Patent ID: 7095789

Claim:
A method for calibrating a bidirectional communication channel, including a first component having a transmitter and a receiver, a second component having a receiver and a transmitter, and a communication link coupling the first and second components, the communication channel transmitting data using the transmitter on the first component and receiving data using the receiver on the second component with a first parameter of the communication channel set to a first operation value, and receiving data using the receiver on the first component and transmitting data using the transmitter on the second component with a second parameter of the communication channel set to a second operation value; comprising: executing a calibration cycle including transmitting a calibration pattern using the transmitter on the first component and receiving the calibration pattern using the receiver on the second component with the first parameter set to a calibration value, and determining a calibrated value of the first parameter in response to the received calibration pattern and setting the first operation value to said calibrated value; and prior to determining said calibrated value of said calibration cycle, transmitting data using the transmitter on the second component and receiving the data using the receiver on the first component with the second parameter set to the second operation value.