Vg3.3 Updated

VG3.3 User Guide: Core Workflow & Best Practices

When to Choose a Switching Regulator (Buck Converter) for VG3.3

Advantages: High efficiency (85-95%) across wide input voltage range, handles higher currents with less heat.
Disadvantages: Output ripple (10-100mV), larger PCB footprint (inductor, external compensation), potential EMI interference.
Best for: Input voltage > 12V, output current > 500mA, or any application where power efficiency is critical (battery-powered devices with high duty cycles).

Step 6 – Add Unique Value

Ask: Would someone bookmark this or share it with a friend? Why?

Ways to add value:

Original calculator or template
Real-world comparison (tested side-by-side)
Mistakes you made (and how to avoid them)
Updated commentary on a changing topic (e.g., tax laws, software updates)

Application 1: Data Center Cooling

Modern server racks produce immense heat. VG3.3 fans are used in in-row cooling units and rear-door heat exchangers. Their standardized performance curves mean that a facility manager can replace a failed fan from Manufacturer A with one from Manufacturer B without recalibrating the entire control system. The result? Mean time to repair (MTTR) drops from 4 hours to 45 minutes. Step 6 – Add Unique Value Ask: Would

Step 5 – Answer Completely, Then Stop

Cover the topic fully but concisely. Don’t add fluff to reach a word count.
If the query is simple (“What time is the Super Bowl?”), answer directly + very brief context. No essay needed.
If the query is complex (“How to replace a car alternator”), provide:
- Tools needed
- Safety warnings
- Step-by-step instructions
- Common pitfalls
- When to call a professional

PCB Layout Best Practices for VG3.3

A poorly implemented VG3.3 rail can cause system resets, erratic behavior, and failed EMC testing. Follow these layout guidelines: place the inductor close

Keep input and output capacitors close to the regulator pins to minimize parasitic inductance.
Use a solid ground plane and separate analog/digital ground if necessary. The VG3.3 return path should be uninterrupted.
Widen traces for the VG3.3 net. Calculate trace width based on current: for 1A, a 50mil (1.27mm) trace on 1oz copper is recommended.
Place bypass capacitors (0.1µF + 10µF) near every IC that draws from VG3.3 to suppress transient spikes.
Avoid routing VG3.3 over sensitive analog signals – the return current can induce noise.
For switching regulators: Keep the switching node (LX) short, place the inductor close, and ensure the feedback (FB) trace is away from noisy traces.

8 Comments

Jason Green on July 7, 2014 at 12:52 pm

Hi Ben,
Great article and a very comprehensive provisioning guide! Things are moving very fast at snom and the snom 7xx devices (except currently the 715) are now supplied automatically as “Lync ready” and can be easily provisioned straight out of the box. A simple command of text into the Lync Powershell and voila!

You can find all the details here:
http://provisioning.snom.com/OCS/BETA/2012-05-09 Native Software Update information TK_JG.pdf

Regards,
Jason
Jason Green on July 7, 2014 at 12:54 pm

Link above was broken:

http://provisioning.snom.com/OCS/BETA/2012-05-09%20Native%20Software%20Update%20information%20TK_JG.pdf
Ben Lee on July 7, 2014 at 2:03 pm

Hi Jason, Thanks. It’s good to hear that’s an option, this post was based off a mini customer deployment we had a few months ago…
(Also can’t wait to test out the upcoming BToE implementation)

Ben
Jan Boguslawski on October 14, 2015 at 10:43 pm

Hi Ben,

just stumbled across your great article. Please note the guide still available (now) here:
http://downloads.snom.com/snomuc/documentation/2012-02-06_Update-Guide-SIP-to-UC.pdf

is kind of superseded by the fact that for about 2-3 years the carton box FW image (still standard SIP) supports the UC edition documented MS hardcoded ucupdates-r2 record:

“not registered”: In this state the device uses the static DNS A record ucupdates-r2. as described in TechNet “Updating Devices” under: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg412864.aspx.

In short: zero-touch with DNS alias or A record is possible. SIP FW will not register but ask for the CAB upload based UC FW and auto-pull it if approved (but only if device was never registered: fresh from box or f-reset).

btw: the SIP to UC guide was made as temporally workaround, but I guess the XML templates still provide a good start line.

Also kind of superseded with Lync Inband Support for Snom settings:

http://www.myskypelab.com/2014/07/lync-snom-configuration-manager.html
http://www.myskypelab.com/2014/08/lync-snom-phone-manager.html

another great tool – powershell on steroids with Snom UC & SIP: http://realtimeuc.com/2014/09/invoke-snomcontrol/
(a must see !)

Please dont mind if I was a bit advertising.

Thanks and greetings from Berlin, also to @Nat,
Jan
Susan on October 15, 2015 at 5:55 pm

Fantastic article! Thanks for sharing. We’ll be transitioning our Snom 760s to provision from Lync shortly.

Are there any licensing concerns involved?
Ben Lee on October 15, 2015 at 6:11 pm

Thanks Susan,
From a licensing point of view you need to make sure you have the UC license for the SNOM phones and on the Lync side if you are doing Enterprise Voice need a Plus CAL for the user concerned…

Hope that helps?

Ben
Ben Lee on October 15, 2015 at 6:12 pm

Thanks Jan 🙂
Susan on October 15, 2015 at 6:12 pm

Thanks for the licensing info. It helps a lot!