Exar Introduces New Family of Rugged RS-485 Transceivers for the Industrial Market

FREMONT, Calif., May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Exar Corporation (Nasdaq: EXAR), a leading supplier of high performance analog mixed-signal components and data management solutions, today announced the XR3080-88X family of high reliability RS-485/RS-422 transceivers designed for harsh industrial environments with enhanced fault and voltage protection. Consisting of nine devices, the family supports data rates up to 20Mbps in either full or half duplex configurations, and is intended for use in remote utility metering, AC and DC motor drives, building automation, security systems, process control, and other industrial automation applications. The XR3080-88X family also offers extremely low power consumption which makes them ideal for high voltage isolated RS-485 applications by facilitating a smaller and lower cost transformer in the isolation power supply.

The analog bus pins can withstand direct shorts up to ±18V, and are protected from ESD events beyond ±15kV (IEC 61000-4-2 Air Gap Discharge). The Profibus compliant output drivers deliver 40% greater SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) compared with standard RS-485/422, affording additional noise margin or extended cable lengths.

"These products provide our customers with greater assurance that their systems will operate correctly in the real world, not just in a clean lab environment," said Jack Roan, strategic marketing manager, Exar. "Industrial applications are highly unpredictable when it comes to noise, electromagnetic interference, cable length, or other power sources which could come in contact with the bus wiring. The XR3080-88X family provides an additional measure of safety for these types of installations."

Product Details

The XR3080-88X family are 1-driver/1-receiver RS-485 devices that operate from a +4.5V to +5.5V power supply. They feature enhanced ESD protection to ±15kV (IEC 61000-4-2 Air Gap Discharge, ±8kV IEC 61000-4-2 Contact Discharge, ±15kV Human Body Model), as well as short circuit current limiting and thermal shutdown. The XR3080-85X drivers are slew limited for reduced EMI and error-free communication over long or unterminated data cables (at 250kbps and 1Mbps data rates), while the XR3086-88X drivers operate at high speed (20Mbps).

Devices with DE and RE pins include hot swap circuitry to prevent false transitions on the bus during powerup or live insertion, and can enter a 1nA low current shutdown mode for extreme power savings. The transceivers draw less than 600μA from a +5.0V supply, and typically only 300μA when idling with the receivers active.

Product Availability and Pricing

The XR3080-88X are available immediately in industry standard 8 NSOIC and 14 NSOIC packages. To request samples please visit Exar's website at www.exar.com, or contact Customer Service at [email protected]. The suggested retail price for the XR3080X-88X family is $1.20 in 1,000-unit quantities.

Additional Information

Additional Information on the XR3080-88X family is also available online.

Additional information on Exar's Serial Transceiver products is also available online.

About Exar

Exar Corporation designs, develops and markets high performance, analog mixed-signal integrated circuits and advanced sub-system solutions for the Networking & Storage, Industrial & Embedded Systems, and Communications Infrastructure markets.  Exar's product portfolio includes power management and connectivity components, communications products, and network security and storage optimization solutions. Exar has locations worldwide providing real-time customer support.  For more information about Exar, visit http://www.exar.com.

SOURCE Exar Corporation