DS160PT801X16EVM: cannot link-up in Gen3

Hi Henry,

I will take a look at this documentation and will get back to you as soon as possible.

Best regards,

Greg

Hi Henry,

To help narrow down the cause of the issue, could you please share a schematic of the device configuration?

Best regards,

Greg

Hi Sir,

The customer used the DS160PT801X16EVM to do this test.

J49="L" for CEM Clock distribution (Common Clock – default setting).

J6(mode 0)="Jumper Position 7-8" – default setting

J11(mode 1)="Jumper Position 5-6" – default setting

J9(width 0)="floating" – dual chip mode

J14(width 1)="floating" – dual chip mode

Hi Henry,

Thank you for the clarification. I will check this over and will respond with comments tomorrow.

Best regards,

Greg

Hi Henry,

Can you please try using the DS160PT801_1x16.hex EEPROM image from the secure resources file for the device? If this is used, do you still see the same results?

Best regards.

Greg

Hi Sir,

Used the DS160PT801_1x16.hex EEPROM image on DS160PT801X16EVM, and the result is the same. Please refer to the attachment.

DS160PT801_1x16.hex EEPROM image_test result: DS160PT801_1x16.hex EEPROM image_test result.docx

DS160PT801_1x16.hex EEPROM image_ register dump: DS160PT801_1x16.hex EEPROM image_register dump_20260304.cfg

Hi Henry,

I will look into these. Do you know what the pre- and post- channel loss is in your system?

Best regards,

Greg

Hi Sir,

Please refer to the the attachment for High-Level Page Screenshot.

DS160PT801_1x16.hex EEPROM image_High-Level Page Screenshot result:DS160PT801_1x16.hex EEPROM image_test result for High-Level Page.docx

Hi Henry,

Thank you for sharing the document. To clarify, I meant do you know the insertion loss of the channel in your system? (before a retimer was placed on it)

Best regards,

Greg

Hi Sir,

When the customer inserts the DS160PT801X16EVM between the motherboard and the graphics card, the system cannot establish a stable connection, and there is no video output.
Since they are using a motherboard platform, they currently do not have the insertion loss data of the PCIe channel before adding the retimer.
May I know if the DS160PT801X16EVM requires a specific motherboard brand or model for proper operation?

Hi Henry,

No the DS160PT801X16EVM does not require a specific brand or model of motherboard for proper orientation. Does this behavior occur for all end points tested with the device, or just this graphics card?

Best regards,

Greg

Hi Sir,

This behavior occur for all end points tested with the device. All results are only instantiated at the Gen1 level.

Hi Sir,

Any update?

Hi Henry,

In the image of your EVM,  I noticed that the Write Protect header (J25) is populated. This prevents any changes to the current EEPROM image on the board. Could you please de-populate this header and try using the DS160PT801_1x16.hex once again?

Best regards,

Greg

Hi Sir,

The J25 needs to tie ground, it could normal read/write.

Whether the customer removes or installs this connector and tries using the DS160PT801_1x16.hex. The test results can only achieve the Gen1 level.

Hi Sir,

Any update?

Hi Henry,

I apologize for the delay. I am setting up an EVM on my end in the lab to match your setup, and I will provide an update this week.

Best regards,

Greg

Hi Henry,

Have you tried forcing the PCIe link speed settings to Gen2 in the PC BIOS settings? If this is done, does the link still configure to Gen1, or does no link-up occur at all? It is my understanding from your previous comments that the EVM is inserted in the motherboard PCIe slot. Is the graphics card connected to the EVM via a connector? If so, how long is the connector?

Best regards,

Greg