Patent ID: 6237056
Filing Date: 2001-05-22
Classification: G06F,H05K

Abstract:
A high speed board-to-board data transfer system for use with single ended ribbon cable, the system comprising a slave device, the slave device comprising:a slave printed circuit board;a plurality of primary transfer signal drivers mounted on said slave board, each generating a primary transfer signal including at least one of said primary drivers generating a primary clock signal at a frequency ranging from 40 MHz to about 80 MHz;a plurality of primary trace lines on the slave board, one originating at each of said primary drivers;a plurality of ribbon cable connector pins, a ribbon cable connector pin at the end of each of said plurality of primary trace lines;a plurality of resistors, one resistor mounted in series on each of said plurality of primary trace lines;a plurality of optional secondary transfer signal drivers mounted on said slave board, including at least one of said optional secondary drivers generating a secondary clock signal at a frequency ranging from 40 MHz to about 80 MHz, wherein there is at most one optional secondary driver for each primary driver; anda plurality of optional secondary trace lines on the slave board one connecting each of said plurality of optional secondary drivers to one primary trace line of said plurality of primary trace lines, between the one of said plurality of primary drivers at which the one primary trace line originates and the one of said plurality of resistors which is mounted in series on the one primary trace line;whereby said slave device is capable of reliable data transfer to a master device comprising a master printed circuit board, a plurality of master board ribbon cable connector pins one for each ribbon cable connector pin on the slave board, a plurality of primary receivers, a plurality of master board primary trace lines, one connecting each of said plurality of primary receivers with one of said plurality of master board ribbon cable connector pins, by at least one single-ended ribbon cable having a ground-signal-ground configuration when said at least one ribbon cable connects the plurality of ribbon cable connector pins on the slave board with the plurality of master board ribbon cable connector pins.