NXP Semiconductors

PCA9601

Dual bidirectional bus buffer

The logic threshold voltage levels at SX on this I2C-bus are independent of the IC supply

voltage VCC. The maximum I2C-bus supply voltage is 15 V.

7.1.1 Fast-mode operation

When interfacing with Fast-mode systems, the SX pin is guaranteed to sink the normal

3 mA with a VOL of 0.74 V maximum. That guarantees compliance with the Fast-mode

I2C-bus specification for all I2C-bus voltages greater than 3 V, as well as compliance with

SMBus or other systems that use TTL switching levels.

SX is guaranteed to sink an external 3 mA in addition to its internally sourced pull-up of

typically 300 μA (maximum 1 mA at -40 °C). When selecting the pull-up for the bus at

SX, the sink capability of other connected drivers should be taken into account. Most TTL

devices are specified to sink at least 4 mA so then the pull-up is limited to 3 mA by the

requirement to ensure the 0.8 V TTL LOW.

For Fast-mode I2C-bus operation, the other connected I2C-bus parts may have the

minimum sink capability of 3 mA. SX sources typically 300 μA (maximum 1 mA at -40

°C), which forms part of the external driver loading. When selecting the pull-up it is

necessary to subtract the SX pin pull-up current, so, worst-case at -40 °C, the allowed

pull-up can be limited (by external drivers) to 2 mA.

7.1.2 Fast-mode Plus operation

When the interface at SX is an Fm+ bus with a voltage greater than 4 V, its higher

specified sink capability may be used. PCA9601 has a guaranteed sink capability of

15 mA at VOL = 1 V maximum over 0 °C to 85 °C. That 1 V complies with the bus LOW

requirement (0.25Vbus) of any Fm+ bus operating at 4 V or greater. Since the other

connected Fm+ devices have a drive capability greater than 20 mA, the pull-up may be

selected for 15 mA sink current at VOL = 1 V. For a nominal 5 V bus (5.5 V maximum) the

allowed pull-up is (5.5 V - 1 V) / 15 mA = 300 Ω. With 300 Ω pull-up, the Fm+ rise time of

120 ns maximum can be met with total bus loading up to 470 pF.

7.2 High drive, long distance side

The logic level on RX is determined from the power supply voltage VCC of the chip.

Logic LOW is below 40 % of VCC, and logic HIGH is above 55 % of VCC (with a typical

switching threshold just slightly below half VCC).

TX is an open-collector output without ESD protection diodes to VCC. It may be

connected via a pull-up resistor to a supply voltage in excess of VCC, as long as the 15

V rating is not exceeded. It has a larger current sinking capability than a normal I2C-bus

device, being able to sink a static current of greater than 30 mA, and typical 100 mA

dynamic pull-down capability as well.

A logic LOW is transmitted to TX when the voltage at I2C-bus pin SX is below 0.425

V. A logic LOW at RX will cause I2C-bus pin SX to be pulled to a logic LOW level in

accordance with I2C-bus requirements (maximum 1.5 V in 5 V applications) but not low

enough to be looped back to the TX output and cause the buffer to latch LOW.

The LOW level this chip can achieve on the I2C-bus by a LOW at RX is typically 0.64 V

when sinking 1 mA.

If the supply voltage VCC fails, then neither the I2C-bus nor the TX output will be held

LOW. Their open-collector configuration allows them to be pulled up to the rated

PCA9601

All information provided in this document is subject to legal disclaimers.

© NXP B.V. 2022. All rights reserved.

Product data sheet

Rev. 3.1 — 4 January 2022

4 / 31