Modern embedded systems increasingly rely on precise timing and synchronization across distributed devices. In this FPGA Horizons 2026 session, Matt Fransham, Lead Solutions Architect at Fidus, shares practical lessons from real-world embedded system designs, covering Precision Time Protocol (PTP), hardware timestamping, RF clock synchronization, and GPS-based timing architectures.

The presentation explores how engineers can achieve accurate timing distribution, synchronize local hardware clocks, and overcome challenges in distributed RF and embedded systems. Real-world examples demonstrate how timing impacts system performance, sensor fusion, distributed processing, and synchronized ADC/DAC sampling.

Topics covered:

* Why timing matters in modern embedded systems
* Precision Time Protocol (PTP) fundamentals
* Hardware and software timing synchronization
* PTP hardware clocks (PHC) and timestamping
* Linux PTP tools (ptp4l, ts2phc, phc2sys)
* RF clock synchronization and SYSREF
* GPS time distribution architectures
* Distributed RF system synchronization
* Lessons learned from production designs

Speakers:

* Scott Turnbull, CTO, Fidus
* Matt Fransham, Lead Solutions Architect, Fidus

About Fidus:
Fidus is a North American custom embedded systems design and services company specializing in FPGA development, ASIC design, SI/PI, hardware engineering, and embedded software. With more than 25 years of experience and one of the largest AMD-certified engineering teams outside AMD, Fidus helps organizations accelerate complex product development with first-time-right execution.

Learn more: https://www.fidus.com

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