Xgig Flying-Lead Xgig4K-PCIe4-x4-FL 4-lane Interposer Module for PCI Express 4.0

The VIAVI Xgig PCIe 4.0 Flying-Lead Interposer, part number Xgig4K-PCIe4-x4-FL, provides a data signal tap on the link between host and endpoint devices when no physical connector port is available. It is intended for capturing signals between controller ICs on the same PCB, as found in single-board computers and other embedded and industrial system designs with many PCIe-linked controllers.

Each interposer provides solder-down probe tips that attach to the device under test. The probe is supplied with low-loss probe cables in matched differential pairs that connect to a small PCB carrying the probe tip wires. The tip wires are replaceable, so the probe cables can be reused across multiple attachments. The flying-lead wires are soldered onto the traces near the host or endpoint device.

The active interposer taps bidirectional data on each of 1 to 4 lanes and captures data at 16GTps, with downward compatibility to PCIe 1.0 through 3.0 data rates. One pod supports link widths up to 4 lanes; using up to four Flying-Lead Interposers, the analyzer supports up to x16 lane width. Both upstream and downstream data paths are captured as inputs to the analyzer.

Analyzer integration

The interposer supports the analyzer functions of the VIAVI Xgig4K-PCIe4-X16 system chassis and connects to it through two SFF-8674 equivalent custom cables, plus sideband cables for PCIe sideband signal triggering and capture. Interposer power is independent of the host system. Captured traffic is analysed with the Xgig tool suite, including Trace Control, Expert and Serialytics, for debugging and verifying new ICs, system hardware, firmware, system BIOS and software, and for manufacturing test.