VScope: Waveform Viewing Technology Embedded in an IC Chip

With network speeds increasing exponentially and the demand for more bandwidth growing by the day, signal integrity is a bigger challenge than ever for design engineers – especially since system integrity plays such a key role in all types of high-speed systems. Enter VITESSE’s integrated VScope™ technology, which enables IC chips to monitor system integrity from the inside. As a result, system engineers and operators no longer need oscilloscopes or bit error rate detectors to scan received data, as they can now do this directly from the IC itself. The VScope technology that is integrated in the clock and data recovery products from VITESSE operates on any channel of live data, thus providing unmatched capabilities for testing and system monitoring.

VScope Applications

Optical Signals

Direct Signal Integrity Analysis
VScope provides a signal monitoring accuracy that engineers could only dream of not long ago. By scanning a signal after IC-supported equalization (post equalizer scanning) but prior to its conversion into a digital data stream, a true (in-line) picture of the input signal and equalization performance can be obtained.

This form of in-line system diagnostics not only takes advantage of equalization, but also avoids inherent inaccuracies with measurements taken at the input to the IC. In addition, VScope technology permits the generation of relative BER and Q factor measurements.
VScope signal quality monitoring is used to directly optimize the electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) capabilities of Vitesse’s VSC8242 and VSC8240. The results are superior performance in environments with a heavily degraded optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR), a critical issue for high-speed optical links.

Remote Signal Monitoring
Remote monitoring is another VScope advantage. Because the scanned signal data is transported in the packet overhead, service providers can access the diagnostic information in real time from anywhere in the network. Thus, VScope technology enables data service providers to make detailed remote measurements of signal integrity from the central office and thereby eliminate on-site service to perform the same test using conventional instruments. Furthermore, by monitoring the health of a given link, signal degradation can be quickly identified and solved before it becomes a problem. As a result, service providers can reduce field labor and operational expenses, and at the same time provide pre-emptive customer service.

Backplane Design

Direct Signal Integrity Analysis
VScope provides a signal monitoring accuracy that engineers could only dream of not long ago. By scanning a signal after IC-supported equalization (post equalizer scanning) but prior to its conversion into a digital data stream, a true (in-line) picture of the input signal and equalization performance can be obtained. This form of in-line system diagnostics not only takes advantage of equalization, but also avoids inherent inaccuracies with measurements taken at the input to the IC. While conventional outside probing can only approximate the actual signal and can introduce capacitive loading and other inaccuracies, VScope further enhances the veracity of the scan data by the fact that the same circuits handle both waveform scanning and data acquisition, thus eliminating the possibility of correlation errors between data and measurement.

Unlimited System Diagnostics
VScope diagnostics go far beyond standard capabilities and enable revolutionary new applications. The technology not only augments design testing, but also creates opportunities for remote diagnostics and monitoring of ongoing system and network health. By using VScope during development, design testing becomes more cost effective and streamlined. For multi-board systems such as backplanes, engineers can test in a fully assembled system, thus eliminating special test cards and awkward cabling arrangements. Signal integrity margins across voltage and temperature can also be tested far more easily, since the only interface required when testing a board in an environmental chamber is the lower frequency control bus to the PCB. Remote monitoring is another VScope advantage. By transporting the scan data in the packet overhead, the diagnostic information can be accessed in real time from anywhere in the network. As a result, data service providers can make detailed remote measurements of signal integrity from the central office and thereby eliminate on-site service to perform the same test using conventional instruments. Furthermore, by monitoring the health of a given link, signal degradation can be quickly identified and solved before it becomes a problem. As a result, service providers can reduce field labor and operational expenses, and at the same time provide pre-emptive customer service.

Video

VScope significantly improves the signal integrity of uncompressed, high definition (HD), SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) 1080i/1080p signals – whose data can become distorted through cables, connectors and backplanes. The VSC3406 combines its signal integrity feature set with VITESSE's VScope waveform viewing technology to enable real-time, economic monitoring functionality for live video feeds in broadcast video equipment.

Monitoring and correcting faults associated with hundreds of HD streams taxes the capabilities of test equipment, broadcast systems and individual operators. Yet, monitoring these links in real time for Quality of Service (QoS) parameters is essential for the efficient operation of broadcast studios. Vitesse's VScope technology is a patented solution offering a more accessible and cost-effective signal analysis tool that can be remotely monitored through network connections. This technology leapfrogs current signal integrity methods by scanning the input data eye within the chip itself, and it produces the industry's first offering of true in-line imaging of the real-time data stream on a per-pin basis.

Vitesse's VScope and CDR technology carries a mix of both high-definition video and data traffic, and has the capability of transmitting and receiving SMPTE compliant HD-SDI quality video signals at 1.5 Gbps and 3 Gbps, while introducing new architectural options for equipment that carries video and data traffic. Furthermore, the IC's VScope functionality allows a new level of visibility for system debug and remote monitoring across a full video router matrix.

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