Isolated RS-485 xceiver yields robust communication

The MAX14943 isolated RS-485/PROFIBUS DP transceiver provides 5,000 Vrms galvanic isolation between the cable side (RS-485 driver/receiver side) and the UART side of the device. The chip uses integrated capacitive isolation and provides one half-duplex driver/receiver channel with data rates of up to 20 Mbits/s.

The device includes a 450 kHz transformer driver for power transfer to the cable side of the transceiver using an external transformer. It features ±35 kV ESD (HBM) protection on driver/receiver I/O and comes in a 16-pin wide-body SOIC package with a -40° to 105°C operating temperature range. $6.04 ea/1,000.