With today’s fast paced lifestyle, getting connected implies a lot of different things. For a graduate student, an Internet connection might get them a free cup of coffee at their favorite coffee shop. To a senior citizen, getting connected may mean always being able to reach a loved one, or a 911 operator with the touch of a button. To my six year old, it means always having a Wi-Fi connection for listening to music or playing a game. For my wife, it’s the ability to always be connected to our home so we can be alerted if a situation arises. To me, it means all of these things and more… My name is Peffers and I am an applications engineer at Texas Instruments. I help develop and support high-speed interface solutions that are at the heart of the communications equipment that drives our connected world.
Welcome to the first post in a new blog series called Get Connected. This monthly series on Analog Wire will focus on the fundamentals behind what keeps our high speed world running, and always connected. In each blog, we’ll discuss topics such as:
- Gigabit serial links
- Jitter, serialization
- Embedded clocks
- Serial link redundancy
- Trans-impedance amplifiers
- Laser drivers
- Buffers
- SerDes
- Link aggregators with smart switches
- Linear equalizers
- Ethernet/CPRI standards
We’ll start with fundamental topics such as differential signaling and the unit interval (UI) to build a common knowledge base. They will serve as a reference point for when we get into more complex topics. Further down the road, we’ll dive into some of the more complex system level topics such as link aggregation in video and medical applications. If you are an engineer that works with any of the topics listed above -- this blog is for you!
I would like this to become a center for knowledge sharing that you can come to and share your stories or look for answers to your problems. So please share your stories with us by using the comments link at the bottom of the blog. Thank you for joining me on this ride, and remember if you are not connected, we can quickly connect you right here.
P.S. You can click this link to read other posts in the Get Connected series.
