At UltraCAD we have some SI tools but have not offered SI services for several reasons. Among them are: 1. It is difficult to set up an realistic SI analysis, especially from the standpoint of acquiring and assigning all the models needed for a highly complex board. Therefore, the customer would have to be so closely involved, he should already have the tool himself! 2. We have not seen a significant market need among the customers we currently have. 3. (a biggie) This open up a whole new area of liability we are uncomfortable with. Suppose we say a board passes our SI analysis and then does not work. There are many reasons why this might happen, only a few of which might involve us! The dollars available for such a service vs the potential risk of getting involved in what the problem really is (i.e. the finger pointing exercise) seems disproportional. That is, it doesn't look like a good business risk! 4. We wonder if we really have the expertise to suggest we even can specialize in this area. Having said that, we will work with a customer who already has the same SI tool and help with the analysis. We just don't want to be responsible for it. Outside responsibility for SI analyses seems to me to be better left to the really experienced consultants. Just one person's view! Doug Brooks, President UltraCAD (and, at the risk of raising the ire of some subscribers here, one might try to argue that if you do the board design right, you don't NEED a tool! One proof of the pudding is whether your boards work after they are designed!) At 08:46 AM 3/15/2002 -0800, you wrote: >To all list members, > >A few of us in Silicon Valley have been discussing the need for a >Specctraquest "type", tools to be determined by market demands, Signal >Integrity service bureau, similar to PCB design service bureaus. ------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from si-list: si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field or to administer your membership from a web page, go to: //www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list For help: si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field List archives are viewable at: //www.freelists.org/archives/si-list or at our remote archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at: http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu