The P82B96 device is a bus buffer that supports bidirectional data transfer between an I2C bus and a range of other bus configurations with different voltage and current levels.

One of the advantages of the P82B96 is that it supports longer cables/traces and allows for more devices per I2C bus because it can isolate bus capacitance such that the total loading (devices and trace lengths) of the new bus or remote I2C nodes are not apparent to other I2C buses (or nodes). The restrictions on the number of I2C devices in a system due to capacitance, or the physical separation between them, are greatly improved.

The device is able to provide galvanic isolation (optocoupling) or use balanced transmission lines (twisted pairs), because separate directional Tx and Rx signals are provided. The Tx and Rx signals may be connected directly (without causing bus latching), to provide an bidirectional signal line with I2C properties (open-drain driver). Likewise, the Ty and Ry signals may also be connected together to provide an bidirectional signal line with I2C properties (open-drain driver). This allows for a simple communication design, saving design time and costs.Read more