[ DS90UB914A ] Worst Case Supply Current

Hello Ken,

As you are alluding to, you are correct in that worst-case power consumption does not always mean worst-case in terms of signal integrity. Worst-case power consumption typically will involve 101010 (synchronous switching output) pattern because this will involve most switching on the output of the serializer (and input of the deserializer which is receiving this pattern). Worst-case in terms of signal integrity is typically a PRBS-15 pattern. PRBS-7 pattern is a slightly better case but still good for testing BER of a Ser/Des system.

Keep in mind that a 101010 is "not always" worst-case for power consumption but is a good measure for getting close to worst-case even if there is a rare pattern that is slightly worse. The differences you see in the table above for power consumption are only within a few mA regarding random pattern (PRBS-7) vs. 1010 pattern. This is sometimes expected depending upon test condition and also will only be seen when comparing nominal values (not maximum values).

-Sean