02special report EDA FOR PC BOARDS PC-Board Design Tools Step Up To Gigabit Challenges Fast edge rates and signal-integrity issues are hitting pc-board designers harder than ever before, calling for design tools with enhanced analysis capabilities. David Maliniak ELECTRONIC DESIGN AUTOMATION D epending on the type of product you’re involved with, pc boards represent a range of design challenges. Generally speaking, you’d like to produce your board for as little money as possible, making sure that it’s testable and manufacturable without hitches. It would also serve you well to look beyond the board itself at how it meshes mechanically with the rest of the system it’s destined to be part of. Yet in addition to those general engineering concerns, if you’re looking at a board carrying extrem……