing relativ delay rules zaxis delay supoprt pcb editor integration. Sep 17, 2015 in expedition you could hold down the alt key and pick up just one trackvia of a differential and move it independently of the other. Interactive multiroute online documentation for altium. How to match the differential pair tolerance and tuning with a higher completion rate. Yes, invoke route connect one method then window the pins or connections and you will route all the diff pairs.
Interactive differential pair and multitrace bus routing. Differential pairs routing online documentation for altium. Using pads router, you can define your diff pairs and assign the same rule set to multiple diff pairs. Provides all the tools designers need to handle complex design challenges including differential pair routing, net tuning, manufacturing optimization, flex circuits. To learn more about ddr4 pcb layout guidelines, talk to an expert at altium.
Single environment for the planning of pcb placement and routing todays most complex pcb designs. The pads professional layout browser allows the user to load a pads. Routing tools include a differential pair router and autorouting for pcb topologies. My partially complete differential pair is shown in the attachment screenshot. Differential signaling involves sending two signals down a pair. I think there needs to be some difference between differential pair routing and route single ended manual, so its possible to allow the user to route part of a diff pair manually if they choose and then join up the remainder using a specific diff pair route tool, rather than just defaulting without any choice to route diff pair based on the. For highspeed signals, the spacing between one differential pair and an adjacent differential pair should not be less than five times the width. Route each differential pair on the same pcb layer. Differential pair routing is a design technique employed to create a balanced transmission system able to carry differential equal and opposite signals across a printed circuit board. How to route differential pairs in autodesk eagle eagle. Two new interactive routing tools have been added for better handling of differential pairs and multitrace bus routing.
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