Renesas Electronics recently introduced the RAA78815x Family of 5V differential RS-485/422 transceivers with industry-leading electrical fast transient (EFT) immunity ±5000V and ESD protection up to ±16,000V, making these products the ideal solution for noise-sensitive industrial communication networks. The six new full and half duplex ruggedized devices meet both the RS-485 and RS-422 communication standards and are ideally suited for a variety of industrial network, process control network, building automation, long-haul network, and security camera network applications.

The new devices build on Renesas’ current ISL315x 5V RS-485 transceiver family with additional immunity for EFT. In addition to the industry’s highest EFT immunity, the RAA78815x family delivers exceptional differential output voltages, featuring 3.1V into the RS-485-required 54Ω load. The new high-speed transceivers also feature bus leakage currents of maximum 125 μA, representing a true 1/8 unit load to the RS-485 bus. Developers can connect up to 512 transceivers on the same bus without using repeaters and without compromising the RS-485 network standard’s 32-unit load maximum. As a result of these changes, the RAA78815x family can lower implementation and downtime costs, since a single network can support more nodes with lower likelihood of communications issues due to ESD and EFT overvoltage transients.

“EFT immunity is mission critical for devices operating in harsh industrial and automation environments, such as HVAC, factory, and smart grid equipment, where devices are frequently turned on and off or added and disconnected from the system” said Bobby Matinpour, Vice President of the Standard Products Business Division at Renesas. “Featuring superior EFT immunity, output drive, and supply current levels, the RAA78815x family builds on 50 years’ experience in RS-485/422 transceiver design to deliver robust solutions for industrial and factory automation.”

The RAA78815x transceivers are available now in MSOP and SOIC packages with pin counts ranging from 8 to 14. An evaluation board for the new transceiver family is also available. For more information, please visit https://www.renesas.com/eftprotection.