A new generation of digital cable has entered the applications market. Compact active cables embed signal processing technology directly into the cable structure to improve bandwidth performance and extend the capability of many communication standards such as HDMI, USB, DisplayPort and Infiniband.

In active cables, a chip is embedded in the sink end of the cable to compensate for the data loss which occurs when very high speed signals are transmitted over copper. This technology enables cable brands and cable assemblies to produce slim, flexible and compact cables for consumers.

VerifEye is RedMere's advanced cable test platform which optimizes the high-speed test measurement facility in the chip which contains the equalizer. Each active cable can be tuned in a production environment and assures quality and compliance of the finished active cable.

Find out more about RedMere’s technology by clicking your option below:

Chip Technology

When you increase the length and decrease the gauge of a cable, the electronic characteristics of cable assemblies becomes less reliable and causes higher loss. The chip technology recovers this loss through equalization settings to produce compliant cables.

High-speed differential cable design is centred on the trade-off of manufacturing cost versus data-rate performance requirements over length. As performance demands increase, high-frequency bandwidth suppression becomes more difficult to solve. These problems cause common-mode noise (cross-talk, EMI) and increased rise times and reduced amplitudes, which mean that data becomes virtually impossible to recover.

This unique patented technology solves these cable bandwidth problems with signal conditioning technology embedded directly within the sink side of the cable. The adaptive equalization applies gain to the high-frequency signal components as a function of the frequency loss detected.

The chip is powered by a technique called power harvesting. The IC is designed to harvest power from the data lines without corrupting the data. 

The technology ensures cable quality and compliance through an in built high-speed test function. This works by sending high frequency data around the cable and measuring data edges with pico-second accuracy.

RedMere's chip technology and cable reference designs assist cable brands and manufacturers bring active cables to market.

Contact RedMere for full technical data on this innovative technology.

VerifEye Active Cable Test Platform

VerifEye™ (V200P) is the second generation of active testers for high speed HDMI cables incorporating RedMere’s chip technology. The cost-effective unit supports the high volume production of advanced active cable solutions.

 The V200P is designed to measure the performance characteristics of the cable assembly and determine the compliant settings of the embedded silicon to meet the signal integrity requirements. It works by exercising the built-in test functionality in the chip and delivering a high performance, compliant cable. The final step is the permanent programming of these settings to the silicon. The resulting cable assembly has the performance characteristics of the IC matched to the attached bulk cable. All passing cables produce HDMI compliant eyes.

VerfiEye ™ V200P supports two software modes:

1. Production Mode is used on the production floor to carry out at-speed testing of the active cable up to the speeds required to certify the cable.Typical test time for an active cable is 5 seconds, reported to the line operator through a simplified GUI. The unit also provides statistical analysis from the production line to support yield, reliability and quality improvements.
2. Lab Mode is used in cable assembly design and development. The advanced user interface allows cable designers to access and control the high-performance equaliser technology embedded in the device in-cable, recording and reporting cable performance. This allows cable designs to be tuned in a development environment prior to production.

Applications

• HDMI and DisplayPort cable test and optimization