[SI-LIST] Re: Termination of unused PCIe pairs - Email found in subject - Email found in subject

  • From: "Stefan Milnor" <stefan.milnor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Stefan Milnor" <stefan.milnor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <Joseph.Schachner@xxxxxxxxxx>, "otter30" <otter30@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2010 09:10:31 -0700

I see that Joe S. has already answered my question with his description of the 
PCIe "receiver detection".
 
I think the answer to Jim's original question about unused PCIe pairs is to 
just leave them open.
________________________________

From: si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of Stefan Milnor
Sent: Wed 9/8/2010 8:55 AM
To: Joseph.Schachner@xxxxxxxxxx; otter30
Cc: si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [SI-LIST] Re: Termination of unused PCIe pairs - Email found in 
subject - Email found in subject



But don't most chipsets allow the unused PCIe pairs to just be left open?

You are allowed to put a PCIe x1 device into any PCIe implementation, whether 
it is x1, x4, x8, x16 etc. Sometimes people use x1 video cards in a x16 slot. 
The unused 15 PCIe lanes are not terminated. Is this living dangerously?
________________________________

From: si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of Joseph.Schachner@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wed 9/8/2010 6:14 AM
To: otter30
Cc: si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [SI-LIST] Re: Termination of unused PCIe pairs - Email found in subject



This is one of the few questions on SI-LIST that I feel qualified to
answer.

The PCIe base spec has a section titled "Channel AC Couping Capacitors".
The relevant sentence for this case is: "Capacitors must be placed on the
Transmitter side of an interface that permits adapters to be plugged and
unplugged."   So, since you said you have a video card (that plugs in), you
can expect that the card's TX pairs will be AC coupled on the card.  On
your board, all you need are 50 ohm resistors to ground, one on each side
of each unused pair.

This should be clear, but just to make sure you realize: On your board's TX
lines going to the card, your board needs the AC Coupling caps.

Here's the entire section, from the PCI Express Base Specification Rev.
2.1.  This text has not changed in years, it is the same in the latest
draft of the PCIe Gen3 base spec.
4.3.5.1. Channel AC Coupling Capacitors
Each Lane of a PCI Express Link must be AC coupled. The minimum and maximum
values for the
capacitance is given in Table 4-9. Capacitors must be placed on the
Transmitter side of an interface
that permits adapters to be plugged and unplugged. In a topology where
everything is located on a
single substrate, the capacitors may be located anywhere along the channel.
External capacitors are
assumed because the values required are too large to feasibly construct
on-chip.

-- Joe S.



                                                                                
                                                               
  From:       otter30 <otter30@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>                                   
                                                               
                                                                                
                                                               
  To:         si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx                                             
                                                               
                                                                                
                                                               
  Date:       09/07/2010 05:21 PM                                               
                                                               
                                                                                
                                                               
  Subject:    [SI-LIST] Termination of unused PCIe pairs                        
                                                               
                                                                                
                                                               
  Sent by:    si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx                                      
                                                               
                                                                                
                                                               





Hello Friends,

I am designing a carrier pcb that provides interconnect between a CPU
module and
a video processing card.
The video card supports 4x PCIe, but the CPU module has only 2 PCIe lanes
available.

Since PCIe pairs are specified to have 100ohm differential impedance, 50
ohm
resistors to ground ought to

work on the unused TX pairs. Do I also need a .1u cap in series with the
resistors for the RX pairs?

Thanks,
Jim


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