If you get your power design right, it protects the signal integrity margin and improves power and thermal efficiency. Some connectors combine power blades in addition to digital signal pins, which adds complexity. For these types of connectors, it is important to understand how the blade assignments impact power delivery as well as how the pin and blade assignment could affect signal-to-power and power-to-signal crosstalk.
To assist designers with the Samtec AcceleRate® mP UDX connectors (which combine power blades with digital signal pins), Samtec’s power integrity team has recently put together some FAQs and a white paper: “Pin and Blade Assignment Considerations in Samtec UDX Connectors.” (For a basic introduction to power integrity, see the video: What is power integrity?)
Detailed Design Assistance
While the preferred pin assignment in high-speed connectors, including the Samtec AcceleRate® connector family, is well documented and understood, less support material is available on power connectors and power-signal connector crosstalk. The new white paper summarizes some of the important considerations of pin and blade assignment in combination power and signal connectors.
The UDX6 family of connectors, in particular, enables higher density designs by providing an AcceleRate high-speed connector and an upgraded mPOWER® blade connector within the same housing (see Figure 1). These connectors achieve 56 Gbps PAM4 speeds and feature rotated power blades for 22 Amps/blade and simplified breakout region (BOR). The white paper steps through detailed analysis of the impact of pin and blade assignments, and it ends with showing a preferred pin and blade assignment based on the results.
Web Resources
For quick insight into some PI design issues, the Samtec FAQ resource page includes a section on power integrity, covering issues such as how to run auxiliary power, considerations for assigning power pins, Samtec specific testing procedures, and working voltage. Check back here because this space will be updated as new FAQs become available.
In addition, in the Samtec Signal Integrity Center of Excellence, there is a power section with access to numerous PI related resources.
Even More Help
For more assistance with your power design, you can reach out directly to Samtec’s Sudden Service PI support team here: PowerIntegrity@samtec.com.
Further Reading
Understanding Power Integrity – The Samtec Blog
Improve Power Integrity and Signal Integrity With New Interconnects – The Samtec Blog
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