The DesignCon conference is devoted to exploration of the technologies and techniques designers can apply toward forging the next generation of electronic devices and systems. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s happening at the show.

This year’s conference is jam-packed with something for everyone looking to get the right signal from point A to point B, intact and as efficiently and elegantly as possible. From die through packaging to board and system, it’s safe to say the information available will interest every engineer involved in design and test.

The technical tracks focus on signal integrity, as usual, but there’s a clear emphasis on 3-D packaging, high-speed interfaces (28 Gb/s for example), FPGAs, analog design and verification, and PCB layout.

For test, it’s not news that high-speed serial buses are a challenge for designers, so along with the regular deep technical sessions devoted to test, Agilent has agreed to walk attendees through the challenges and the testing tools available in high-speed serial design workflow, from design and simulation through turn on, debug, system test, and compliance test.

There’ll also be teardown sessions, comparing Amazon’s Kindle Fire with Barnes & Noble’s latest Nook, as well as two tablets (Vizio and gTablet), and a Cisco Linksys E3200 router.

You’ll also be able to discuss applications and requirements with many exhibiting connector suppliers. Here are a few pre-show highlights. We will provide a complete review of the new connector products featured at DesignCon 2012 in the March 6 Connector Supplier.

Molex Experts Showcase Complete High-Speed interconnect Solution
Molex experts will participate in several technical paper presentations that feature new interconnect design developments. The team will also showcase the company’s interconnect solutions by displaying a range of products and conducting several live demonstrations in booth #109.

Technical Paper Presentations
The sessions highlight specific Molex technical and application expertise:

EMC/EMI Correlation Study for 25+ Gb/s Systems
Wednesday, February 1, 11:05-11:45 a.m.: Peerouz Amleshi, director of signal integrity engineering, Molex, will use a 3D simulation tool to predict EM emission. This study will be done in two phases: far field emission correlation between the model and test results for a fabricated antenna (emission source), and correlation between the model versus test results with the emitter enclosed in a metallic chassis.

De-embedding in High Speed Design
Monday, January 30, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: David Dunham, director of signal integrity engineering, Molex, will conduct a tutorial that reviews the math behind de-embedding. He will also demonstrate how some of the most common de-embedding functions, such as probe tip de-embedding, gating, and TRL de-embedding, are performed.

System Performance as a Function of Common Mode Metrics
Tuesday, January 31, 11:05-11:45 a.m.: Michael Rowlands, senior electrical engineer, Molex, will focus on system performance as a function of common mode metrics. Using analysis, simulation, and measurement, he will estimate the bottom line bit-error-rate of a channel and give a set of common mode performance data.

Product Demonstrations
The demonstrations will take place in Molex booth #109 and showcase the company’s commitment to developing next-generation solutions for its customers: 

•  EXTreme Ten60Power™ High-Current and EXTreme LPHPower™Connectors: Jeff Torres, global product manager, will highlight how these two low-profile power connector systems can provide industry-leading current density with reduced airflow restrictions and how airflow can improve the power integrity equation. Attendees can see how airflow affects power supply performance and how Molex connectors enhance system design.

• zQSFP+ and zSFP+: In partnership with Texas Instruments, Molex will showcase its breakthrough 28 Gb/s over copper cable transmission technology. Jitendra Mohan, engineering manager, Texas Instruments, and Nate Unger, applications engineer, Texas Instruments, will highlight the advanced signal conditioning performance of TI’s retimer technology and show how Molex’s zQSFP+ connectors are suitable for enabling 100 Gb/s capable interconnects.

• NeoScale™ 28 Gb/s Speeds: Adam Stanczak, product development manager, will conduct a live demonstration of the recently introduced NeoScale connector, a high-speed mezzanine solution that delivers desired signal integrity at 28 Gb/s+ data rates. The demonstration will feature an integrated board with a T1 chip and Molex connector. Adam will showcase the product’s high signal integrity by utilizing different PCB trace lengths and introducing crosstalk aggressors driven by a Bertscope with bit error rates displayed on a monitor.

• Impact™ Backplane Connector System: Peter Soupir, product development manager, will demonstrate the design flexibility of the Impact system’s available configurations, including new designs such as the Impact Plus 85-Ohm Backplane Connector and Impact Orthogonal Direct Connector, along with information regarding Impact cable and copper-flex assemblies. He will also discuss (or demonstrate) how vertical add-in cards can be mated to horizontal add-in cards on the opposite side without the need for a midplane, improving the use of space and airflow. This architecture can be combined with standard configurations to provide a flexible product design solution.

Samtec to Present SI Fusion and Technical Paper at DesignCon 2012
Samtec Inc. will participate in the DesignCon 2012 conference and exhibition featuring SI Fusion, end-to-end interconnect solutions that make your entire system faster, thinner, and lighter, across longer distances with lower overall costs. Samtec will also be presenting a 40-minute technical paper on connector model validation techniques for improved signal integrity.

Connector Models - Are They Any Good?
Wednesday, February 1, 10:15-10:55 a.m., Ballroom G: Channel simulations are only as accurate as the models used to develop them. While we have seen much effort placed on PCB materials (copper finish, dielectric moisture absorption), other elements within the channel have been largely ignored. In this session, we look at the variation of performance of a high-density connector, including insertion depth, return path via location, and solder variations. Model validation using measurements is only possible if the reference plane locations are common between the measurement and model. Measurement details, including the impact of calibration structure on correlation, are presented. Model quality metrics using FSV are also introduced.

Visit Samtec in booth #215 to enter their iPad giveaway.

TE Connectivity to Demonstrate High-Speed Copper and Fiber Optic Products
TE Connectivity will exhibit its data communication products and present four demonstrations highlighting its high-speed copper and fiber optic capabilities at booth #411.

In addition, TE Principal Engineer Chad Morgan will co-present a technical session examining the performance of constructing premium channels of 25 Gbaud NRZ signaling, or reusing 10 Gb/s channels employing 12.5 Gbaud PAM-4 signaling, to increase the throughput of high-density backplane links to 25 Gb/s.

TE’s four demonstrations will include the following products:

• STRADA Whisper connector: TE will demonstrate its STRADA Whisper connector’s capability to run 25 Gb/s at distances longer than 1 meter in board-to-board and multiple channels.

• 24 Gb/s connector proposed for SAS and PCIe standards: TE will demonstrate its new 24 Gb/s connector, designed to improve data rates over existing SAS and PCIe protocols. The connector, if designed-in today for 6 Gb/s and 12 Gb/s data rates, will provide an upgrade path for future 24Gb/s HDD and SSD applications.

• 25 Gb/s zQSFP connector: On the brink of its launch, this I/O, full-duplex connector will be demonstrated showing copper links running at speeds of 25-28 Gb/s and highlight its backwards-compatible feature to standard QSFP connectors for easy system upgrades.

• 10 Gb/s mid-board optical transceiver: TE will exhibit its capabilities in fiber optics through a demonstration of its 10 Gb/s mid-board optical transceiver link via a multimode laminated fiber shuffle.

Products on display will include TE’s new KOAXXA RF connector product family in addition to the following latest interconnects: STRADA Mesa mezzanine connector, FORGE power connector, CXP pluggable connector/cage assembly, FULLAXS sealed connector system, and ESD circuit protection products for USB 3.0 devices.

Visit booth 411 or TE online to learn more about what TE Connectivity has to offer at DesignCon 2012.

Ticona’s Vectra LCP: Innovation Driver for Green Electronics
2E mechatronic GmbH & Co. KG of Germany has designed a 3D molded interconnect device (MID) flow sensor for air conditioning systems that uses Vectra® E840i LDS, a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) specially developed by Ticona for electronic circuits on 3D injection moldings produced with a Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) process.

Ticona will showcase its Vectra LCP specialty grades for electrical and electronic components at Ticona booth #218 as part of its DesignCon 2012 exhibit of engineering polymers and halogen-free solutions for Green Electronics.

As the Research Association Molded Interconnect Devices 3-D-MID-e.V. 2011 MID Innovation Prize winner, the 2E mechatronic MID component is injection molded entirely from Vectra E840i LDS, a laser-activatable grade that Ticona specially developed for use with the LPKF Laser & Electronics AG LDS process. The tracks on the 12-by-10-by-6-millimeter device are etched with LPKF laser equipment that selectively activates the laser sensitive additive in the Ticona LCP.

With more than 15 years of experience in MID technology, Ticona developed this latest Vectra LCP grade and designed other Vectra LCP solutions for processing with 3D MID and LDS technologies.

Vectra LCP offers ideal characteristics for the manufacture of complex MIDs:

• Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT) — no softness at reflow peak temperature

• High melt temperature — higher safety factor for lead-free soldering

• Excellent flow at thin walls — miniaturization, weight reduction, and smaller parts

• Lower humidity absorption — less susceptible for blistering

• Higher flow — less internal part stress, lower warpage

• Low warpage — safety factor for assembly

• High dimensional stability – fewer risks of contact failure

• Low CTE variations — fewer risks of contact failure

• Inherent UL-94 V0 — no fire-retardant additives, which could attack metal contacts

• Lower injection cycle time — lower price per part

• No flash

Ticona invites you to stop by booth #218 to discuss its portfolio of engineering polymers and halogen-free solutions for Green Electronics.