Debugging common digital problems with a scope

摘要

Embedded systems can contain many different types of devices including microcontrollers, microprocessors, DSPs, RAM, EPROMs, FPGAs, A/Ds, and D/As. These various devices must communicate with each other and the outside world using data buses. However, as system speeds increase and designs shrink, circuit designers increasingly must debug signal integrity problems. The ideal digital signal has fast transitions and only two states: high and low. In the real world, digital signals are much more complex (see Fig. 1). The deviations from ideal are known as signal integrity issues. Since these problems can result in incorrect data patterns affecting system operation, designers commonly must analyze their design's signal integrity to ensure proper operation.