Modular bus with single or double parallel termination

• US 5,663,661 A
• Filed: 07/12/1996
• Issued: 09/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Moncayo, Alfredo, Nimmagadda, Srinivas, Dillon, John B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Westin, Edward P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSEEN, RICHARD R
• Application Number:
  US08/680,589
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 326/30, 327/292, 375/257
• US Class Current: 326/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4077 Precharging or discharging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0298 Arrangement for terminating transmission lines

Abstract

A modular bus permitting single or double termination is described. The bus includes a terminated motherboard data net for communicating data signals between a master and one or more motherboard devices. A socket is used for coupling the data signals between the motherboard data net and a terminated module data net of a removable module. The module data net communicates the data signals between the master and one or more module devices. The data signal swing and level of reflection of the data signals are substantially independent of the presence of the module.

Claims

1. A bus for communicating signals with a removable module, the bus comprising:

a singly terminated motherboard net for communicating signals between a master and one or more motherboard devices;

a socket for communicating the signals between the motherboard net and a singly terminated module net of the removable module, the module net communicating the signals between the master and one or more module devices, wherein the motherboard and module nets are coupled to form a doubly terminated net when the module is present.

2. The bus of claim 1 wherein a signal swing and a level of reflection of the signals are substantially independent of the presence of the module.

3. The bus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the motherboard devices and the module devices is a memory device.

4. The bus of claim 3 wherein the memory device is a dynamic random access memory.

5. The bus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the motherboard devices and the module devices is a slave device having a programmable current control.

6. The bus of claim 1 wherein the motherboard net comprises a motherboard data net, wherein the module net comprises a module data net, wherein the motherboard data net and the module data net are coupled to form a doubly terminated data net when the module is present.

7. The bus of claim 1 wherein the motherboard net comprises a motherboard clock net for communicating a first clock signal, wherein the module net comprises a module clock net, wherein the motherboard clock net and the module clock net are coupled to form a doubly terminated clock net when the module is present.

8. The bus of claim 7 further comprising:

clock circuitry for providing the first clock signal and a second clock signal, the socket communicating at least one of the first and second clock signals to the module clock net.

9. The bus of claim 8 wherein the second clock signal is communicated to a non-terminated end of the module clock net, wherein the socket couples a module clock net transmit node to a motherboard clock net transmit node, wherein the socket couples a module clock net receive node to a motherboard clock net receive node.

10. The bus of claim 9 wherein the module clock net includes a module clock net loop, wherein an electrical length of a first path from the module clock net transmit node through the module clock net loop to the module clock net receive node is substantially the same as an electrical length of a second path from the module clock net transmit node to the motherboard clock net transmit node to the master to the motherboard clock net receive node to the module clock net receive node.

11. The bus of claim 9 wherein the module clock net does not include a clock net loop.

12. The bus of claim 8 wherein the second clock signal is communicated to a non-terminated end of the module clock net, wherein the first clock signal is not communicated to the module clock net.

13. The bus of claim 8 wherein a terminating resistance of the module clock net and the motherboard clock net is in a range of 45 to 55 ohms.

14. The bus of claim 8 wherein the clock circuitry comprises:

a clock signal splitter for providing the first clock signal and a second clock signal from a source clock signal, wherein the clock signal splitter further comprises;

a first resistor;

a second resistor, a first end of the first resistor and a first end of the second resistor forming a node for receiving the source clock signal, wherein the first clock signal is provided at a second end of the first resistor and the second clock signal is provided at a second end of the second resistor.

15. The bus of claim 14 wherein the first and second resistors have substantially the same resistance.

16. The bus of claim 15 wherein the first and second resistors have a resistance of approximately 70 ohms.

17. The bus of claim 14 wherein the dock signal splicer further comprises a third resistor coupled to the node and a voltage potential, wherein a symmetry of the source dock signal varies in response to a resistance of the third resistor.

18. A bus for communicating signals with a removable module, the bus comprising:

a singly terminated motherboard data net for communicating data signals between a master and one or more motherboard devices;

a singly terminated motherboard clock net for communicating a first clock signal to the master and the one or more motherboard devices;

a socket for communicating the data signals between the motherboard data net and a singly terminated module data net of the removable module, the module data net communicating the data signals between the master and one or more module devices, wherein the socket communicates clock signals from the motherboard clock net to a singly terminated module clock net of the removable module, the module clock net communicating the clock signals from the motherboard clock net to the one or more module devices;

wherein the motherboard and module data nets are coupled to form a doubly terminated data net when the module is present, wherein the motherboard and module clock nets are coupled to form a doubly terminated clock net when the module is present.

19. The bus of claim 18 wherein a data signal swing and a level of reflection of the data signals are substantially independent of the presence of the module.

20. The bus of claim 18 wherein a clock signal swing of the motherboard clock net is substantially independent of the presence of the module.

21. The bus of claim 18 wherein a clock net segment electrical length and a data net segment electrical length between a first motherboard device and any other motherboard device is substantially the same.

22. The bus of claim 18 wherein a clock net segment electrical length and a data net segment electrical length between a first module device and any other module device is substantially the same.

23. The bus of claim 18 wherein a terminating resistance of each of the module clock net, the module data net, the motherboard clock net, and the motherboard data net is in a range of 45 to 55 ohms.

24. The bus of claim 18 wherein at least one of the motherboard devices and the module devices is a memory device.

25. The bus of claim 18 wherein the memory device is a dynamic random access memory.

26. The bus of claim 18 wherein at least one of the motherboard devices and the module devices is a slave device having a programmable current control.

27. A dual channel modular bus for communicating signals with a removable first module and a removable second module, the bus comprising:

a first singly terminated motherboard data net for communicating first data signals between a master and a first set of motherboard devices, the first set comprising one or more motherboard devices;

a second singly terminated motherboard data net for communicating second data signals between the master and a second set of motherboard devices, the second set comprising another one or more motherboard devices;

a first socket for communicating the first data signals between the first motherboard data net and a first singly terminated module data net of the removable first module, wherein the first motherboard data net and the first module data net are coupled to form a first doubly terminated data net when the removable first module is present;

a second socket for communicating the second data signals between the second motherboard data net and a second singly terminated module data net of the removable second module, wherein the second motherboard data net and the second module data net are coupled to form a second doubly terminated data net when the removable second module is present.

28. The dual channel modular bus of claim 27 wherein a data signal swing and a level of reflection of the data signals on the first and second motherboard data nets are substantially independent of the presence of the first and second modules.

29. The dual channel modular bus of claim 27 wherein at least one of the first and second modules includes a module device, wherein at least one of the motherboard devices and the module device is a memory device.

30. The dual channel modular bus of claim 29 wherein the memory device is a dynamic random access memory.

31. A method of adjusting a programmable slave output driver current of a slave coupled to a bus for communicating signals with a master and a removable module, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) setting a register setting of the master to a first value, wherein the bus couples the master to the slave, wherein the bus is doubly terminated when the removable module is coupled to the bus, wherein the bus is singly terminated when the removable module is not coupled to the bus;

(B) communicating the register setting from the master to an output driver of the slave, wherein the slave adjusts a slave current corresponding to the register setting, wherein the slave returns a packet to the master;

(C) comparing a voltage level of the packet to a reference voltage;

(D) if the voltage level is greater than or equal to the reference voltage, then adjusting the register setting to provide for a greater slave current and repeating steps B) through C);

(E) if the voltage level is less than the reference voltage, then;

(1) setting the register setting to a final value, wherein the final value corresponds to twice a level of slave current as the present value;

(2) communicating the register setting from the master to the output driver of the slave.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the final value is computed by doubling the present value.