Engineering English
Setup Time
Electronics Engineering · Industrial Engineering · Last updated: July 30, 2026 · How this entry was written
Definition: Setup time is the minimum interval during which data input must be stable before the active edge of the clock to guarantee correct sampling. Violating setup time causes metastability or data errors.
Example in context
“The flip-flop requires the data input to be stable for at least 2 nanoseconds before the clock edge to meet the setup time specification.”
“Flip-flop, kurulum zamanı şartnamesini karşılamak için saat kenarından önce veri girişinin en az 2 nanosaniye boyunca sabit olmasını gerektirir.”
Where engineers use it
Setup time constraints are checked during static timing analysis to ensure reliable flip-flop operation. Engineers must ensure that data paths are fast enough to meet setup requirements for the target clock frequency.
Antonyms: hold time
In Industrial Engineering
The time required to prepare a machine or workstation to produce a different product, measured from the last good piece of the previous run to the first good piece of the next. Reducing it enables smaller batch sizes and greater production flexibility.
“By preparing dies and tools while the press was still running, the team cut setup time from ninety minutes to under fifteen.”
Practice: can you use “Setup Time” at work?
A flip-flop has a setup time of 1.5 ns and the clock period is 10 ns. If the combinational logic delay is 7 ns, determine if the setup time is violated.
Show a model answer
“Verify that the data arrival time is earlier than the clock edge minus the setup time.”
“Setup Time” in 21 languages
| English | Setup Time |
|---|---|
| Turkish | kurulum zamanı |
| French | temps de préparation |
| German | Einschwingzeit |
| Spanish | tiempo de establecimiento |
| Chinese | 建立时间 |
| Arabic | زمن الإعداد |
| Portuguese | tempo de setup |
| Russian | время установления |
| Japanese | セットアップ時間 |
| Italian | tempo di setup |
| Vietnamese | thời gian thiết lập |
| Hindi | सेटअप समय |
| Thai | เวลาตั้งค่า |
| Indonesian | waktu setup |
| Korean | 셋업 시간 |
| Bengali | সেটআপ সময় |
| Dutch | insteltijd |
| Swedish | setup-tid |
| Finnish | asetusaika |
| Ukrainian | час встановлення |
Frequently asked questions
What does Setup Time mean in engineering?
Setup time is the minimum interval during which data input must be stable before the active edge of the clock to guarantee correct sampling. Violating setup time causes metastability or data errors. In Electronics Engineering, the term carries a usage-frequency rating of 10/10 in the Engineering English library.
How do you pronounce Setup Time?
Setup Time is pronounced /ˈsetʌp taɪm/ (IPA). The Engineering English app plays audio for the term and checks your pronunciation with speech recognition.
How is Setup Time used in a sentence?
Example from an engineering context: “The flip-flop requires the data input to be stable for at least 2 nanoseconds before the clock edge to meet the setup time specification.”
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