Intersil's ISL32458E and ISL32459E offer an overvoltage protection feature that makes for a robust and compelling solution for customers designing in very harsh environments. Additionally, what was once needed to be designed externally is now integrated into the IC, thus improving functionality and accelerating time to market.

The ISL32458E and ISL32459E are 3.3 V to 5 V powered, fault protected, extended common-mode range differential transceivers for balanced communication. The RS-485 bus pins (driver outputs and receiver inputs) are protected against overvoltages up to ±60 V, and against ±15 kV ESD strikes. These transceivers operate in environments with common-mode voltages up to ±20 V (exceeds the RS-485 requirement), which makes the entire RS-485 family one of the more robust ones on the market.

The transmitters are RS-485 compliant with V_CC ≥ 4.5 V and deliver a 1.1 V differential output voltage into the RS-485 specified 54 Ω load even with V_CC = 3 V. Receiver (Rx) inputs feature a “full fail-safe” design, which ensures a logic-high Rx output if Rx inputs are floating, shorted, or on a terminated but undriven (idle) bus. Rx full fail-safe operation is maintained even when the Rx input polarity is switched (cable invert function on ISL32459E). This cable invert function reverses the polarity of the Rx and Tx bus pins in case the cable is misconnected during installation.