High-speed signal routing basics in PCB Design - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - High-speed signal routing basics

Goal

Understand key metrics of high-speed signal routing on PCBs to improve signal quality and reduce errors.

Sample Data

Net Name	Length (mm)	Impedance (Ohms)	Signal Speed (Gbps)	Cross Talk (dB)	Return Loss (dB)
CLK_1	50	50	5	-40	-20
DATA_1	70	55	3.2	-35	-18
DATA_2	65	50	4.5	-38	-22
CLK_2	45	52	6	-42	-21
DATA_3	80	48	2.8	-33	-17

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Average Signal Speed
  Formula: Average of Signal Speed column
  Result: (5 + 3.2 + 4.5 + 6 + 2.8) / 5 = 4.3 Gbps
• KPI Card: Average Cross Talk
  Formula: Average of Cross Talk column
  Result: (-40 -35 -38 -42 -33) / 5 = -37.6 dB
• Bar Chart: Net Length by Net Name
  Shows length of each net for quick comparison.
  Data points: CLK_1=50, DATA_1=70, DATA_2=65, CLK_2=45, DATA_3=80
• Scatter Plot: Impedance vs Return Loss
  X-axis: Impedance (Ohms)
  Y-axis: Return Loss (dB)
  Points:
  CLK_1 (50, -20), DATA_1 (55, -18), DATA_2 (50, -22), CLK_2 (52, -21), DATA_3 (48, -17)
• Table: Detailed Net Metrics
  Shows all columns for detailed review.

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+
|  KPI: Avg Speed      |  KPI: Avg Cross Talk  |
|      4.3 Gbps        |      -37.6 dB         |
+----------------------+----------------------+
|                      Bar Chart: Net Length                    |
|  CLK_1  DATA_1  DATA_2  CLK_2  DATA_3                        |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|          Scatter Plot: Impedance vs Return Loss               |
|                                                              |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|                      Table: Detailed Net Metrics             |
|  Net Name | Length | Impedance | Signal Speed | Cross Talk | Return Loss |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

A filter to select specific Net Names updates all components to show only data for chosen nets. For example, selecting "CLK_1" and "CLK_2" updates KPIs, charts, and table to reflect only those nets.

Self Check

If you add a filter to show only nets with Signal Speed above 4 Gbps, which components update and what changes occur?

• Average Signal Speed KPI updates to average of CLK_1 (5), DATA_2 (4.5), CLK_2 (6) = 5.17 Gbps
• Average Cross Talk KPI updates to average of CLK_1 (-40), DATA_2 (-38), CLK_2 (-42) = -40 dB
• Bar Chart shows lengths for CLK_1, DATA_2, CLK_2 only
• Scatter Plot shows points for CLK_1, DATA_2, CLK_2 only
• Table shows rows for CLK_1, DATA_2, CLK_2 only

Key Result

Dashboard shows key metrics and visualizations for high-speed signal routing nets including speed, length, impedance, and signal quality.