company blog about Supply TI Interface Evaluation Board:Serializer,Transceiver,I2C Bus Buffer

Supply TI Interface Evaluation Board:Serializer,Transceiver,I2C Bus Buffer

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I. Serialiser Evaluation Boards

The core function of a serialiser is to convert parallel data into serial data. When paired with a deserialiser, it enables high-speed, long-distance data transmission. This technology is widely applied in scenarios demanding stringent data rates and transmission distances, such as high-definition video transmission, industrial automation, and automotive electronics. Texas Instruments' Serialiser Evaluation Board addresses diverse application needs across varying speeds and protocols, supporting mainstream serial protocols including LVDS and JESD204. It provides engineers with comprehensive performance verification solutions.

1. Core Design Features

The serialiser evaluation board employs a modular design, featuring TI's proprietary high-performance serialiser chip at its core. It integrates on-board power management, clock generation, signal interfaces, and debugging interfaces, enabling testing without complex additional circuitry. The board supports flexible configuration via on-board DIP switches or USB connection to PC software (such as TI Probe) for parameter adjustment, including data rate, encoding mode, and power consumption mode, to accommodate diverse application testing requirements.

Furthermore, the evaluation boards undergo professional PCB layout and signal integrity optimisation, with stringent impedance matching control to effectively reduce signal interference and ensure testing data accuracy. For high-speed serialiser evaluation boards, integration with TI's dedicated data acquisition or pattern generation evaluation boards (such as the TSW14J56EVM) is supported, enabling comprehensive testing of high-speed serial protocols like JESD204B. This empowers engineers to swiftly resolve signal integrity challenges in high-speed transmission.

2. Representative Models and Applications

Serialiser evaluation boards span multiple series to accommodate varying data rates and scenarios. The most representative models include:

- DS90UB9x6-Q1 Evaluation Board: Designed for automotive electronics, this board incorporates the DS90UB9x6-Q1 serialiser chip supporting LVDS protocol with data rates up to 3.12Gbps. Featuring high immunity to interference and wide temperature operation (-40°C to 125°C), it facilitates serial data transmission evaluation for in-vehicle cameras, radars, and similar devices. It addresses high-speed data transmission requirements for in-vehicle perception systems within the context of software-defined vehicles.

- SN65LVDS93 Evaluation Board: Designed for industrial and consumer electronics applications, this board supports LVDS serial transmission with data rates ranging from 100Mbps to 600Mbps. Featuring low power consumption and compact design, the evaluation board integrates complete signal conditioning circuitry for rapid verification of chip performance in serial data conversion for industrial displays, printers, and similar devices.

- JESD204 Series Serialiser Evaluation Board: Paired with TI's JESD204B/C serialiser chips, these boards support high-speed serial transmission with data rates up to 12.5Gbps. Compatible with TI's proprietary JESD204 rapid design IP, they can be integrated with Xilinx FPGA development kits (e.g., KCU105) to evaluate serial data transfer between high-speed data converters and FPGAs, significantly reducing firmware development time.

3. Core Value of the Evaluation Board

Engineers can rapidly validate the serial data conversion efficiency, signal integrity, noise immunity, and power consumption performance of the chip using the serialiser evaluation board, eliminating the need for custom PCB and peripheral circuit design. Additionally, the evaluation board provides comprehensive design documentation and reference schematics, serving as a direct reference for actual product design. This effectively mitigates design risks and accelerates time-to-market. Leveraging the board's flexible configuration capabilities also enables rapid adaptation to different data rates and transmission scenarios, reducing development costs for multi-scenario testing.

II. Transceiver Evaluation Board

Transceivers serve as core components for bidirectional data transmission, combining both transmission and reception capabilities. Categorised by transmission medium and protocol, they include CAN transceivers, RS-485 transceivers, Ethernet transceivers, and LVDS transceivers, finding extensive application in industrial control, automotive electronics, the Internet of Things, and communications equipment. Texas Instruments' transceiver evaluation boards feature specialised optimisation for diverse protocols and application scenarios, delivering comprehensive performance testing and validation solutions that balance high reliability with ease of use.

1. Core Design Features

The transceiver evaluation board adopts an integrated design comprising ‘chip + peripheral circuitry + debug interface’. At its core lies a TI transceiver chip corresponding to the target protocol, with on-board power conditioning, signal isolation, and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuits to ensure safety and stability during evaluation. Most evaluation boards support hot-plug testing and fault simulation capabilities, replicating real-world scenarios such as bus failures and electrostatic interference to comprehensively validate the chip's immunity and fault recovery capabilities.

The evaluation boards support multiple debugging methods, connecting to a computer via USB, UART, or SPI interfaces. When used with TI's dedicated debugging software, they enable real-time data monitoring and adjustment of transmission parameters (e.g., baud rate, drive capability). For automotive-grade transceiver evaluation boards, strict adherence to AEC-Q100 certification standards ensures wide-temperature operation and high EMC performance. Industrial-grade transceiver evaluation boards meet IEC 61000 series electromagnetic compatibility standards, adapting to demanding industrial environments.

2. Typical Models and Applications

Transceiver evaluation boards cover the full protocol series, catering to bidirectional data transmission requirements across diverse scenarios. Typical models include:

- TCAN1042DEVM Evaluation Board: Featuring the TCAN1042 CAN transceiver chip, designed for automotive and industrial CAN bus applications. Supports CAN FD protocol, with data rates up to 5Mbps. It offers industry-leading EMC performance and 70V high bus fault protection, eliminating the need for external common-mode chokes and TVS diodes. The evaluation board enables rapid verification of the chip's bidirectional data transmission performance in automotive ECUs and industrial control nodes, meeting bus communication requirements for automotive domain architectures.

- SN75176 Evaluation Board: Designed for RS-485 protocol, featuring the SN75176 transceiver chip. Supports half-duplex bidirectional transmission with baud rates up to 500kbps and robust interference resistance. The board integrates terminating resistors and electrostatic protection circuits, enabling performance evaluation for transceivers in industrial control buses and smart meters. Suited for long-distance data transmission in industrial automation applications.

- DP83TD555J-Q1 Evaluation Board: Tailored for automotive Ethernet applications, this board incorporates the DP83TD555J-Q1 10BASE-T1S Ethernet PHY transceiver with integrated MAC functionality and support for Power over Data Line (PoDL). It validates the chip's Ethernet transmission performance between vehicle edge nodes (sensors, actuators) and the central network, contributing to reduced wiring complexity and cost within the vehicle.

- AWR2188 Evaluation Board: Paired with the AWR2188 4D imaging radar transceiver chip, this single-chip solution integrates 8 transmit and 8 receive channels, supporting high-speed radar signal transmission, reception, and processing. The evaluation board verifies the chip's RF performance and target detection capabilities, aligning with 4D radar system assessments for autonomous driving applications. It enables high-precision detection beyond 350 metres.

3. Core Value of the Evaluation Board

The transceiver evaluation board provides engineers with a plug-and-play testing platform for rapid verification of transmission rates, interference immunity, fault protection performance, and compatibility. By simulating complex real-world scenarios (such as bus short circuits, electrostatic interference, and wide temperature environments), it enables early identification of potential chip application issues and optimisation of design solutions. Additionally, the evaluation board provides comprehensive reference designs and test reports that can be directly reused in actual product development, shortening development cycles and reducing design costs. For multi-protocol transceivers, the board's flexible configuration enables rapid switching between test scenarios, enhancing development efficiency.

III. I²C Bus Buffer Evaluation Board

The I2C Bus Buffer serves as a core component for I2C bus extension, primarily extending transmission distances, enhancing bus load capacity, and isolating bus interference. It resolves signal attenuation and interference issues encountered in multi-slave, long-distance I2C bus applications. This technology finds widespread use in smart metering, industrial control, consumer electronics, and IoT scenarios reliant on I2C bus communication. Texas Instruments' I2C Bus Buffer Evaluation Board focuses on core requirements such as bus extension and interference isolation, enabling engineers to rapidly validate buffer performance and compatibility.

1. Core Design Features

The I²C Bus Buffer Evaluation Board employs a minimalist yet practical design. At its core lies a TI I²C buffer chip, complemented by on-board I²C master/slave interfaces, power supply connections, debug interfaces, and load adjustment circuitry. It supports I²C standard mode (100kbps), fast mode (400kbps), and high-speed mode (1Mbps). Certain variants also support I3C protocol compatibility while maintaining backward compatibility with I2C, accommodating diverse transmission rate requirements.

The evaluation board integrates bus isolation and signal amplification circuits, simulating extended-distance transmission (up to 10 metres) and multi-load scenarios. This facilitates testing of the buffer's signal conditioning capabilities and load expansion performance. On-board DIP switches allow flexible switching of buffer operating modes (e.g., forward/reverse transmission, isolated/non-isolated mode). Certain models also feature automatic direction detection, eliminating the need for additional control signals and simplifying testing operations. The evaluation board further incorporates pull-up resistor adjustment circuits, enabling customisation of bus drive capability to suit specific transmission distances and load conditions.

2. Representative Models and Applications

Texas Instruments' I²C bus buffer evaluation boards cover multiple load capacities and isolation levels. Representative models include:

- PCA9517 Evaluation Board: Features the PCA9517 I²C buffer chip, supporting I²C fast mode (400kbps). Extends bus transmission distance to 10 metres and increases bus load capacity to 10 slaves. The evaluation board integrates signal amplification and anti-interference circuits, suitable for I²C bus expansion evaluation in smart meters, sensor modules, and similar devices, addressing signal attenuation issues during multi-slave connections.

- ISO1540 Evaluation Board: Features I²C bus isolation with an ISO1540 isolated I²C buffer chip, delivering isolation voltage up to 2.5kVrms and supporting high-speed I²C transmission (1Mbps). The board integrates isolated power supply and signal isolation circuits, suitable for applications demanding stringent electromagnetic isolation such as industrial control and medical equipment. It validates buffer isolation performance and signal transmission stability, enhancing system robustness.

- TPS7B6950 Evaluation Board: Featuring the TPS7B6950 I²C buffer chip with integrated power management and a low-dropout regulator (LDO), supporting low-voltage operation (1.8V to 5.5V) with static power consumption as low as the microampere range. This evaluation board validates the chip's integrated I²C bus buffering and power management performance in low-power IoT devices, making it suitable for battery-powered applications such as portable test equipment.

3. Core Value of the Evaluation Board

The I²C Bus Buffer Evaluation Board enables engineers to rapidly validate signal transmission performance across varying transmission distances and load conditions, addressing issues such as signal attenuation, interference, and insufficient load during I²C bus extension. Through flexible configuration, the board swiftly adapts to different I²C transmission rates and operating modes, eliminating the need for custom peripheral conditioning circuitry. Furthermore, the evaluation board provides comprehensive reference designs and testing methodologies, serving directly as a design reference for I²C bus extension modules. This shortens product development cycles while enhancing bus communication stability and reliability.

IV. Common Advantages Across Three Evaluation Board Categories

Texas Instruments' serialiser, transceiver, and I²C bus buffer evaluation boards share the following core advantages, delivering efficient development support to engineers:

- Exceptional ease of use: All feature plug-and-play design with fully integrated peripheral circuits and debug interfaces. Combined with TI's dedicated software and design documentation, most evaluation boards can be started and run within 10 minutes, significantly lowering testing barriers.

- High Reliability: Utilising TI-manufactured chips and premium components, these boards undergo rigorous testing and validation. They offer wide temperature range operation, interference resistance, and fault protection, enabling accurate simulation of complex real-world scenarios for precise and reliable test data.

- Design Reusability: Complete schematics, PCB layout files, and reference designs are provided, allowing engineers to directly incorporate these into actual product designs. This minimises design risks and shortens development cycles.

- Comprehensive ecosystem: Interoperates with other TI evaluation boards, FPGA development kits, and WEBENCH® online design tools to build complete system-level test platforms, covering the entire process from device evaluation to system validation.