A low voltage drive circuit (LVDC) includes a digital to digital converter that converts transmit digital data into a digital input signal, wherein the transmit digital data is synchronized to a clock rate of a host device and the digital input signal is synchronized to a clock rate of a bus to which the LVDC is coupled. An output limited digital to analog is converter converts the digital input signal into analog outbound data by generating a DC component and converting the digital input signal into an oscillating component at a first frequency, wherein magnitude of the oscillating component is limited to a range that is less than a difference between magnitudes of power supply rails of the LVDS, and wherein the oscillating component and the DC component are combined to produce the analog outbound data. A drive sense circuit conveys the analog outbound data as variances in loading of the bus at the first frequency and wherein analog inbound data is represented within an analog receive signal as variances in loading of the bus at a second frequency.

Devices exchange control signals with each other to ensure proper operation of an overall system. For instance, in a communication system, a baseband processor and a transceiver communicate with each other to exchange information for controlling the respective signal processing parts of the baseband processor and the transceiver. While Serial Peripheral Interfaces (SPIs) can be used, SPI can be extremely slow, and does not provide a protocol for allowing a complex set of control signals to be exchanged between the baseband processor and transceiver. The present disclosure describes a fast control interface which can support various modes of operation in allowing two devices to communicate with each other quickly and effectively.

A first physical layer device includes a first transmitter and a first receiver. The first transmitter transmits first data to a second physical layer device over a medium at a first line rate during a first transmit period. The first receiver is configured to not receive data during the first transmit period and an echo reflection period occurring after the first transmit period. The echo reflection period is based on a length of the medium between the first physical layer device and the second physical layer device. The first receiver is configured to, after the echo reflection period, receive second data from the second physical layer device over the medium at a second line rate that is less than the first line rate.

A signal transmission device, including a RF processing circuit and a cable connecting circuit including a first choke inductor, a first and second bypass capacitors, and a first coupling capacitor, is provided. One end of the first choke inductor is coupled to a transceiver end of a RF transceiver and the other end is coupled to a first control end of a RF antenna controller.

The transceiver end is coupled to a first conductor. The first bypass capacitor is coupled between the other end and a digital ground terminal. The first coupling capacitor is coupled between the digital ground terminal and a RF ground terminal. The second conductor is coupled to the RF ground terminal and a second control terminal of the RF antenna controller at a second connecting end of a RF cable. The second bypass capacitor is coupled between the second control terminal and the digital ground terminal.

A two-wire current loop system includes a current loop with a transmitter and a host. The system also includes a monolithic integrated circuit included with the transmitter. The monolithic integrated circuit includes: 1) a power supply terminal coupled to the current loop; 2) a loop ground terminal coupled to the current loop and configured to output a current to the current loop; 3) device circuitry with a power supply node and an internal ground node, wherein the power supply node is coupled to the power supply terminal; and 4) a reverse wiring protection circuit coupled between the internal ground node of the device circuitry and the loop ground terminal.

An integrated-circuit output driver generates, in response to an input signal constrained to a first voltage range, a control signal at one of two voltage levels according to a data bit conveyed in the input signal, the two voltages levels defining upper and lower levels of a second voltage range substantially larger than the first voltage range. The output driver generates an output-drive signal constrained to a third voltage range according to the one of the two voltage levels of the control signal, the third voltage range being substantially smaller than the second voltage range.

Disclosed are a dual-path analog-front-end (AFE) circuit and a dual-path signal receiver characterized by high linearity. The dual-path AFE circuit includes a first reception circuit, a second reception circuit and a multiplexer. The first reception circuit is configured to generate a first analog input signal according to a reception signal in a first mode and configured to be coupled to a first constant-voltage terminal via a first switch circuit in a second mode. The second reception circuit is configured to generate a second analog input signal according to the reception signal in the second mode and configured to be coupled to a second constant-voltage terminal via a second switch circuit in the first mode. The multiplexer is configured to output the first analog input signal in the first mode and output the second analog input signal in the second mode.

A low voltage drive circuit (LVDC) includes a digital to digital converter that converts transmit digital data into a digital input signal, wherein the transmit digital data is synchronized to a clock rate of a host device and the digital input signal is synchronized to a clock rate of a bus to which the LVDC is coupled. An output limited digital to analog is converter converts the digital input signal into analog outbound data by generating a DC component and converting the digital input signal into an oscillating component at a first frequency, wherein magnitude of the oscillating component is limited to a range that is less than a difference between magnitudes of power supply rails of the LVDS, and wherein the oscillating component and the DC component are combined to produce the analog outbound data. A drive sense circuit conveys the analog outbound data as variances in loading of the bus at the first frequency and wherein analog inbound data is represented within an analog receive signal as variances in loading of the bus at a second frequency.

Various implementations of a data communication cable assembly are disclosed that improve the transmission of data signals that traverse long distances. Some cable assembly implementations are configured to transmit data signals via one or more electrical wire mediums and one or more signal extenders that modify the data signals for improved transmission between devices over one or more electrical wire mediums. Other cable assembly implementations are configured to transmit data signals via one or more optical transmission mediums and optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-optical converters for improved transmission of the data signals between devices. Other cable assembly implementations are configured for cascading or daisy-chaining together for transmitting data signals between devices in the optical and/or electrical domain.

Decision feedback equalization (DFE) is used to help reduce inter-symbol interference (ISI) from a data signal received via a band-limited (or otherwise non-ideal) channel. A first PAM-4 DFE architecture has low latency from the output of the samplers to the application of the first DFE tap feedback to the input signal. This is accomplished by not decoding the sampler outputs in order to generate the feedback signal for the first DFE tap. Rather, weighted versions of the raw sampler outputs are applied directly to the input signal without further analog or digital processing. Additional PAM-4 DFE architectures use the current symbol in addition to previous symbol(s) to determine the DFE feedback signal. Another architecture transmits PAM-4 signaling using non-uniform pre-emphasis. The non-uniform pre-emphasis allows a speculative DFE receiver to resolve the transmitted PAM-4 signals with fewer comparators/samplers.