The voltage translation solution reduces power use and improves performance, simplifying communication across various applications. Find out more.
Nexperia has launched a new family of fixed-direction voltage level translators designed for use with push-pull data interfaces such as UART, SPI, and JTAG, as well as general-purpose input/output (GPIO). The NXU series includes 4-bit, 2-bit, and 1-bit dual-supply buffers, offering a cost-effective solution for level translation. This series simplifies communication between a host processor and peripheral I/O devices, making it suitable for consumer, industrial, automotive, and enterprise applications.
The voltage level translators suit electronics engineers, designers, and developers in various industries, including consumer electronics, industrial automation, automotive, IoT, and enterprise systems. It is suitable for professionals working on circuit designs involving communication between processors and peripheral I/O devices.
Traditional direction-controlled level translators typically require an extra GPIO pin for direction control, which increases device size and consumes I/O resources from the host processor. While auto-direction devices eliminate the need for a GPIO pin, they often fail to provide the current drive needed for many applications and can display non-deterministic I/O behaviour, which is difficult to troubleshoot. Additionally, direction-controlled and auto-direction devices consume more power, making them less suitable for power-sensitive applications.
The family combines the performance of direction-controlled translation devices—such as high data rates, strong drive strength, and glitch-free power sequencing—with the size benefits of auto-direction devices. The translators consume less power compared to auto-direction devices for comparable bit counts. They also support a wider supply voltage range (0.9V to 5.5V), making them capable of translating between voltage nodes from 0.9V to 5V. Additionally, the devices support faster data rates (up to 250 Mbps) than other voltage translation solutions.
This family of translators complements Nexperia’s existing portfolios of direction-controlled and auto-direction level translation devices, providing solutions for applications that require both auto-direction and direction-controlled capabilities. Various data direction and package configurations are available, including automotive-qualified (AEC-Q100) variants with side-wettable flanks for automated optical inspection.
