
Data Sheet
ADM3251E
THEORY OF OPERATION
T
he ADM3251E is a high speed, 2.5 kV fully isolated, single-
channel RS-232 transceiver device that operates from a single
power supply.
The internal circuitry consists of the following main sections:
Isolation of power and data
A charge pump voltage converter
A 5.0 V logic to EIA/TIA-232E transmitter
A EIA/TIA-232E to 5.0 V logic receiver
07388-
013
DECODE
RECT
REG
V–
C4
0.1F
16V
VOLTAGE
DOUBLER
C1+ C1– V+
VISO
C2+ C2–
R
T
VOLTAGE
INVERTER
VCC
ROUT
TIN
GND
GNDISO
RIN*
TOUT
ADM3251E
OSC
ENCODE
DECODE
*INTERNAL
5k PULL-DOWN RESISTOR ON THE RS-232 INPUT.
0.1F
C3
0.1F
10V
C2
0.1F
16V
0.1F
C1
0.1F
16V
Figure 13. Functional Block Diagram
ISOLATION OF POWER AND DATA
T
he ADM3251E incorporates a dc-to-dc converter section,
which works on principles that are common to most modern
power supply designs. VCC power is supplied to an oscillating
circuit that switches current into a chip-scale air core transformer.
Power is transferred to the secondary side, where it is rectified
to a high dc voltage. The power is then linearly regulated to
about 5.0 V and supplied to the secondary side data section and
to the VISO pin. The VISO pin should not be used to power
external circuitry.
Because the oscillator runs at a constant high frequency
independent of the load, excess power is internally dissipated
in the output voltage regulation process. Limited space for
transformer coils and components also adds to internal power
dissipation. This results in low power conversion efficiency.
T
he ADM3251E can be operated with the dc-to-dc converter
enabled or disabled. The internal dc-to-dc converter state of the
ADM3251E is controlled by the input VCC voltage. In normal operating mode, VCC is set between 4.5 V and 5.5 V and the
internal dc-to-dc converter is enabled. To disable the dc-to-dc
converter, lower VCC to a value between 3.0 V and 3.7 V. In this
mode, the user must externally supply isolated power to the
VISO pin. An isolated secondary side voltage of between 3.0 V
and 5.5 V and a secondary side input current, IISO, of 12 mA
(maximum) is required on the VISO pin. The signal channels of
The TIN pin accepts CMOS input levels (and TTL levels at
VCC = 3.3 V). The driver input signal that is applied to the TIN
pin is referenced to logic ground (GND). It is coupled across the
isolation barrier, inverted, and then appears at the transceiver
section, referenced to isolated ground (GNDISO). Similarly, the
receiver input (RIN) accepts RS-232 signal levels that are
referenced to isolated ground. The RIN input is inverted and
coupled across the isolation barrier to appear at the ROUT pin,
referenced to logic ground.
The digital signals are transmitted across the isolation barrier
using iCoupler technology. Chip-scale transformer windings
couple the digital signals magnetically from one side of the
barrier to the other. Digital inputs are encoded into waveforms
that are capable of exciting the primary transformer of the
winding. At the secondary winding, the induced waveforms are
decoded into the binary value that was originally transmitted.
There is hysteresis in the VCC input voltage detect circuit. Once the
dc-to-dc converter is active, the input voltage must be decreased
below the turn-on threshold to disable the converter. This feature
ensures that the converter does not go into oscillation due to
noisy input power.
+
C3
0.1F
10V
+ C1
0.1F
16V
+ C2
0.1F
16V
0.1F
+
C4
0.1F
16V
EIA/TIA-232E OUTPUT
EIA/TIA-232E INPUT
VISO
V+
C1+
C1–
TOUT
RIN
C2+
C2–
V–
GNDISO
07388-
014
ISOLATION
BARRIER
CMOS OUTPUT
CMOS INPUT
4.5V TO 5.5V
VCC
ROUT
TIN
GND
0.1F
ADM3251E
Figure 14. Typical Operating Circuit with the DC-to-DC Converter Enabled
(VCC = 4.5 V to 5.5 V)
+
C3
0.1F
10V
+ C1
0.1F
16V
+ C2
0.1F
16V
0.1F
+
C4
0.1F
16V
EIA/TIA-232E OUTPUT
EIA/TIA-232E INPUT
VISO
V+
C1+
C1–
TOUT
RIN
C2+
C2–
V–
GNDISO
07388-
015
ISOLATION
BARRIER
CMOS OUTPUT
CMOS INPUT
3.0V TO 3.7V
3.0V TO 5.5V
ISOLATED SUPPLY
VCC
ROUT
TIN
GND
0.1F
ADM3251E
Figure 15. Typical Operating Circuit with the DC-to-DC Converter Disabled
(VCC = 3.0 V to 3.7 V)
Rev. G | Page 11 of 16