The setup in Figure 2 illustrates the impact of poor quality connectors.  In this image, the TDR is deskewed with no cables attached to...

Because of their high ESL compared to ceramic, tantalum capacitors are not the optimum choice for high frequency decoupling. Paralleling...

A frequency response analyzer (‘FRA’) is often used to measure gain and phase plots of control loops (Bode plots), filter responses and...

A single tiny logic gate The first case we’ll look at is a Fairchild NC7SZ04 ultra-high-speed inverter gate. This logic gate is a single...

The non-invasive stability assessment is a method that uses an output impedance measurement to accurately determine stability without...

Keep it flat Most PDN books tell you that the best performing PDN impedance looks flat over frequency.  That is because noise signals are...

The engineering community uses oscilloscopes more than any other piece of equipment, yet many of the published results are questionable...

The engineering community uses oscilloscopes more than any other piece of equipment, yet many of the published results are questionable...

The engineering community uses oscilloscopes more than any other piece of equipment, yet many of the published results are questionable...

Avoiding these common pitfalls will get you better data with minimum effort. Steve Sandler takes a look at four common scope mistakes and...

Steve Sandler Answers Your PDN Questions (Power Electronics’ Q&A Series) Power Electronics received a question about why PDN is measured...

Steve Sandler Answers Your Voltage Regulator Questions (Power Electronics’ Q&A Series) Power Electronics received a question about how to...

Steve Sandler Answers Your PSRR Questions (Power Electronics’ Q&A Series Follow Up) Earlier this month Power Electronics received a...

What could be simpler than inductors? Pick one from a catalog based on saturation, inductance, DCR, etc, and you’re done. If you need...

One of the more common design techniques for power distribution networks (PDN) is the determination of the peak impedance that will...

Assuming the AC signals in the measurement are very small, the power ratings of the ports limit the absolute maximum DC voltage that can...

Clock-jitter performance has become a top priority among clock, analog-to-digital controller (ADC), and power-supply manufacturers. Why?...

Evaluating the stability of a Point-Of-Load (“POL”) regulator can be performed using both traditional Bode plot and output impedance...

Making ripple measurements has traditionally been using an oscilloscope. For a number of technical reasons, an oscilloscope, in general,...

Wherever you find a digital control signal, you find sharp rising and falling edges that need characterization. These edges occur on...