Low-voltage transceiver boosts serial datarate

The Linearlink ISL43485 is billed as the industry's fastest 3.3V RS485/422 serial data transceiver.

The Linearlink ISL43485 is billed as the industry's fastest 3.3V RS485/422 serial data transceiver.

The ISL43485 offers datarates up to 30Mbit/s and operates reliably over a wider voltage range than some competing products - 10% voltage tolerance yielding a 3 to 3.6V supply range.

The very high speed and broader supply range make this new IC an attractive upgrade from less capable competitive offerings.

What is more, the ISL43485 draws a mere 15nA of current in shutdown mode making the IC a virtual zero load when not in use.

Applications for the ISL43485 include, but are not limited to, SCSI "Fast 20" interfaces, factory automation, data loggers, security networks, building environmental control systems, industrial process control networks and level translators.

The ISL43485 presents a "single-unit load" to the RS485 bus, which allows up to 32 transceivers on the network.

The transceiver provides high-speed half-duplex performance over a single balanced twisted pair transmission line.

RS485- and RS422-compliant differential signalling over the balanced transmission line, provide a high level of noise immunity and reliable long-run data transfer.

This high-performance IC is a half-duplex transceiver whose receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) functions are multiplexed, reducing size and pin count to only eight leads in an SOIC package.

The enable and selector logic inputs, that are used to place the ISL43485 in the shutdown mode and to select transmit or receive operations, accept signals in excess of 5.5V.

That makes them compatible with 5V logic families and enables easy interface to those circuits.

Receiver inputs feature a "fail-safe-if-open" design, which ensures a logic high Rx output if inputs are floating.

This prevents the Rx output from chattering, and accidentally generating interrupts, if the receiver becomes disconnected from the bus.

Driver/transmitter outputs are short-circuit protected, even for voltages exceeding the power supply voltage.

Additionally, on-chip thermal shutdown circuitry disables the Tx outputs to prevent damage if power dissipation becomes excessive.

The ISL43485IB is available now.

The suggested resale price in 100- to 999-unit quantities is $1.31 for each IC.

ICs are available on tape and reel.

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