2
AN1572.0
June 4, 2010
Introduction to the
ISL35411DRZ-EVALZ
Evaluation Kit
The ISL35411DRZ-EVALZ Evaluation Board is a versatile
stand-alone printed circuit board developed to evaluate
the performance of the Intersil ISL35411 11.1Gb/s
Driver.
The evaluation kit includes:
• ISL35411DRZ-EVALZ evaluation board
• Power cable
• Ten jumpers
The key features of the evaluation board are:
• ISL35411 IC
• Connection to external 3.3V power supply
• On-board voltage regulator that provides the 1.2V
supply to the IC
• On-board de-emphasis level adjustment using
provided jumpers
• SMA connectors to access differential inputs and
outputs
Operation of the
ISL35411DRZ-EVALZ
Evaluation Board
This section describes how to setup your
ISL35411DRZ-EVALZ evaluation board: making sure
proper power is applied, connecting to the high-speed RF
inputs and outputs, and adjusting the output
de-emphasis level for each channel. The board is shown
in Figure 1.
Power Supply
The board needs to be powered by an ex3.3V
power supply via the power header located at the top of
the board using the power cable provided. The red lead
of the power cable should be connected to the +3.3V
output of the external power supply while the black lead
should be connected to the ground (-) terminal.
Typical current consumption of the board when the
output de-emphasis level is set to 0dB (see Table 1) is
200mA when no input signals are applied; and 220mA
when a signal is applied to any one of the four
high-speed inputs. Total board current will be
approximately 280mA if all four channels are active
simultaneously with the output de-emphasis levels set to
0dB.
High-Speed Data I/O Interface Connectors
The ISL35411 Driver is intended to be used at the
transmit end of lossy differential copper channels. The
four channels of the ISL35411 make it well-suited for
high-density applications with parallel channels. The
ISL35411 is optimized for use in conjunction with the
Intersil ISL36411 Quad Lane Extender at the far end of
the lossy channel.
The differential input(s) of the ISL35411 should be
connected to a high-speed data stream source, such as a
pattern generator. This connection should be made using
the input SMA connectors labeled on the board. We
recommend using phase (time-delay)-matched cables
for each differential input to preserve the fidelity of the
differential signal. The output SMA connectors provide
access to the output differential signal(s) of the
ISL35411 and can be connected with phase-matched
cables to the channel to be driven. Make sure proper
torque (5 in-lbs) is applied to the SMA connectors for
reliable measurements and to prevent damage to the
connectors.
The ISL35411DRZ-EVALZ evaluation board is designed to
minimize parasitic board effects for transparent
evaluation of the ISL35411's high-speed performance.
Due to the extremely low-loss nature of the evaluation
board's high-speed traces, all unused channels on the
board should be terminated at the input and output SMA
connections with 50 loads to minimize reflections, which
can corrupt the performance of neighboring channels.
Output De-Emphasis Setting Control
The output driver of each channel on the ISL35411 is
capable of providing seven different levels (0 to 6) of
adjustable output de-emphasis. The available output
de-emphasis levels range from 0dB (DE level = 0) to 4dB
(DE level = 6). The de-emphasis levels of Channels 1 and
2 are controlled simultaneously by the de-emphasis
control pin headers (DE) located at JP1 on the north-side
of the board and highlighted in blue in Figure 1. The
de-emphasis levels of Channels 3 and 4 are controlled
simultaneously by the de-emphasis control pin headers
(DE) located at JP2 on the south-side of the board and
highlighted in green in Figure 1. Output de-emphasis
Header for
power supply
connection
(+3.3V)
De-emphasis
control pin
(DE) headers
FIGURE 1. ISL35411DRZ-EVALZ EVALUATION BOARD
Application Note 1572
