DCB1M – DC-Powerline Transceiver

Enables SPI, UART, and I²C data networks over power line

Data communication with CSMA/CA arbitration allows multiplex communication networks over noisy dc powerlines at powerline bit rates of up to 1.4Mbit/s using the UART/ SPI/ I²C interfaces.

Technical Document

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DESCRIPTION

The DCB1M is a transceiver for messages communication allowing multi-master network topology. The device designed to operate over noisy power lines.

The device interfaces with UART, SPI, and I²C protocols. The entire firmware is implemented in small size ASIC. Its IP can be ported as part of customer’s design such as Internet of Things (IoT) sub network.

FEATURES

Robust communication over DC or AC power line.
Powerline bit rates of up to 1.4Mbit/s.
251 selectable carrier frequencies.
Variable error correction codes, to match the channel conditions.
Multiplex CSMA/CA mechanism .
Supports UART, SPI, and I²C protocols.
Hard-coded 48 bit UUID.
Sleep Mode for low power consumption
Small size design.

Functionality

The DCB1M building blocks are divided to the following blocks:

Protocol handling block, interprets the host protocol.
Transmit and Receive internal FIFOs, each has 1k bytes as a buffer between the host and the DC-BUS power line.
CODEC block, encodes/decodes the message using 3 levels of data protection according to the channel noise conditions.
Modem block, modulate and demodulate messages using phase shift keying scheme.
CSMA/CA mechanism add Carrier sense and arbitration capabilities to the device
Sleep mechanism, ensures low power operation during sleep mode. The device sense the bus for short period to detect possible wake-up messages from other devices connected to the power line.