Nonvolatile Electronics IL485 Isolated RS-485 Transceiver
NVE Ships Industry's Fastest Isolated RS-485 Transceiver

The manufacturer says . . .

Chipcenter's Paul McGoldrick says . . .

NVE Corporation is shipping its IL485 IsoLoop isolated RS-485 transceiver. With a data rate of 35 megabaud, the surface mount IL485 transceiver is more than 100 times faster than competitive RS-485 interface devices, which typically have maximum data rates of 250 kilobaud. Like all of NVE's IsoLoop products, the IL485 transceiver is a true logic-to-logic CMOS device that is integrated with NVE's proprietary giant magnetoresistive (GMR) technology. A monolithic galvanic isolation barrier gives the IL485 a common mode voltage range of plus-or-minus 2500 volts, and makes it immune to ground and signal differentials that would interrupt data transmissions or even destroy non-isolated RS-485 devices. This makes the IL485 ideal for noisy industrial applications and large local area networks. "The IL485 is an ultra-high-speed, low-cost, surface mount alternative to opto-isolated transceivers," says John Myers, vice president of NVE's Isolator Business Group. "Its high speed alone could revolutionize the performance of industrial and commercial networks. Factor in all of the IL485's galvanic isolation advantages, and we think design engineers will find a lot to work with." Myers said that, for example, the IL485 is ideal for PROFIBUS manufacturing automation applications, with its 1 nanosecond typical pulse skew and 25-nanosecond propagation delay.

Many readers probably are unaware or unsure about Profibus: It is a polled protocol with a layered architecture designed specifically for industrial control networks. As an open fieldbus standard under the European standard EN 50 170 it is used as the communications standard with no interface adjustments required between vendors. The Profibus market is huge, much larger than RS-485, and many devices are working in extremely harsh, industrial conditions and this isolated interface is a much-needed product, particularly because of the speeds it is capable of pasing. Although based on the European standard product certification is undertake by the Profibus Trade Organization based in Scottsdale (AZ.) With a standard SOIC-16 package the part is easy to lay out and the isolation technology that is used -- by deriving a narrow pulse from an input edge that latches the output logic across the barrier -- gives a very low power consumption (725 mW dissipation max. with a rail of 4.5 to 5.5 V.) There is both current limiting and thermal shutdown protection. The isolation specifications are voltage rated at 2500 V (for one minute) with a barrier impedance greater than 10E14 with 7 pF across it. An extremely nice product that will sell extremely well. A companion part, the IL486 adds an additional uncommitted isolation channel. The IL485 is in production in, as noted, an SOIC-16 and is priced at $5.20 in 1000-piece lots.

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