Agilent N4915A-005 Serial Bus Switch Data Sheet Version 1.1 6.5 GBit/s 2 to 1 switch for high speed differential signals • • • • • Low effect on signal integrity allows for usage in physical layer test setups Fast switching time (6ns typical) Manual and triggered operation Supported by Agilent N5990A test automation software No external power supply required Overview Power Supply The N4915A-005 serial bus switch is designed for high speed serial bus applications, such as for example Serial-ATA and PCI Express. It can quickly switch between one source and two sink devices or one sink and two sources while having a minimal effect on signal integrity. The switch doesn’t require any power supply, it operates solely on USB power via its back side mini USB connector. It interfaces to any standard USB host, as provided by many Agilent instruments or by any standard PC. It doesn’t require any host software or driver installation. Serial Bus Interface The switch doesn’t have a dedicated power indicator. As soon as one of the switch position and one of the trigger mode LEDs are illuminated the switch is powered and in normal operation. The switch is designed for switching a differential signal as typically used in high speed serial bus applications. Therefore the switch comes with two channels that switch simultaneously. Figure 1 illustrates a typical setup with two transmitters that are switched between one receiver. Analogously two receivers can be switched between one transmitting device. Figure 1: Typical switch setup with two transmitters For both channels the common connector (labeled “C”) will be switched between connector “1” and “2”. The switch position display will indicate the current switch state by either illuminating a red (connector 1) or a green (connector 2) LED. Table 1: N4915A-005 electrical characteristics Parameter Value 6.5 GBit/s Signal inputs/outputs AC coupled Max. signal amplitude per channel 1V @ 70 kHz to 12 GHz 2V @ 100 MHz to 12 GHz Max. signal amplitude two channels differential 2V @ 70 kHz to 12 GHz 4V @ 100 MHz to 12 GHz Signal attenuation 1.5 dB (15%) typical at 6 GBit/s Transition times (20%-80%) 40 ps typical when used with J-BERT N4903A Switching time 6 ns typical Total jitter (p-p) 20 ps typical Skew between channels 2 ps typical Connectors SMA, 3.5 mm female Power supply USB 100 nF at each connector 1) 1) Total jitter was measured with J-BERT N4903A and 86100C DCA-J with precision time-base using the following settings: BER 10-12, data rate 3 GBit/s, pattern 215-1 PRBS Figure 2: N4915A-005 connector view 2 Note Max. usable data rate Agilent N4915A-005 Serial Bus Switch Data Sheet Version 1.0 Usage in Test Automation and Serial-ATA Receiver Compliance Test Operation Modes The switch is controlled by four buttons on the front panel. Its current operation mode and switch position are illustrated by front panel LEDs. Both trigger modes make use of the trigger input. The trigger mode buttons allow the user to switch between a level static trigger mode and an edge trigger mode. In edge trigger mode the manual pre-set buttons are also active. As an edge trigger toggles between the two switch positions the pre-set function allows the switch to initialize at a desired state. For a manual only operation the edge/man trigger mode will be used and the trigger input will remain open. Figure 3: N4915A-005 front view with status LEDs Trigger Input The trigger input is designed to be interoperable with Agilent Bit Error Ratio Testers such as the J-BERT N4903A as well as Agilent Pulse Pattern Generators such as the 81134A. For usage with J-BERT’s trigger output choose the edge trigger mode. When connecting to the output of a Pulse Pattern Generator the level static mode can be used. Table 2: N4915A-005 trigger input electrical parameters Parameter Value Trigger input max. levels ± 3V Trigger threshold 10 mV Max. trigger rate 10 MHz Trigger input connector SMA, 3.5 mm female Because of its external trigger modes the switch can be controlled by other test equipment. Test equipment with integrated sequencing capabilities, such as the J-BERT N4903A can control the switch position as part of a pattern sequence. Furthermore, setups with multiple channels, such as the 81134A Pulse Pattern Generator or the ParBERT 81250 systems can dedicate a data channel to control the switch. Some test applications require the user to change cables between tools, for example in Serial-ATA receiver compliance testing, different tools are needed for turning on the test mode and for performing the actual test. Without a serial bus switch this requires a change of cables as part of the test procedure. Changing cables is certainly undesired in test automation as it consumes additional time and labor. In order to avoid connectivity errors and preserve mechanically sensitive test fixtures, setup changes should also be avoided. Therefore in Serial-ATA the N5990A test automation software has capabilities to remotely control two switch devices to avoid manual steps. Besides test automation in Serial-ATA the switches also overcome the device disconnect issue: After the test mode is turned on on a Serial-ATA product, it doesn’t necessarily allow the user to manually change the connectors. Being disconnected causes some devices to return to the out-of-band mode. Such products can still be tested when using the serial bus switch. Because of the fast switching time Serial-ATA products won’t detect a signal loss while being switched between test tools. Ordering Information 6.5 GBit/s 2 to 1 serial bus switch Agilent N4915A-005 Serial Bus Switch Data Sheet Version 1.0 N4915A-005 3 Related Agilent Literature Pub.No. Agilent N4915A-005 Serial Bus Switch Application in SATA Receiver Test Application Note 5989-7532EN Agilent J-BERT N4903A High-Performance Serial BERT with Complete Jitter Tolerance Testing Data Sheet 5989-2899EN BERT Family Brochure Brochure 5988-9514EN Agilent ParBERT 81250 Parallel Bit Error Ratio Tester Product Overview 5968-9188E Agilent Pulse Pattern and Data Generators Brochure 5980-0489E Agilent 81133A and 81134A 3.35 GHz Pulse Pattern Generators Data Sheet 5988-5549EN Agilent N5990A Test Automation Software Platform Data Sheet 5989-5483EN Remove all doubt Our repair and calibration services will get your equipment back to you, performing like new, when promised. You will get full value out of your Agilent equipment throughout its lifetime. 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The complete list is available at: www.agilent.com/find/contactus Phone or Fax United States: (tel) 800 829 4444 (fax) 800 829 4433 Korea: (tel) (080) 769 0800 (fax) (080)769 0900 Canada: (tel) 877 894 4414 (fax) 800 746 4866 Latin America: (tel) (305) 269 7500 China: (tel) 800 810 0189 (fax) 800 820 2816 Taiwan: (tel) 0800 047 866 (fax) 0800 286 331 Europe: (tel) 31 20 547 2111 Other Asia Pacific Countries: (tel) (65) 6375 8100 (fax) (65) 6755 0042 Email: [email protected] Revised: 09/14/06 Japan: (tel) (81) 426 56 7832 (fax) (81) 426 56 7840 © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2007 Printed in USA, October 30th 2007 5989-7328EN