Method and apparatus to electrically qualify high speed PCB connectors

US7525319B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Rubina F. Ahmed · Austin, US
• Moises Cases · Austin, US
• Bradley D. Herrman · Cary, US
• Kent B. Howieson · Austin, US
• Bhyrav M. Mutnury · Austin, US
• Pravin Patel · Cary, US
• Peter R. Seidel · Cary, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 28, 2008
• Grant date: Apr 28, 2009
• Expiry date: Aug 28, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R31/70
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method of electrically qualifying high speed printed circuit board (PCB) connectors includes mounting a PCB connector on a test card, sending bit patterns through a first portion of the test card, evaluating a waveform on a sense signal on a second portion of the test card for the bit patterns launched on said first portion of the test card to measure common mode noise, and comparing the measured common mode noise of the second portion of the test card to a golden standard performed on a pre-qualified connector. The first portion of the test card comprises connectors to inject bit patterns. The second portion of the test card includes a split plane which induces common mode noise on a sense signal, the sense signal, and a termination pack. If the measured common mode noise on the PCB connector is worse than the golden standard, then the PCB connector is disqualified. If the measured common mode noise on the PCB connector is as good as or better than the golden standard, then the PCB connector is qualified. A first section of the PCB connector connects to the first portion of the test card and a second section of the PCB connector connects to the second portion of the test card. T…