Intersil Announces Industry’s Smallest Isolated RS-485 Transceiver

Robust ISL32704E offers breakthrough performance, industry-leading EMI and CMTI, and the highest working voltage for industrial IoT networks

MILPITAS, Calif., Feb. 13, 2017 – Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), a leading provider of innovative power management and precision analog solutions, today announced the industry’s smallest isolated RS-485 differential bus transceiver designed to provide 4Mbps bidirectional data transmission for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks. The high-speed ISL32704E delivers industry-leading electromagnetic interference (EMI) and common-mode transient immunity (CMTI) in a small 4mm x 5mm QSOP package that is 70% smaller than competitive devices. It also provides 600VRMS of working voltage, which is approximately 50% higher than the closest competitor.

The ISL32704E RS-485 transceiver leverages giant magnetoresistance (GMR) technology to provide galvanic isolation that keeps the communication bus free from common-mode noise generated in electrically noisy factory and building automation environments. The ISL32704E is ideally suited for the equipment-to-bus interface in IIoT networks that connect programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to instruments, robots, motor drives, data acquisition and digital I/O modules. The advantage of Intersil’s ISL32704E GMR isolation over other isolation technologies is its low radiated emission and low EMI susceptibility. In addition, its GMR isolation does not require the elaborate encoding schemes found in capacitive and transformer-based isolators that use RF carriers or pulse-width modulation (PWM) to transfer DC and low frequency signals across the barrier.

The ISL32704E also offers 80% less power consumption than competing devices because it doesn’t use current hungry power transfer coils or transformers. Its 20mA supply current allows the ISL32704E to operate in a tiny QSOP package at maximum speed without overheating. On the non-isolated control-side, the ISL32704E supports direct connection to a 3V microcontroller while the isolated bus-side connects to a higher voltage 5V supply for communication of strong bus signals across 100 meters and longer distances. The ISL32704E is fully compliant with the EN 50081 and EN 50082-2 electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards and the umbrella line-voltage standard for information technology equipment (ITE) EN 61000.

“Our new ISL32704E isolated RS-485 transceiver generates virtually no radiated EMI, solving one of the biggest problems customers experience with their industrial designs,” said Philip Chesley, senior vice president of Precision Products at Intersil. “In addition to not requiring any shielding, this transceiver simplifies PCB layout, uses less board space, and enhances data transmission reliability and integrity.”

Key Features and Specifications of ISL32704E

•       4Mbps data rate enables high-speed data transmission
•       2.5kVRMS isolation per UL 1577 standard, and 600VRMS working voltage per VDE 0884 standard
•       Supports 3V to 5V power supplies
•       Single unit load allows up to 32 devices on the bus
•       50kV/µs (typ), 30kV/µs (min) common-mode transient immunity provides reliable data transmission in noisy environments
•       Offers a barrier lifetime of 44,000 years
•       15kV ESD bus-pin protection
•       Low EMC footprint
•       Thermal shutdown protection prevents damage during bus contention, or when lines are shorted causing excessive bus current flow
•       Operation from -40°C to +85°C
•       Meets or exceeds ANSI RS-485 standard
•       VDE V0884-11 certification pending

Pricing and Availability
The ISL32704E isolated RS-485 transceiver is available now in a 4mm x 5mm, 16-lead QSOP package and is priced at $3.79 USD in 1k quantities. An ISL32704EVAL1Z evaluation board is also available for $99 USD. For more information, please visit www.intersil.com/products/isl32704e.