Patent ID: 7548433

Claim:
An information handing system having apparatus for setting adequate drive strength based upon direct current (DC) trace resistance, said system comprising: a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board having at least one layer of conductive signal traces; a resistance detection trace, wherein the resistance detection trace is configured to have characteristics substantially the same as a worst case signal trace of the at least one layer of conductive signal traces; a test voltage coupled to a first end of the resistance detection trace; a trace termination resistor coupled to a second end of the resistance detection trace; a voltage comparator having a first input coupled to the second end of the resistance detection trace and the trace termination resistor; a drive strength reference voltage coupled to a second input of the voltage comparator, wherein if a voltage at the second end of the resistance detection trace is greater than the drive strength reference voltage at the second input then the voltage comparator has an output at a first logic level, and if a voltage at the second end of the resistance detection trace is less than or equal to the drive strength reference voltage at the second input then the voltage comparator has an output at a second logic level.