Method for increasing stability of system memory through enhanced quality of supply power
View Patent ↗An apparatus for buffering power transients in a supply power for expansion cards inserted into expansion slots on a computer motherboard. The apparatus comprises a printed circuit board, a connector on the printed circuit board, and at least one capacitor on the printed circuit board. The connector is configured to fit into one of the expansion slots on the motherboard, and comprises at least one power pin and at least one ground pin. The at least one capacitor is connected to the power and ground pins of the connector and has sufficient capacitance to buffer power transients within the supply power to the expansion slots.
1. An apparatus for buffering power transients in a supply power for expansion cards inserted into expansion slots on a computer motherboard, the apparatus comprising:
a printed circuit board;
a connector on the printed circuit board, the connector being configured to fit into a first expansion slot of the expansion slots on the motherboard, the connector having multiple pins comprising at least one power pin and at least one ground pin that define at least a first pair of power and ground pins, the connector being configured so that the power pin of the first pair of power and ground pins is connected to the supply power when the connector is received in the first expansion slot; and
at least one capacitor mounted to the printed circuit board and electrically connected to the first pair of power and ground pins of the connector, the at least one capacitor having a capacitance sufficient to buffer power transients within the supply power supplied to the expansion slots.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first expansion slot for which the connector is configured is a memory expansion slot of the motherboard.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one capacitor is an electrolytic capacitor.
4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one capacitor is a tantalum capacitor.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one capacitor is one of a plurality of capacitors on the printed circuit board and the first pair of power and ground pins is one of a plurality of pairs of power and ground pins defined by the multiple pins of the connector, each of the capacitors being electrically connected to a pair of the plurality of pairs of power and ground pins.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein multiple capacitors are electrically connected to the first pair of cower and ground pins.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein at least two of the multiple capacitors have different capacitances and cooperate to buffer relatively larger transients and relatively smaller faster transients.
8. An apparatus comprising:
a motherboard comprising expansion slots to which supply power is supplied by a bus on the motherboard;
expansion cards inserted into at least some of the expansion slots and powered by the bus through the expansion slots;
a printed circuit board inserted into at least a first expansion slot of the expansion slots, the printed circuit board having a connector engaged with the first expansion slot, the connector having multiple pins comprising at least one power pin and at least one ground pin that define at least a first pair of power and ground pins, the power pin of the first pair of power and ground pins being connected to the supply power; and
at least one capacitor mounted to the printed circuit board and electrically connected to the first pair of power and ground pins of the connector, the at least one capacitor having a capacitance sufficient to buffer power transients within the supply power supplied to the expansion slots.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the first expansion slot into which the connector is inserted is a memory expansion slot.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one capacitor is an electrolytic capacitor.
11. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one capacitor is a tantalum capacitor.
12. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one capacitor is one of a plurality of capacitors on the printed circuit board and the first pair of power and ground pins is one of a plurality of pairs of power and ground pins defined by the multiple pins of the connector, each of the capacitors being electrically connected to a pair of the plurality of pairs of power and ground pins.
13. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein multiple capacitors are electrically connected to the first pair of power and ground pins.
14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein at least two of the multiple capacitors have different capacitances and cooperate to buffer relatively larger transients and relatively smaller faster transients.