SLLS573E December 2003 – March 2024 SN65MLVD200A , SN65MLVD202A , SN65MLVD204A , SN65MLVD205A
PRODUCTION DATA
Refer to the PDF data sheet for device specific package drawings
Figure 9-1 shows a multipoint configuration. In a multipoint configuration, many transmitters and many receivers can be interconnected on one transmission line. The key difference compared to multidrop is the presence of two or more drivers. Such a situation creates contention issues that must not be addressed with point-to-point or multidrop systems. Multipoint operation allows for bidirectional, half-duplex communication over one balanced media pair. To support the location of the various drivers throughout the transmission line, double termination of the transmission line is now necessary.
The major challenge that system designers encounter are the impedance discontinuities that device loading and device connections (stubs) introduce on the common bus. Matching the impedance of the loaded bus and using signal drivers with controlled signal edges are the keys to error-free signal transmissions in multipoint topologies.