Translators
enable communication when devices have mismatched logic
voltage levels
Prevent damage to
devices that cannot support higher voltage inputs
Use a fixed-direction translator for the clock
(MDC) if higher speeds are required; some newer devices use
a clock as high as 50 MHz
Open-drain compatible translators are required for the data
line; although the protocol is not open-drain, pull-up
resistors are required on the MDIO signal bus because there
are times when the bus is not actively driven