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VScope™ for Backplane Design Applications

Unlimited System Diagnostics
Using VScope, design testing becomes more cost effective and streamlined. For multi-board systems such as backplanes, engineers can test in a fully assembled system, eliminating special test cards and awkward cabling arrangements. Signal integrity (SI) margins across voltage and temperature can also be tested far more easily, since the only interface required when testing a board in an environmental chamber is the lower frequency control bus to the PCB.

Remote monitoring is another VScope advantage. By transporting the scan data in the packet overhead, this diagnostic information can be accessed in real time from anywhere in the network. Data service providers can make detailed remote measurements of signal integrity from the central office, eliminating on-site service to perform the same test using conventional instruments. Furthermore, by monitoring the health of a given link, signal degradation can be identified and solved before it becomes a problem. The results for service providers are reduced field labor, reduced operational expenses, and rapid, pre-emptive customer service.

Solving Signal Integrity Issues in PCB Design
Embedded waveform scanning can be a tremendous benefit to the signal integrity engineer. Multi-board systems such as backplanes can be tested and analyzed in a fully assembled system; special test cards and awkward cabling arrangements would not be required to check waveform quality. Because the scanning function can reflect the true acquisition characteristics of the CDR, the design engineer can go beyond simply checking external standards compliance by testing the internal signal acquisition margins. Signal integrity margins across voltage and temperature can also be tested far more easily, since the only interface required when testing a board in an environmental chamber is the lower frequency control bus to the PCB.