www.fairchildsemi.com AN-5058 Family Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Summary The following questions are typical of Fairchild’s µSerDes™ application support team answers the µSerDes family. If you have a question not addressed here, please contact your local Fairchild representative or email to [email protected]. What is a µSerDes™? The µSerDes is a low-cost, ultra-low EMI, very small device that allows large amounts of data to flow between points such as displays, cameras, and controllers. This is achieved through a parallel-to-serial (serializer) conversion at the source and serial-to-parallel (deserializer) conversion at the destination. Why is a Fairchild µSerDes™ serial interface better than a parallel interface solution? © 2005 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporationwww.fairchildsemi.com Rev. 1.0.1 • 3/22/07 Significantly reduced EMI over single-ended technology solutions. No power-up sequencing required. No change needed for controller software. Functions well where single-ended, current-mode technology fails. Can provide a greater than 25 to 4 wire reduction. Can provide a greater than 50 to 7 wire reduction in bidirectional interfaces. Can provide a lower-cost, more reliable interface solution. Can reduce overall component count over existing LVCMOS technology. Can use less board space over LVCMOS technologies. AN-5058 APPLICATION NOTE What are the differences among the µSerDes™ devices? Each device in the Fairchild µSerDes family has been designed for specific architectures as shown in Table 1. Table 1. µSerDes™ Family Comparisons FIN12AC Serializer / Deserializer 12 40MHz Function Number of Bits Max Frequency Factory Options (***Contact Factory) Dynamic Current (Serializer) VDDA/S VDDP Read / Write FIN224AC Serializer / Deserializer 22 26MHz FIN324C Serializer / Deserializer 24 15MHz Higher frequency version 9.5mA @ 5MHz 11mA @ 10MHz 9.5mA @ 5MHz 9mA @ 5MHz 4mA @ 5.44MHz 2.5 to 3.3V 1.65 to 3.6V Write 2.5 to 2.9V 1.65 to 3.6V Write 2.5 to 2.9V 1.65 to 3.6V Write 2.5 to 3.3V 1.65 to 3.6V Write 2.5 to 3.0V 1.6 to VDDA/S Read / Write Camera Small LCD Small LCD 2.5 to 3.6V 1.65 to 3.6V Write Camera Small LCD Small LCD Small LCD RGB µController RGB µController / RGB µController µController / RGB / SPI No No No Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes Tri-state Yes Tri-state Yes Tri-state Yes Tri-state Yes Known-state No Multiple frequency range Multiple frequency range Multiple frequency range RT180 15 BGA, MLP 0-Power Down; 1CKREF 20Mhz to 40MHz; 2-CKREF 5MHz to 14MHz; 3-CKREF 8MHz to 14MHz 8 BGA, MLP 0-Power Down; 1CKREF 2Mhz to 5MHz; 2-CKREF 5MHz to 15MHz; 3-CKREF 10MHz to 20MHz Tri-state Yes Multiple frequency range; CTL Standard or High;PLL divide by 2 or 3 14 BGA, MLP 0-Power Down; 1CKREF 20Mhz to 40MHz; 2-CKREF 5MHz to 14MHz; 3-CKREF 8MHz to 28MHz Selectable LVCMOS Edge Rates Selectable LVCMOS Pulse Width Output state External timing required Modes FIN212AC Serializer / Deserializer 12 40MHz 48MHz & 2.5x2.5 package 8.5mA @ 5MHz Recommended Interface ESD in kV Package FIN24C Serializer / Deserializer 24 20MHz 26MHz Ideal Application Additional Features FIN24AC Serializer / Deserializer 22 20MHz 8 BGA, MLP 0-Power Down; 14-bit control; 2-4bit control latch; 32-bit control 15 BGA, MLP 0-Power Down; 1CKREF 2Mhz to 5MHz; 2-CKREF 5MHz to 15MHz; 3-CKREF 10MHz to 26MHz 15 BGA, MLP Master/slave; PAR/SPI; Strobe selection; Reset/standby; Slew control µSerDes™ Family Similarities and Features Similarities across FIN24AC, FIN224AC, and FIN224C Same Package Same Pinout Same Voltage Range Same Voltage Translation Range Same CTL Drive New Features Rolled LVCMOS Deserializer Edge Rates More ESD Protection More Wide CKP Pulse Width (FIN224AC) Less Power (FIN224AC) © 2005 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation Rev. 1.0.1 • 3/22/07 www.fairchildsemi.com 2 AN-5058 APPLICATION NOTE Implementation Is there a special power-up sequence between supplies for either a serializer or deserializer? What distance can a µSerDes™ drive? The distance that can be driven depends on the data rates involved, acceptable bit error rate, and the transmission medium. The maximum distance in ANSI/TIA/EIA-644-A, the LVDS standard, is 10 meters. This distance is entirely application dependent. There is no required power-up sequence for either serializer or deserializer. Are there special settings or switches for the PLL (S1, S2) on the FIN24 serializer? Should special transmission mediums be used? No. The PLL has a very wide range of operation. The µSerDes can be used with any typical differential transmission medium, including flex circuits, PC board, and cables. When is CTL™ technology better than singleended, current-mode technology? In applications where a transmission line must be AC coupled or when DC line balancing is necessary, singleended, current-mode technology is usually inadequate. LVDS is superior because DC bias can be restored on the deserializer side of the solution by using only resistors. In addition, differential technologies offer better EMI than single-ended technologies. What impedance should the transmission cable/flex be? The transmission line should be 100Ω differential. Is a termination resistor needed at the inputs to the deserializer? No. The 100Ω termination resistor is integrated into the deserializer, so an external resistor is not necessary for either clock or data lines. How much is EMI reduced using a µSerDes™? µSerDes provides ultra-low EMI as compared to legacy single-ended technologies. The actual amount of EMI reduction varies per application; however, Fairchild’s EMI lab has documented cases of greater than -106.1dB reduction over legacy single-ended technologies. Do trace lengths need to be matched? Yes. Trace lengths need to be matched like any bus architecture. However, since the serializer and deserializer have a flow-through design (traces do not need to cross to connect devices), the effort to achieve this is minimal. Is there special grounding scheme required for µSerDes™? Are there PCB layout guidelines available? No special ground wire is required. The ground wire can be subject to interference, as with single-ended, current-mode technologies. Yes. This can be downloaded from the Fairchild website or may be obtained from [email protected] How low is the power in power-down mode? What is the typical common-mode voltage of the µSerDes™? The µSerDes device is specified to use less than 10µA in power-down mode. Typical common-mode voltage is approximately 700mV. Are EMI filters necessary on the serial link? Are there actual Gerber files available to download to simplify or as an example of design? Many applications no longer require EMI filters. If additional filtering is required, Fairchild suggests implementing a shielded flex of ribbon cable for the following reasons: Yes, please contact Fairchild Interface Group at [email protected]. Is there a special power-down sequence between serializer and deserializer? There is no required power-down sequence. © 2005 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation Rev. 1.0.1 • 3/22/07 Saves space on the PCB. Makes a solid ground between board assemblies (no ground bounce). Sideband signals in flex, not through µSerDes, can radiate; shielding helps reduce this phenomenon. ESD/EMI arrays are expensive. www.fairchildsemi.com 3 AN-5058 APPLICATION NOTE Test and Diagnostics Bits 21 and 22 on the FIN24A don’t seem to work on the deserializer. Why? Where is the ground for µSerDes™ devices? All device grounds are connected to the ground slug, underneath the µSerDes device. Care should be taken when designing the board containing the µSerDes so that the solder mask is pulled back from this slug. Data input to pin 21 on the FIN24A serializer is output from the deserializer on pin 23. Data input to pin 22 on the FIN24A serializer is output at the deserializer on pin 24. Why does the serial clock appear intermittent? Do S1 and S2 control the frequency range for the FIN24? This is normal as a word boundary is embedded into the serial stream. Please refer to the datasheet for a more indepth description. The FIN24 has a set frequency range, where S1 and S2 control the directionality of data bits [21:24]. When I examine either the serial data path or the serial clock path, the signal is distorted. Why? What does a typical implementation look like for an RGB interface? Using a 50Ω high-speed terminated oscilloscope with the probe ground to one side of an LVDS signal forces the 1.0V bias to ground, resulting in a very incorrect signal. Use highimpedance probes or, alternatively, a board ground may be offset to accommodate the ground of an oscilloscope. Contact a Fairchild µSerDes representative for assistance. Please see Figure 1 for a typical implementation. Where can I get more information on how to use a µSerDes™ with more complex architectures, such as microcontroller interface or for a bi-directional configuration? Contact your local Fairchild representative or at [email protected]. How should the serial clock or data stream look? The clock or data stream is approximately a 225mV peakto-peak, roughly square, wave differential signal at approximately 700mV bias with respect to ground. Baseband Processor VDDP1 C2 VDDP2 VDDS/A E2 C2 F2 A4 B4 GPIO DP[17:0] CNTL[0] C3 CNTL[1] D1 A3 CNTL[2] CKS+ E1 B3 CKSCNTL[3] A2 CNTL[4] G1 DS+ B2 F1 CNTL[5] DSA1 R/W D3 M/S C4 VDDP1 F3 /STBY /RES CKSEL G3 G2 B1 PAR/SPI /STBY /RES CKSEL Notes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. E3 D2 C1 DP[17:0] CNTL[0] CNTL[1] G1 CKS+ CNTL[2] F1 CKS- CNTL[3] CNTL[4] D1 DS+ E1 DSCNTL[5] R/W M/S PAR/SPI SLEW E3 D2 /RES C1 H Main Display PCLK R,G,B [5:0] Hsync Vsync SD D4:G6 C4 C3 A3 B3 OE A2 B2 NC A1 NC D3 F3 G3 G2 B1 VDDP2 Edge Rate Control Option SLEW must be connected to VDDS or GND for low power. Write-only Interface. Assumes BGA die on display. /CS used to strobe sub-display data. PCLK used for RGB mode. Pin numbers for BGA package. Figure 1. © 2005 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation Rev. 1.0.1 • 3/22/07 F2 WCLK0 A4 WCLK1 B4 STRB0 STRB1 D4:G6 R,G,B[5:0] Hsync_D/C Vsync SD OE RESET E2 VDDP VDDS/A VDDP VDDS/A /CS PCLK Sub-Display Data [7:0] D/C /CS RESET P/S R/W VDDS/A FIN324C RBG Application Example www.fairchildsemi.com 4 AN-5058 APPLICATION NOTE Related Datasheets FIN12AC FIN12AC FIN24AC FIN24C FIN224AC FIN224C FIN324C µSerDes™ is a trademark of Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation. DISCLAIMER FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE TO ANY PRODUCTS HEREIN TO IMPROVE RELIABILITY, FUNCTION, OR DESIGN. FAIRCHILD DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF THE APPLICATION OR USE OF ANY PRODUCT OR CIRCUIT DESCRIBED HEREIN; NEITHER DOES IT CONVEY ANY LICENSE UNDER ITS PATENT RIGHTS, NOR THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. LIFE SUPPORT POLICY FAIRCHILD’S PRODUCTS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR USE AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN LIFE SUPPORT DEVICES OR SYSTEMS WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN APPROVAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION. As used herein: 1. Life support devices or systems are devices or systems which, (a) are intended for surgical implant into the body, or (b) support or sustain life, or (c) whose failure to perform when properly used in accordance with instructions for use provided in the labeling, can be reasonably expected to result in significant injury to the user. © 2005 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation Rev. 1.0.1 • 3/22/07 2. A critical component is any component of a life support device or system whose failure to perform can be reasonably expected to cause the failure of the life support device or system, or to affect its safety or effectiveness. www.fairchildsemi.com 5