Stop Guessing the Ring: Automated Non-Linear VRM Stability in Under a Minute

Ben Dannan

Founder
Signal Edge Solutions

Traditional Power Distribution Network (PDN) testing has hit a wall. Modern VRMs and voltage regulators frequently utilize non-linear control loops, meaning traditional Bode plots—strictly restricted to Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) constraints—can provide dangerously misleading results, leaving engineers guessing. Capturing beautiful traces on an oscilloscope is a great start, but you’re busy. You don’t need more raw traces; you need immediate answers.

Join the measurement experts at SES for a deep dive into a comprehensive, automated Power Integrity workflow that delivers those answers in under a minute. Featuring StepLoad Pro with SEPIA by Picotest, we will demonstrate how to completely bypass traditional loop-injection limitations by analyzing transient step-load responses directly on your oscilloscope.

Instead of just displaying static waveforms, StepLoad Pro automatically drives the load transient while SEPIA deconstructs the time-domain data under the hood. The result? Instant, quantitative stability metrics—like Phase Margin and Quality Factor (Q)—are valid for both linear and non-linear systems. The software then automatically generates a high-fidelity, R-L-C equivalent SPICE model of the output impedance for system-level co-simulation. Ultimately, this automated solution optimizes the model and guides you in tailoring your output load capacitance to guarantee a stable PDN design.

Watch this webinar and discover how to transform your oscilloscope from a simple viewing screen into an automated stability and design powerhouse.

What you’ll learn:

• Why traditional PDN testing can mislead modern VRM analysis
• How to assess PDN stability using transient step-load responses
• Fast, automated extraction of phase margin and quality factor (Q)
• Generating high-fidelity SPICE models for system-level simulation
• Optimizing output capacitance for stable, reliable PDN design

About Ben Dannan, Founder of Signal Edge Solutions

Ben Dannan is the founder of Signal Edge Solutions and a Principal Engineer with over 20 years of experience across private-sector and military organizations. Throughout his career, he has served in Technical Fellow, Principal Engineer, and Senior Engineer roles, contributing to high-impact product and system development for organizations including Bosch, BAE Systems, and the United States Air Force. Ben holds a Master’s degree in Engineering, is a two-time DesignCon Best Paper award recipient, and holds five patents.

A subject matter expert in signal and power integrity (SI/PI), Ben specializes in high-speed interface design, end-to-end channel modeling, power delivery networks, and system-level simulation for PCBs, packages, multi-chip modules, and ASICs. His expertise spans DDR4/DDR5, PCIe, Ethernet, and SerDes technologies, with deep experience in modeling, measurement, and design verification for complex high-speed digital systems. He is also passionate about mentoring and collaborating with engineering teams to solve advanced design challenges.