Product: IConnect Software
Advanced Interconnect, Inc. (AI) joined the Woodhead Industries group of companies in 1990. AI develops, manufactures, and sells fiber optic and copper based interconnect solutions and value added modules for OEMs in the computer, high data rate networking, data storage, telecommunications, internet hardware, and medical sectors of the electronics industry.
Speed and quality are AI's competitive advantages. The Company is capable of producing custom copper cable assembly prototypes and limited first production runs in two days, and can make same-day shipments of many styles of custom fiber optic cable assemblies. AI uses the latest in polishing equipment and tests 100% of cable assemblies before shipment. Customers often take advantage of Advanced Interconnect's consultation in the early stages of product development, thus producing a better cable assembly while reducing costs.
Michael J. Karg Electrical Development Engineer for Advanced Interconnect is responsible for new product design and development engineering as well as electrical testing design and development.
Advanced Interconnect uses TDA System's IConnect Software to characterize copper bulk cable and cable assemblies. Characterization includes, but is not limited to, frequency domain testing and eye diagram analysis at frequencies and data rates that were previously not possible with AI's other equipment. Karg also uses IConnect to predict the product's response with changes or enhancements.
When asked to describe his experience using IConnect Mr. Karg said:
"The ability to characterize my product and then simulate its response to enhancements or changes has made me more successful in my designs by allowing me to build virtual prototypes within IConnect versus modifying physical parts thus accelerating the design cycle.
I chose TDA's tool based on its unsurpassed capability. Other simulation software similar to IConnect was available, but none seemed to contain the functionality that IConnect offers. Additionally, the cost of IConnect was far less than the cost of other test equipment to increase our capabilities. The ability to pick up where my current test equipment leaves off, to have a design prediction and validation tool, and to easily create models for my customer has been invaluable.
The support that I have received directly from TDA has been excellent. TDA is always willing to lend a hand if my simulations don't quite go as planned or if there are software related issues that I do not quite understand".
Summary:
As modern signaling standards push digital designs to the gigahertz and gigabit ranges, interconnect performance becomes a key factor in enabling reliable system operation. Signal Integrity issues such as reflections, crosstalk, frequency dependent transmission line loss and dispersion can significantly degrade system performance and reliability. Ability to simulate and accurately predict the effect of these signal integrity issues is critical to achieving a working design, and this ability is contingent on the designer's ability to obtain accurate interconnect models for each part of the interconnect link from the driver chip, through the package into the daughtercard; through a high-speed backplane connector to the backplane, and to the cable interconnect between subsystems. Other factors also come into play. In the present environment, cost savings associated with the necessary test and measurement are also a key factor.
TDA Systems helps you validate this information quickly and accurately, thus saving time, money and precious engineering resources.