Electronics Guide

Loss and Equalization

Signal loss is an inevitable consequence of electrical signal propagation through real-world transmission channels. As signals travel through PCB traces, cables, and other interconnects, they experience attenuation that worsens with increasing frequency, leading to amplitude reduction, edge rate degradation, and inter-symbol interference. Understanding the mechanisms behind channel loss and implementing effective equalization strategies are critical skills for designing high-speed digital communication systems.

This category explores the physics of signal attenuation, techniques for characterizing channel behavior, and both passive and active methods for compensating loss to maintain signal integrity at multi-gigabit data rates.