10 KEY STRATEGIES TO ENSURE SIGNAL INTEGRITY AT HIGH DATA SPEEDS
MOHAMMAD AZADIFAR IEEE SENIOR MEMBER AND SIGNAL INTEGRITY ENGINEER FISCHER CONNECTORS
Design complexity and demand for bandwidth are increasing as more sensors are connected to systems and more data need to be transmitted quickly, reliably, and securely. The priority is to ensure that a signal sent from A to B is not distorted. Ensuring signal integrity is critical for engineers who design data-heavy applications that rely on constant streams of accurate data, such as for the Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, and interconnected ecosystems. Above all, at high bit rates and over long distances, effects such as noise, distortion, insertion/return losses, and crosstalk may degrade electrical signals to the point where errors occur and a device or system fails.
For seamless connectivity, connector performance should be seen as just one part of the equation. Other key factors that determine data transmission success include the quality and performance of the cable itself, the interface between the connector cabling and connected devices, and the quality of the transmitter and receiver. Balanced cabling performance is defined by multiple parameters. The most relevant are attenuation (insertion loss), reflection (return loss), near-end crosstalk (NEXT), and far-end crosstalk (FEXT). In fact, every single decision in the design of a cable-connector assembly can ultimately affect signal integrity.
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