RS-485 transceivers operate over a wide supply voltage range

The XR33032/5/8 wide supply transceivers can tolerate significant voltage drop along the cable resistance and still maintain compliant RS-485 output levels and performance, even with a 2V voltage drop in the cable (when utilising a remote 5V power supply). The wide operating range makes these transceivers suitable for isolated applications where the remote devices are powered through the cable. 

The half duplex RS-485 transceivers support 250kb/s, 1Mb/s, and 10Mb/s data rates and are fully compliant to the TIA/EIA-485 and TIA/EIA-422 standards when operated above 3.0V. The analog bus pins are protected against severe ESD events exceeding IEC level 4 (+/-15kV IEC 61000-4-2 Air Gap Discharge, +/-8kV IEC 61000-4-2 Contact Discharge, +/-15kV Human Body Model), and can tolerate direct shorts to DC or AC voltages as high as +/-18V.

The XR3303x product family offers industry-leading ±18V Fault Tolerance for direct shorts to DC or AC, ±70V Transient Protection, and exceeds the highest ESD rating of IEC 61000-4-2 Level 4. These rugged features remove the need for additional protection components.

Jack Roan, Product Marketing Manager, Exar, comments: “The wide operating range allows designers to simplify their system BOMs and standardise on one part for 3.3 or 5V applications, or use intermediate voltages such as 3.9 or 4.0V without requiring a step-down regulator. The XR33032/5/8 typically draw only 300μA when idling with the receivers active, making them ideal for battery powered installations.”

The XR33032/5/8 are available in industry standard 8 pin NSOIC packages. The suggested retail price is $1.65 (USD) in 1,000 unit quantities.