The Keysight M8049A is a set of three ISI (Inter-Symbol Interference) channel boards engineered to emulate channel loss in high-speed receiver test setups. Designed for data rates of 32 Gbaud and higher, these boards enable accurate characterization of receiver performance and validation against industry standards including IEEE 802.3cd and OIF-CEI-56G. The system delivers precise channel loss emulation through 21 PC board traces with varying lengths, enabling cascaded configurations for comprehensive frequency-dependent attenuation simulation.
Technical Specifications
• Data Rate Support: 32 Gbaud and higher
• Trace Count: 21 total across three boards
• Trace Length Range: 0.8 inch (20.3 mm) to 22.3 inches (566.4 mm)
– Short traces (5): 1.4 to 5.5 inches
– Medium traces (9): 0.8 to 7.95 inches
– Long traces (7): 9.05 to 22.25 inches
• Insertion Loss Range: 1 to 20 dB at 16 GHz (32 Gbaud equivalent)
• Frequency-Dependent Attenuation: Supported for symbol rates above 10 Gbaud
• Channel Configuration: Differential channels
• PCB Material: Rogers 4350B and Megtron 6 with characterized S21 parameters
• Form Factor: Compact design for close proximity to Device Under Test
– Key Features
• Fine-resolution channel loss emulation through cascading traces within or between boards
• Repeatable and accurate S21 loss characteristic emulation for electrical interconnects
• Three-board modular architecture supporting flexible configuration
• High-frequency PCB materials optimized for 32 Gbaud and above operation
– Typical Applications
• High-speed serial link receiver validation
• Worst-case channel loss scenario testing per IEEE 802.3cd and OIF-CEI-56G standards
• Frequency-dependent attenuator simulation
• Compliance testing for 32 Gbaud+ digital interfaces
– Compatibility & Integration
The M8049A complements Keysight’s broader test ecosystem, including the M8020A BERT with integrated adjustable ISI and the M8048A ISI channels for data rates up to 16 Gb/s. Dedicated compliance channels are available for SATA, DisplayPort, and PCI Express applications.
