RECOM's R-REF03-CAN1 reference board allows engineers to test Texas Instruments’ ISO1042 isolated CAN transceiver supplied with RECOM’s 1 W R1SX isolated DC/DC converter. To power the reference board, only one 3.3 V external supply is required; therefore, this reference board is an excellent tool to analyze isolated systems.

The reference board is pre-populated with a split termination network with a common-mode capacitance and additional caps on the CAN bus. Protection components like TVS diodes and a common-mode choke with bypass paths are also provided, if necessary. It also includes an option to add a resistor, which can be used as a terminated line end.

The output of the R1SX is used to supply the secondary side of the digital isolator and has a green LED to indicate the presence of proper voltage. To keep the voltage safely below 5.3 V, the board also includes a 120 Ω resistor. Since the reference board internally consumes about 80 mA from the output, a user can use about 120 mA to supply circuits outside of this reference board through the connector pin or the test point.