Here's an updated running list of commonly asked questions regarding my new power integrity lab manual. Contact me here if you have questions or would like more information.

• What's the book's status?
  • The hard copy I received for review looked good overall, but 8 figures weren't as clear in print as I wanted. I've revised them and made a few other tweaks to the manuscript. I'm waiting to receive a new hard copy for a final review.
  • The book is 162 pages in length and has the same dimensions and price as my Signal Integrity Lab Manual (7.5 x 9.25 inches; 19 x 23.5cm, $29.95USD). Fifteen highly detailed experiments and three build projects along with the corresponding analysis are covered in 6 chapters, 4 appendices, and a bibliography
• When will the book be available?
  • The book should be available on Amazon by mid-August, and a bit later from other retailers.
• Will the book be available electronically?
  • No, I'm not planning on releasing an electronic version (on the Kindle, for example). If enough requests come in I'll reconsider that decision, but formatting a technical manuscript so it presents properly in electronic form is non-trivial. The graphics and the surrounding text, tables and some lists can get munged by the conversion process and must be hand corrected. In that regard technical books aren't like novels which are usually straight forward to convert.
• How Difficult are the experiments and projects?
  • They are purposefully simple while still being informative. Undergraduate students and graduates in electrical engineering, computer engineering, electromechanical engineering along with computer scientists, technicians and some hobbyists building electronic hardware will find the experiments informative and easy to do. Most experiments require basic familiarity using a dual channel oscilloscope (preferably 200MHz) and a bench power supply. Some require a function generator. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a more complete equipment list.

• How is decoupling explained?
  • The book first looks at decoupling in the time domain (the “supplying charge” point of view) and then in the frequency domain (the “PDN target impedance” approach).
• How is decoupling in the time domain demonstrated?
  • The experiments you’ll perform will show you that poor decoupling can change an IC’s timing, alter a signal’s wave shape, and can cause runt pulses to occur. You’ll use a small ferrite to create a current probe; these experiments are really neat because you’ll see the relative magnitudes of the current provided by the DCAPs and the power supply when an IC switches, and you’ll see how adding DCAPs changes that.
• How is decoupling in the frequency domain explained?
  • The book discusses signal and power supply harmonics and target impedance in some detail and shows how adding DCAP can change the PDN's impedance and suppress high frequency harmonics but also sometimes makes high frequency noise worse. You'll use your homemade current probe to measure the harmonics in a signal and in the power feeding an IC. DCAP ESL and resonance (including the important topic of multiple resonances) are also discussed and measured in the lab.
• Is DCAP resonance covered?
  • Yes, you’ll learn how to use an oscilloscope or a homemade RF voltmeter to measure DCAP resonance. As part of this you’ll see how interconnect inductance and capacitance effect the frequency and shape of the DCAP’s resonance curve.
• Who is this manual written for?
  • Students and degreed electrical engineers and computer engineers and electronics technicians wishing to learn the basics of power integrity in electronic systems by performing practical, low cost and straightforward hands-on experiments with inexpensive CMOS IC’s.
• How is the book arranged?
  • The chapters come in pairs: A chapter presenting theory is followed by a chapter of experiments demonstrating that material.
  • Chapters 1 (theory) and 2 (experiments) briefly cover the characteristics of CMOS I/O so you’ll understand why power problems can lead to signal integrity problems.
  • Chapters 3 and 4 cover decoupling and DCAPs theory and experiments in the time domain.
  • Chapters 5 and 6 discuss decoupling, DCAPs and PDN impedance theory and experiments in the frequency domain.
  • Appendix A and Appendix B provide detailed build notes for the projects, including instructions for building and testing the RF voltmeter and AC current probes.
  • Appendix C is a review of decibels. This chapter is supplemental: Decibels only appear in a few places in the manual and this material is included to assist those readers unfamiliar with them.
  • Appendix D discusses frequency harmonics in a pulse.
• What will I need to perform the experiments?
  • A solderless breadboard.
  • A handful of resistors, capacitors, a ferrite or two, a few low-cost IC’s and some test leads. None of the parts are rare, and all are readily available.
• What test gear will I need?
  
  • An adjustable power supply (although some of the experiments require a second supply or a 9V battery).
  • A DMM (it’s a bonus if your DMM can measure capacitance).
  • A 200MHz bandwidth dual channel oscilloscope. You can get away with a 100MHz scope, but your results won’t closely match the results in the manual. A sub-100MHz scope is OK for a few of the experiments, but in general low bandwidth scopes won’t work well. It’s a plus (but not a necessity) if your scope can perform an FFT.
  • A function generator that outputs a square wave up to around 5MHz and a sine wave up to about 15MHz. You still can perform some of the experiments even if your generator doesn't go up that high. It’s not necessary for it to have a sweep function.