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rafik
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Hi, I am working on a PCB that requires controlled trace impedance. I figured out width of the traces and layer stack thickness. How would I verify trace impedance once I get my PCB boards? What equipment do I need?
rafik said:Hi, I am working on a PCB that requires controlled trace impedance. I figured out width of the traces and layer stack thickness. How would I verify trace impedance once I get my PCB boards? What equipment do I need?
rafik said:Frequency is 580 MHz, trace impedance has to be ~50 Ohm (Zo), there is a requirement for differential traces as well Zdiff = ~110 Ohm. Trace width is 5mill over 3.5 mill FR-4 (dielectric constant = 3.6 - 4.2). The traces are point to point and average length is 0.85 inch. How can I use RF sweep generator? There is also RF part that runs at 2.4 GHz. I have microstrip line of 20 mill over 7 mill substrate connecting RF amplifier to a 50 Ohm antenna. There is a ground plane below.
What is the difference between point to point and multi drop traces. I run traces between my processor and DDR2 SDRAM memory. They are matched in length.
rafik said:Yes, both driver and receiver are 50 Ohm. All I have to do is make a 50 Ohm connection between the two. My question is how can I test my boards before we assemble them.
Thank you for your posts.
For UHF and microwave development you can easily spend US$100k on test gear, but you can usually get away with less than 1% of that if you know what you actually need to measure. To cut the cost of test equipment requires access to RF engineering experience. The "black art" of microwave design and testing becomes a "science" as you gain experience. If you apply a sine wave at one end of a Zo trace and terminate the far end with a Zo matching resistor, then you will have no termination mismatch and will not get energy reflected from the far end termination. But if your track has the wrong impedance, you will get some energy reflected.rafik said:What equipment would you recommend for RF development in general.
rafik said:I run traces between my processor and DDR2 SDRAM memory. They are matched in length.
Trace impedance can be measured using a vector network analyzer (VNA) or a time domain reflectometer (TDR). These instruments send a signal through the trace and measure the reflected signal, which can then be used to calculate the impedance.
The length and width of the trace, as well as the dielectric constant of the substrate material, can affect trace impedance measurement. Changes in temperature and humidity can also impact the results.
Trace impedance is important in high-speed digital and analog circuits because it affects signal integrity. Measuring trace impedance ensures that the correct signal is being transmitted and received, reducing the risk of errors or malfunctions.
Trace impedance is typically measured in ohms (Ω) or milliohms (mΩ). Sometimes, it may also be expressed in units of capacitance per unit length (pF/in or pF/cm).
Aside from using a VNA or TDR, there are other methods for measuring trace impedance such as using a time domain reflectometry bridge or a simple resistance measurement. However, these methods may not provide as accurate results as a VNA or TDR.