[Ideas For Design]
Reference Designs Play A Dual Role
Sometimes, designers take the design and modify it, and other times they use it to the letter. It all depends on market demands.
Another vital part of the burden is the need for detailed application expertise. “A reference design has to be targeted to a specific application,” says Valentino, “and we have to be particularly versed in what the end performance requirements of our design must be.”
Companies may also work with third parties to augment their reference design efforts. “Sometimes you have to go out and get expertise,” says Valentino, “in order to address a market in a hurry because you have a short market window.”
Semiconductor companies have developed a variety of strategies to cope with these burdens. One is to focus their efforts only on key markets and components. STMicroelectronics, for instance, has more than 16,000 active part numbers, but only offers about 200 ready-to-go reference designs.
“We attack only those market segments where the added value of our product mix is a major advantage,” says Aleo. The company also multiplies its exposure by incorporating as many STMicro products in a single reference design as possible—from six to 15 on each board, according to Aleo.
Another approach is to create multiple reference designs addressing different needs. QuickFilter starts by creating a generic design that it can then leverage to create a series of application-specific designs, notes Valentino.
Freescale sees a need for both educational and production-ready reference designs. “Full designs get customers to market quickly when they don’t have expertise,” says Neidig. “But for more established applications, customers have developed their expertise so they don’t need full production readiness.”
Regardless of the type of reference design that’s offered by a semiconductor vendor, developers should ensure that it has full software. “Software is a key aspect when evaluating reference designs,” says Lowe. “How much of a whole solution is the vendor providing?”
Developers should also check to make sure the reference design’s software is available for use. “We keep reminding our customers that they will need to get a license to use some of the software we include in the reference design,” says Neidig.
Finally, designers need to make sure the documentation for the reference design includes the education aspect, even when they’re adopting the design wholesale. “The reference design is not useful without documentation,” says Prakash. “It saves questions at the end.”
Documentation should include information on how to make changes, what to change, and warnings of what not to change—like high-speed circuit layouts—as well as the full details on how to fabricate the design.
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