Low-Power HART CMOS Modem IC for Industrial Communications

ON Semiconductor has expanded its family of modems targeted at highway addressable remote transducer (HART) industrial communication implementations. With this latest product introduction, ON Semiconductor, who recently became a member of the HART foundation, now offers solutions for low power HART applications. The new NCN5193 is a single-chip CMOS device which supports Bell 202 shift frequencies between 1200 and 2200 Hz and is capable of delivering a 1200 bit per second (bps) half-duplex data rate. With a built-in power amplifier, a 17-bit sigma-delta digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and an extremely responsive watchdog mechanism, it presents engineers with a very sophisticated HART solution, that is both cost-effective and space saving.

It has a voltage range of 3 V to 5.5 V and draws only 190 microamps (µA) while in standby mode with the system clock running (76 µA with no clock). In order to keep its power budget to a minimum the receive circuitry is disabled during transmission phases and, likewise, the transmit circuitry is disabled when the IC is in the process of receiving. The modem IC has an operational temperature range that spans from -40 to +85 degrees C, allowing it to be deployed in industrial environments.

As a result of the high level of integration offered by the NCN5193, only a small number of external component parts are required. The NCN5193GEVB evaluation board, which includes all external components necessary for operation, helps to ease the design of HART implementations using the NCN5193. The NCN5193 is offered in a compact, Pb-free, 32-pin QFN package and priced at $2.31 USD per unit in 10,000 unit quantities.

“We are delighted to now be featured as a member of the HART Foundation and are well positioned to contribute to the eco-system that is continuing to build up around the HART standard,” said Ryan Cameron, vice president of Industrial and Timing Products at ON Semiconductor. “The NCN5193 underlines our on-going commitment to developing next generation slave and master devices which will facilitate further proliferation of HART based communication in the future. It ensures reliable performance in an application where communication interrupts can often lead to crippling operational cost penalties.”