There seem to be many such chips on the market, whether they're from MAXIM, TI, ST, Linear, etc. All of them seem to have similar pinouts for the standard 1/1, DIP8/SOIC8 configuration. So what would make one select one model over the other? I looked at the ST485B, Linear LTC485, and Ti SN65176B, and the Dallas/Maxim MAX485, all sold at prices that can be dollars apart, yet the functionality appears identical...
Some can handle a much larger voltage range (LT1785 can handle 60v) on the line, some have better ESD protection (LT1785 15kV) some can handle more common mode voltage (ISL31480 25v, many others only 7v), some are faster but that produces more EMI, probably other stuff I haven't thought of
Rob
Thanks Graynomad, I appreciate your help.
In your opinion, would a project with two arduino boards communicsting serially benefit from having an rs485 connection, even if the total line distance is less than 3m/10ft? Perhaps the better question is, would rs485 be overkill? I'm currently planning on using rs485 simply because it is so noise resistant.
It appears that just about any of the rs485 chips I have looked at can handle 250kbaud and up. I guess I'll also look for high esd protection as a nice to have - the price difference with Exar chips is something on the order of 3 cents each.
would a project with two arduino boards communicsting serially benefit from having an rs485 connection, even if the total line distance is less than 3m/10ft?
I guess it depends on the environment and the importance of the project, it can't do any harm but for a home project it's probably overkill.
Rob
Thanks again.
I went for the rs485 connection simply to ensure signal integrity. Plus, it's harder to connect rx to rx with a set of RS485 chips in the middle.
Now on to the remaining questions before I bake out another PCB...