TI's Latest Ground-Level Translators

In complex industrial and automotive systems, DC ground offsets and AC ground noise are common due to long cable runs, high-current loads, and separate power supplies that introduce different ground references across subsystems. These conditions lead to ground potential differences; disrupting communication and degrading signal integrity. As an example, in automotive systems, multiple components—such as, electronic control units (ECUs), sensors, and actuators—share a common chassis ground, but varying current paths and voltage drops can introduce ground offsets. This shift in ground can interfere with sensitive circuits, such as sensors and communication lines; leading to performance issues.

Texas Instruments' latest family of ground-level translator devices features patented technology and addresses static and dynamic ground offset issues, in systems spanning millivolts to ±80V, to achieve robust communication across subsystems. The new ground-level translator portfolio delivers compactness, at 1/7th the size of existing methods, and scalability across multiple channel counts and configurations. This new family offers a more targeted device for a growing system-level design problem.

TXG8041-Q1 The TXGx041 Used in an Automotive
Application to Address Ground Offset

Figure 1 The TXGx041 Used in an Automotive Application to Address Ground Offset

The TXG product family offers these features to resolve the design challenges of customers:

Ground voltage DC shift up to ±80V
AC noise rejection up to 130V_PP at 1MHz
CMTI of 1kV/µs at 40V
Up to 250Mbps data rate
Low prop delay (< 5ns)
Low Ch-Ch skew (0.35ns)
Voltage level translation from 1.8V to 5V
Low power consumption (0.65mA/Ch)
Wide temperature range (-40°C to +125°C)

The TXG family has a comprehensive portfolio to support a variety of application needs. Table 1 shows the different part numbers based on the ground offset, channel count, and signal direction. Table 2 displays each channel count with the respective package and package area.

Table 1 Ground-Level Translator Product Portfolio

Signal Type	Number of Channels	Channel Direction	Ground DC Offset Voltage
Signal Type	Number of Channels	Channel Direction	± 80V	± 40V	± 10V
Push-Pull	4 Ch	3 forward 1 reverse	TXG8041	TXG4041	TXG1041
		3 forward 1 reverse	TXG8041-Q1	TXG4041-Q1	TXG1041-Q1
		2 forward 2 reverse	TXG8042	TXG4042	TXG1042
		2 forward 2 reverse	TXG8042-Q1	TXG4042-Q1	TXG1042-Q1
	2 Ch	1 forward 1 reverse	TXG8021	TXG4021	TXG1021
		1 forward 1 reverse	TXG8021-Q1	TXG4021-Q1	TXG1021-Q1
		2 forward 0 reverse	TXG8020	TXG4020	TXG1020
		2 forward 0 reverse	TXG8020-Q1	TXG4020-Q1	TXG1020-Q1
	1 Ch	1 forward	TXG1010	TXG4010	TXG8010
	1 Ch	1 forward	TXG1010-Q1	TXG4010-Q1	TXG8010-Q1

Table 2 Ground-Level Translator Package Information

Number of Channels	Package Size
4 Ch	RUC X2SON-14 (4mm²)	DYY SOT-14 (13.69mm² )	DBQ QSOP-16 (29.4mm²)
2 Ch	DSG WSON-8 (4mm²)	DDF SOT-23-8 (8.12mm²)	D SOIC-8 (29.4mm²)
1 Ch	DSE WSON-6 (2.25mm²)

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