Half-duplex transceiver allows ease of design for industrial automation

Mouser is now stocking the MAX14949 half-duplex RS485/RS422 transceiver from Maxim Integrated. The MAX14949 is an isolated RS485/RS422 transceiver that provides 5,000 VRMS (for 60 seconds) of galvanic isolation between the cable side (RS485/RS422 driver/receiver-side) and the UART side of the device. The highly integrated transceiver allows designers to achieve ease of design, high efficiency, and robust communication up to 500 kbits per second for industrial automation applications. The device includes an integrated 450kHz transformer driver for power transfer (up to 80 percent efficiency at 150mA) to the cable-side of the transceiver using an external transformer. The device also incorporates a low dropout (LDO) regulator that provides a simple and space-efficient architecture for providing power to the cable-side of the IC. The device includes one half-duplex driver/receiver channel with low impedance of just 1/8-unit load, allowing up to 256 transceivers on a common bus. Integrated true fail-safe circuitry ensures a logic-high on the receiver output when inputs are shorted or open, while undervoltage lockout disables the driver when cable-side or UART-side power supplies are below functional levels. The driver outputs/receiver inputs are protected from ±30kV electrostatic discharge (ESD) to GNDB on the cable side. It is available in a wide-body, 16-pin SOIC package and operates over the -40C to +85C temperature range. The transceiver is ideal for industrial automation, programmable logic controllers (PLC), HVAC, and power meter applications.