Videos

The notes, in motion

Name: Ground cut
Uploaded: 2026-10-12
Duration: 12 s
Description: Should you cut ground under connector pads?

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28 videos, 28 with a note to read after.

Signal integrityCRCs on fast links
How does a CRC catch bad bits, and what do fast links do when it fails?
Read Note 28
Signal integrityLine codes
Why do fast serial links use line codes like 8b/10b?
Read Note 26
RFTrace or U.FL jumper
When does a U.FL jumper beat a trace to the antenna?
Read Note 25
Signal integrityI3C vs I2C
What is I3C, and how does it differ from I2C?
Read Note 24
PowerCapacitors
Which kind of capacitor should feed a load?
Read Note 13
PowerLiPo vs LiFePO4
How does a LiFePO4 cell differ from a LiPo?
Read Note 18
PowerPower inductors
Does it matter how a 4.7 µH inductor is built?
Read Note 12
PowerBattery balance
Why does a LiPo pack need balancing?
Read Note 15
Signal integrityUSB-C alt modes
What can a USB-C port carry besides USB?
Read Note 23
Signal integrityPHY and link layer
What does the PHY do, and what does the link layer do?
Read Note 14
PowerGaN vs silicon
Why are USB-C chargers going GaN?
Read Note 11
EMCSpread spectrum
What does spread spectrum do to a buck’s EMI test?
Read Note 6
PowerZero-voltage switching
What is zero-voltage switching, and what does it save?
Read Note 10
PowerSIMO converters
Can one inductor feed three rails?
Read Note 22
SensingSense position
Low side, high side or in line: where should a motor drive sense current?
Read Note 19
SensingShunt taps
Where do you tap a 0.5 mΩ shunt?
Read Note 5
RFAntenna ground
How much ground does a 2.4 GHz PCB antenna need?
Read Note 3
PowerFET choice
Is the FET with the lowest Rds(on) the best one?
Read Note 20
LogisticsChip journeys
Where does a chip travel before it reaches your board?
Read Note 9
Board and fabThermal relief
Should a ground pin tie into the plane through a thermal relief?
Read Note 7
PowerPower quadrants
What are 1-, 2- and 4-quadrant power supplies?
Read Note 21
Signal integrityEye diagram
How do you read an eye diagram?
Read Note 8
Signal integrityVia stubs
How long a via stub can a fast link take?
Read Note 17
EMCUSB-C shell
Should a USB-C shell go straight to ground, or through an RC?
Read Note 2
Signal integrityCar camera coax
How does one coax carry a car camera’s video, control and power?
Read Note 27
Signal integrityTDR
How do you read a TDR trace?
Read Note 16
PowerGate ringing
How hard should you drive a half bridge?
Read Note 4
Signal integrityGround cut
Should you cut ground under connector pads?
Read Note 1