SLLSEX9A December 2016 – February 2020 SN65MLVD206B
PRODUCTION DATA.
In a multipoint configuration many transmitters and many receivers can be interconnected on a single transmission line. The key difference compared to multi-drop is the presence of two or more drivers. Such a situation creates contention issues that need not be addressed with point-to-point or multidrop systems. Multipoint operation allows for bidirectional, half-duplex communication over a single 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.