Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1511130
16 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023 "Everything should be made as simple as pos- sible, but not simpler." —Albert Einstein Einstein advocated for describing complex theory in the simplest way possible, but not so simplified that key information is lost. We oen see this when the media is criticised for "dumbing down" information. However, from an engineering perspective, if a design can be engineered to perform the required applica- tion in a simpler or more economical way, then simplification is truly a valuable goal. But in the Real World Oen, complex solutions are the only way to realize a design. In these circumstances, the information surrounding a design should be Simplest Stackups Specified as clear as possible for the people who inter- act with it during the product's design and lifecycle. Small Is Beautiful It's also simpler where signal integrity is con- cerned. Signal integrity becomes more chal- lenging when interconnects are long in com- parison to the rise time or maximum frequency component of the signals you are handling. If you keep your traces short enough, then reflec- tions or impedance mismatch become a non- issue; they still exist but the effects are too small to cause trauma to your signals. For GHz designs, where loss becomes even more of a concern than reflections, the "keep- ing it short makes it simple" mantra also holds The Pulse Feature Column by Martyn Gaudion, POLAR INSTRUMENTS